Hunter x Hunter: Will It Ever Finish?
It’s the question that haunts every Hunter x Hunter fan: will Yoshihiro Togashi ever complete his masterpiece? After decades of hiatuses, health struggles, and some of the most brilliant storytelling in manga history, the series remains perpetually unfinished. Yet in 2022, hope flickered back to life when Togashi created a Twitter account and began posting updates about new chapters. The question isn’t just about one manga anymore—it’s about whether a creator’s vision can survive the physical toll of its creation.
⚠️ MANGA SPOILER WARNING: This article discusses manga content far beyond the anime adaptation, including the current Succession Contest arc and Dark Continent expedition.
Where We Are Now
Hunter x Hunter is currently in the midst of its most complex arc yet: the Succession Contest aboard the Black Whale, which is simultaneously serving as transport to the Dark Continent. This arc interweaves multiple plotlines:
The Succession War: The 14 princes of the Kakin Empire are engaged in a death match for the throne. Each prince has been granted a Nen beast—a Guardian Spirit Beast created by a ritualistic pot—that reflects their personality and protects them. The contest follows specific rules that create game-theory scenarios Togashi loves to explore.
The Phantom Troupe: Chrollo and the Spiders have infiltrated the Black Whale to hunt Hisoka, who has sworn to kill every Troupe member after his “death” and resurrection at Heavens Arena. This cat-and-mouse game is happening in the ship’s lower tiers.
Kurapika’s Mission: Kurapika has hired himself out as a bodyguard to one of the princes while secretly working to recover his clan’s remaining Scarlet Eyes. His overuse of Emperor Time is rapidly draining his lifespan.
The Dark Continent: The ultimate destination—a massive continent beyond the known world, filled with the “Five Calamities” that make Chimera Ants look tame by comparison.
The current arc began in 2014 and has progressed through perhaps 50 chapters total, with multiple year-long hiatuses interrupting the publication. As of the most recent updates, Togashi has been working on new chapters, posting progress on social media.
The Hiatus History
Why Does Hunter x Hunter Keep Stopping?
Togashi has been open about his chronic back pain, which prevents him from sitting and drawing for extended periods. This condition developed over his decades-long career, which includes his previous hit series Yu Yu Hakusho. The physical demands of being a weekly manga artist—drawing 19 pages per week, often with minimal assistance—have taken a severe toll.
Unlike many mangaka who employ large teams of assistants, Togashi has historically preferred to draw most of Hunter x Hunter himself. His intricate Nen ability descriptions, complex panel layouts, and detailed world-building reflect a perfectionist approach that resists delegation.
The hiatus timeline is staggering:
- 2006-2007: 2-year hiatus
- 2012-2014: 2-year hiatus
- 2014-2016: Multiple short hiatuses
- 2018-2022: Nearly 4-year hiatus (the longest)
- 2022-Present: Resumed with sporadic publication
When Togashi returned in October 2022 with 10 new chapters, fans celebrated. His Twitter updates showing manuscript pages have provided unprecedented insight into his process—and his ongoing struggle to continue.
Top Theories About Hunter x Hunter’s Future
Theory 1: Togashi Will Complete a “Minimum Viable Ending”
Some fans believe Togashi has a truncated ending in mind—a version that concludes the major plotlines without fully exploring the Dark Continent or other planned arcs.
What this might look like:
- The Succession Contest concludes with a clear winner
- Kurapika either completes or fails his mission
- Hisoka vs. Chrollo gets a definitive conclusion
- Gon and Killua potentially reunite for a brief finale
- The Dark Continent remains largely unexplored but acknowledged
Evidence for this theory:
Togashi has mentioned in interviews that he has the ending planned and doesn’t want to die without concluding the story. His decision to return to serialization despite ongoing health issues suggests a determination to provide closure. The detailed nature of his Twitter updates implies he’s treating each chapter as potentially significant—not filler.
Evidence against:
The Succession Contest is incredibly dense, introducing dozens of new characters with complex Nen abilities. If Togashi wanted a quick ending, he wouldn’t have created such an elaborate scenario. The Dark Continent has been hyped since 2012 as the ultimate adventure—it seems unlikely he’d skip it entirely.
Theory 2: Hunter x Hunter Will Be Finished By Someone Else
A more controversial theory suggests that Togashi might eventually allow assistants, collaborators, or even another artist to complete the series under his supervision.
Precedent exists in manga:
- Berserk continues posthumously under Studio Gama with Kentaro Miura’s notes
- Dragon Ball Super is drawn by Toyotarou under Akira Toriyama’s supervision (before his passing)
- Crayon Shin-chan continued after Yoshito Usui’s death
Arguments for:
Togashi’s wife, Naoko Takeuchi (creator of Sailor Moon), is herself a renowned mangaka. His perfectionism might soften if the alternative is leaving the story unfinished. The manga industry increasingly accepts collaborative continuation of beloved series.
