Yoshihiro Togashi Shares that He Needs to Finish ‘Hunter x Hunter’

Hunter x Hunter is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, making it Weekly Shonen Jump‘s second-longest ongoing series. It feels longer for readers, and creator Yoshihiro Togashi is constantly bombarded with questions related to a potential ending.

Yoshihiro Togashi's interview from Shonen Jump Issue 26 translated.

Full interview will be conducted in the Shonen Jump Exhibit Vol. 3 Catalog in July. pic.twitter.com/7vomRdR8aX

— Hunter❌Hunter (@OfficialHxH) May 25, 2018

Togashi is typically tight-lipped about the manga’s production, but he shared a nugget in a new interview with publisher Shueisha. “I need to finish writing Hunter x Hunter,” Togashi said, “It’s come to the point where either the story concludes first or I die before that happens. But I do intend to finish it.”

Hunter x Hunter currently has 380 chapters, more than double of Togashi’s Yu Yu Hakusho, but the manga’s serialization has been extended to due to multiple hiatuses. In fact, Hunter x Hunter has been missing in 61% of Weekly Shounen Jump issues since its debut on March 3, 1998.

Togashi has cited chronic back pain as the primary reason, and he has shared in the “Author Comments” section about how he has been bed-ridden at times. Still, fans have shared their frustrations and jokingly blame his love of Dragon Quest games for the delays.

Hunter x Hunter is currently on hiatus and Togashi hasn’t shared a return date yet. But going by his latest interview, he may be planning out a finale sooner rather than later.