'Hunter x Hunter' Is About To Take A Short Break

If there is one thing Hunter x Hunter fans are used to, it is waiting. The shonen title is one of the industry's most popular, but creator Yoshihiro Togashi has left his followers dangling from time to time to — well — time. Since the manga went live, Hunter x Hunter has earned a reputation for going on hiatuses, so you can see why fans are on edge about the series.

After all, the last chapter of Hunter x Hunter confirmed the manga would take a break, but it will be a very short one. So, don't add another hiatus interlude to the series' canon just yet.

Last week, Shonen Jump gave fans a heads up that Hunter x Hunter was taking a break. The magazine confirmed chapter 380 will have a week-long delay as Togashi is taking a short break for unknown reasons. In the past, the artist has taken lengthy absences from Hunter x Hunter because of health issues, but Shueisha refrained from giving reason for this short break.

To reiterate, Hunter x Hunter is not back on hiatus. It is taking a small break and will presumably resume regular serialization after chapter 380 goes live.

For those of you unaware of Hunter x Hunter's hiatus-prone history, you have a lot to learn. The manga got started in 1998, and it enjoyed fairly regular publication until 2006. Over the years, Shonen Jump has shelved the series more than twice because of extended hiatuses, and its last prolonged break ended this year. The titles release stats paint a concerning picture where Hunter x Hunter hiatuses are concerned. Since 1998, more than half of Weekly Shonen Jump's issues lacked the manga due to hiatuses; Over 60% missed serialization while the rest managed to push out a new chapter.

Hunter x Hunter was originally created by Yoshihiro Togashi. The story follows a young boy named Gon Freecss, who discovers that his previously thought to be dead father is in fact alive. Not only is he alive, he is a famous Hunter, a professional traveler who specializes in finding rare treasures, exploring unidentified lands, and hunting down dangerous individuals. Gon then decides that in order to meet his father he has to become a licensed Hunter, but in that journey gets wrapped up in way more strangeness than he ever could have anticipated.

The series first ran in Shuiesha's Weekly Shonen Jump in March 1998. Unfortunately, the series has gone on a number of hiatuses ever since 2006 which were most likely incurred by bouts of illness Togashi experienced when publishing his last work, Yu Yu Hakusho. The series has run for 360 chapters, and been collected into 47 volumes as of 2017. It's one of Shueisha's most successful selling series with over 66 million copies sold in Japan.

Do you think Togashi will keep the manga away from a hiatus for now? Or is he already planning his next break? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!