Arguments against:
Togashi has shown no interest in this approach. His perfectionist nature and the complexity of Hunter x Hunter’s writing make it poorly suited for handoff. Much of what makes HxH special is Togashi’s specific narrative voice and subversive choices—elements that would be difficult to replicate.
Theory 3: The Current Arc IS the Functional Ending
A pessimistic theory suggests the Succession Contest arc might be as close to an ending as we’ll ever get—not because Togashi plans it that way, but because the arc’s complexity makes completion nearly impossible at his current pace.
The math is grim:
If Togashi averages 10-20 chapters per year (optimistically), and the Succession Contest alone requires another 50-100 chapters to resolve, we’re looking at 3-10 more years just for this arc. Add the Dark Continent expedition, potential Gon/Ging resolution, and other plotlines, and completion could require 15+ years of consistent work.
Counterargument:
Togashi has surprised fans before. His 2022 return came after the longest hiatus, suggesting he’s found ways to manage his condition. The future is unpredictable, and medical advances or working style changes could accelerate his pace.
Theory 4: The Story Will Continue Indefinitely (And That’s Okay)
Some fans have made peace with Hunter x Hunter’s uncertain future, viewing it as an ongoing work rather than a story awaiting completion.
The philosophical argument:
Hunter x Hunter’s themes—particularly in the Chimera Ant arc—deal with the nature of humanity, purpose, and the value of life beyond goals. Meruem’s final moments weren’t about victory or defeat but about connection. Perhaps Hunter x Hunter doesn’t need a traditional “ending” to be complete.
The practical argument:
Each arc of Hunter x Hunter functions somewhat independently. The Hunter Exam, Yorknew City, Greed Island, and Chimera Ant arcs all have beginning, middle, and end. Even if the Succession Contest never concludes, fans have hundreds of chapters of complete storytelling.
The community response:
Many fans have adopted a zen attitude: they’ll enjoy whatever Togashi produces without expecting completion. This perspective removes the anxiety and allows appreciation of what exists.
The Dark Continent: What We’re Missing
The tragedy of Hunter x Hunter’s hiatus is that Togashi had been building toward something unprecedented. The Dark Continent represents:
The Five Calamities:
- Ai (Codependence of Desire) – A gaseous life form that grants wishes in the worst ways
- Brion – A botanical weapon that destroyed an exploration team
- Hellbell – Twin snakes with a guide that leads humans to their doom
- Pap – A disease that creates “Zobae Disease” or immortality
- Nanika – Actually FROM the Dark Continent, currently with Killua
Each Calamity is rated far above Chimera Ants in danger level. The Dark Continent expedition promised power scaling and narrative stakes beyond anything in the series.
What Togashi planned:
Based on world-building details, the Dark Continent arc was meant to feature:
- V5/V6 nation politics at global scale
- The Hunter Association’s full deployment
- Don Freecss (Gon’s ancestor, alive for 300 years on the Dark Continent)
- The secret of the Nitro Rice and other ultimate treasures
- Ging’s master plan
This is potentially the best shonen arc never written—and may remain that way.
What’s Most Likely
The most realistic scenario, based on Togashi’s recent return and ongoing updates, is:
The Succession Contest will eventually conclude (perhaps in 3-5 years at the current pace), providing closure for Kurapika’s character arc and the Phantom Troupe conflict. This represents the emotional core of the current story.
The Dark Continent will be partially explored—likely through exposition, flashbacks, and limited actual arrival—rather than receiving the full arc treatment it was originally planned for.
A definitive ending exists in Togashi’s notes, and there’s a reasonable chance he’ll communicate it somehow, whether through manga chapters, interviews, or even a novel adaptation if drawing becomes impossible.
Gon and Killua’s story is functionally complete. The Chimera Ant arc and Election arc brought both characters to natural resting points. While fans desperately want to see them reunite and grow, their current status (Gon living peacefully on Whale Island, Killua traveling with Alluka) is itself a form of happy ending.
When to Expect Resolution
The honest answer is: nobody knows.
Optimistic timeline: If Togashi maintains his post-2022 pace and his health stabilizes, the Succession Contest could conclude by 2027-2028. The full series might wrap by 2032-2035.
Pessimistic timeline: Extended hiatuses continue indefinitely. The story remains unfinished. Togashi eventually releases ending notes or outlines posthumously.
The realistic middle ground: Togashi completes the Succession Contest arc, provides some Dark Continent content, and ends the series on a note that’s incomplete by original plans but satisfying given circumstances. This happens sometime in the late 2020s to early 2030s.
The anime adaptation (2011 version) ended at chapter 339. There are currently around 400 chapters total, meaning only about 60 chapters of unadapted material—barely enough for one or two cours of anime, and not enough to justify a new production until more manga exists.
Hunter x Hunter is Schrödinger’s Manga: simultaneously a masterpiece and an eternal work-in-progress. Every fan must make peace with this duality. The story we have is brilliant. The story we may never get haunts us. And somewhere, Togashi is drawing—slowly, painfully, determinedly—one page at a time.
Related: Hunter x Hunter Watch Order Guide, Nen System Explained, Phantom Troupe Character Analysis