Related reads:Hunter x Hunter Manga Finally Returns After Nearly Two-Year Hiatus as Yoshihiro Togashi Resumes the Succession War Arc
Hunter x Hunter has brought Gon Freecss and Killua Zoldyck back to the manga after more than a decade away from the main story. The two fan-favourite characters have returned in Chapter 414, titled “Friends,” after the manga spent years focusing on other characters and storylines.
Gon and Killua were last together in the manga around the end of the 13th Hunter Chairman Election Arc. The story later shifted its focus to characters including Kurapika as it moved into the Succession Contest Arc, leaving its original duo largely absent from the ongoing events.
So why has it taken this long for Gon and Killua to return? One major reason is Hunter x Hunter’s lengthy and frequent hiatuses due to creator Yoshihiro Togashi’s health issues.
The manga has experienced numerous breaks since 2006, including hiatuses that lasted several years. Togashi has spoken openly about suffering from severe back and hip problems that have affected his ability to work. In July 2022, he revealed that his condition had left him unable to sit in a chair for around two years, forcing him to find other ways to continue drawing, including working while lying down.
Combined with the manga’s shift away from Gon and Killua to the Succession Contest storyline, these extended breaks mean more than a decade has passed since readers regularly saw the two characters together in the story.
Hunter x Hunter, written and illustrated by Togashi, began serialisation in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1998. The story initially follows Gon as he sets out to become a Hunter and find his father, Ging Freecss. Along the way, he befriends Killua, a young member of the infamous Zoldyck family of assassins, as well as Kurapika and Leorio.
The manga has received two television anime adaptations. The more recent 2011 <a href="https://comicvibe.com/the-best-horror-series-ever-made-is-now-streaming-for-free/” title=”The Best Horror Series Ever Made Is Now Streaming For Free”>series, produced by Madhouse, ran for 148 episodes and adapted the story through the 13th Hunter Chairman Election Arc, ending shortly after Gon finally meets Ging. The manga has continued beyond where the anime ended, with its current story focusing heavily on the Succession Contest aboard the Black Whale.
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