If you’ve spent any time in the anime community, you’ve heard the jokes. "Hiatus x Hiatus." The memes about a manga creator who spends more time playing Dragon Quest than drawing. People get legitimately angry. They see a masterpiece like Hunter x Hunter stalled for years and think the guy is just lazy or rich enough to not care anymore.
Honestly? That couldn't be further from the truth.
The story of Yoshihiro Togashi, the creator of Hunter x Hunter, isn't some tale of a retired rockstar coasting on royalties. It’s actually a pretty brutal survival story about a man whose body is literally breaking under the weight of his own ambition.
The Back Pain That Changed Everything
We have to talk about the elephant in the room: Togashi’s health. It’s not just "soreness." For years, the guy has been dealing with debilitating chronic back pain. We’re talking about a level of agony where, at his worst, he couldn't even sit in a chair to draw for two full years.
He once shared a note that genuinely shocked the fanbase. He described a period where he couldn't even assume the posture needed to wipe himself after using the bathroom. Every basic human movement took him three to five times longer than a healthy person.
Imagine being one of the greatest storytellers of your generation, having the entire "Dark Continent" arc mapped out in your head, but your spine feels like it’s being held together by rusty staples.
Why not just hire assistants?
This is the big "gotcha" people always throw out. "Why doesn't he just let someone else draw it while he writes?"
Basically, it's a matter of pride. Togashi is a "mangaka" in the truest, most stubborn sense. He lived through the meat-grinder of the 90s Weekly Shonen Jump era. Back when he was doing YuYu Hakusho, he was sleeping maybe a few hours a night, pushing his "HP" (as he calls it) to zero.
He’s gone on record saying that if he’s going to put his name on a page, he wants to be the one who drew it. He tried the "factory" model during the end of YuYu Hakusho and hated it. He felt like he was losing his soul. For Togashi, the art isn't just a delivery system for the plot—the ink on the page is the story.
The Power Couple: Sailor Moon and Togashi
Here’s a fun fact that sounds like fan fiction but is 100% real: Togashi is married to Naoko Takeuchi, the creator of Sailor Moon.
Think about that for a second. The two most influential people in 90s manga are a household. When they got married in 1999, it was basically the Royal Wedding of the nerd world. They even have two kids together.
Fans often joke that she should just finish the manga for him. And while she actually did help him with some screentones in the early volumes of Hunter x Hunter, she has her own life and legacy. They’re a match made in heaven because they both understand the "workaholic" nature of the industry. They’ve both seen the dark side of fame and the physical toll it takes.
The 2024-2026 Comeback: What’s Happening Now?
People thought the series was dead. Then, in a move that broke the internet, Togashi started a Twitter (X) account to post daily updates of his manuscripts.
It was a total game-changer.
Instead of wondering if he was even alive, fans started seeing pictures of corner numbers on manga pages. Page 1... Page 2... It was slow. Painfully slow. But it was proof of life.
As of late 2025 and moving into January 2026, things are actually looking up.
- He completed a batch of chapters (401-410) that saw a brief return to Weekly Shonen Jump.
- He recently confirmed that backgrounds for Chapter 413 are done.
- He’s been open about undergoing surgery to help with the pain, which seems to have given him a second wind.
He’s not "cured"—he recently mentioned being bedridden for a few days again—but he’s "wobbling around" and getting back to the desk. That’s just who he is.
The "Ending" Contingency
Togashi isn't oblivious. He knows his health is a ticking clock. In a 2023 interview, he actually revealed that he has four different endings planned for Hunter x Hunter.
He even shared "Ending D," which is the one that would become canon if he happens to pass away before finishing the story. It involves a girl named Jin (a descendant of Gon) fishing on Whale Island, much like the very first chapter of the series. It’s a "safe" ending that brings the story full circle.
But he desperately wants to reach Ending A, B, or C. Those are the ones that actually resolve the Succession Contest and the nightmare that is the Dark Continent.
Why Hunter x Hunter Still Matters
You might wonder why people wait. Why do we care about a creator of hunter x hunter who publishes ten chapters every two years?
It's because Togashi doesn't write like anyone else.
Most shonen manga follow a formula: the hero gets a power-up, beats the bad guy, and moves to the next level. Togashi ignores that. He writes psychological thrillers disguised as battle manga. He’ll spend 80 pages on the internal monologue of a side character you just met, and somehow make it the most gripping thing you’ve ever read.
He treats his readers like they’re smart. He builds systems like Nen, which is arguably the most complex and balanced "magic system" in all of fiction.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re a fan or a newcomer, the best way to support the creator of Hunter x Hunter isn't by complaining about the wait.
- Follow his official X account (@Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp). It’s the only place for real-time updates straight from his desk.
- Buy the official volumes. Shueisha and Viz Media track these sales, and it’s the best way to show the publishers that the audience is still there, regardless of the hiatus length.
- Check out his older work. If you haven't read Level E or YuYu Hakusho, do it. You’ll see the evolution of a genius who was never afraid to take risks.
Togashi is a man fighting his own body to finish a masterpiece. He doesn't owe us an ending, but he's trying to give us one anyway. That’s worth a little patience.