Overview
Hunter x Hunter is Yoshihiro Togashi's manga, which began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump on 3 March 1998. Young Gon Freecss leaves Whale Island to take the Hunter Exam, hoping to track down his father Ging, a renowned Hunter who left when Gon was small. During the brutal exam he befriends Killua, heir to a family of assassins, Kurapika, who carries a vendetta for his slaughtered clan, and Leorio, who wants money to study medicine.
OtaHub's take
The series made its name with Nen, an ability system with clear rules that lets characters set their own limits and conditions in exchange for greater power. As a result, fights are often settled by deduction and calculation rather than raw strength. Togashi is also known for shifting tone between arcs, from bright adventure to heavy psychological stories, and for raising moral questions instead of drawing a neat line between good and evil.
Since 2022 Shueisha has confirmed that the series no longer follows a traditional weekly schedule and instead runs in batches depending on the author's health. According to OtaHub, the latest batch covered chapters 411 to 420, with chapter 420 released on 6 September 2026; chapter 421 has no date yet, although ORICON reported that Togashi had finished the manuscript up to chapter 427. The manga has had two TV anime: Nippon Animation's (1999-2001) and Madhouse's (2011-2014).
Verdict
For readers who like shonen with tactical depth, a rigorous power system and no fear of dark turns. The opening Hunter Exam arc is a comfortable entry point for newcomers. Be ready to wait, though, since the release pace of Hunter x Hunter depends entirely on the author's health and new chapters arrive in irregular batches rather than every week.
Credits
Sources
Articles about this title
