The hit manga Hunter X Hunter is about to return after a four-year hiatus. The author, Yoshihiro Togashi, who also created Yu Yu Hakusho, took the internet by storm when he joined Twitter and started dropping hints about the return of his widely acclaimed manga. This made Hunter X Hunter trend worldwide and Togashi the second most-followed mangaka on Twitter in the span of a couple of days.

Hunter X Hunter began serialization on Weekly Shonen Jump in 1998. Starting from 2006, however, problems with Togashi's health forced the series to take increasingly long breaks. The last chapter was published in November 2018, which explains why fans are going wild after the announcement that four new chapters are in the works and will soon see the light in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump.

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While Togashi has shared a sneak peek at Hunter X Hunter's future, it's important to look back at what makes the series special. Before the series returns and takes over the world of manga, here are some very good reasons to pick up the series for the first time or, for longtime fans, a refresher on why this manga is so beloved and successful.

It's Not Classic Shonen

Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio as the main cast of Hunter x Hunter

Hunter X Hunter often seems to follow many of the classic shonen stereotypes: there is training, battles, and tournaments. However, it is actually very hard to pin down the series to a particular genre. One arc will deal with a tournament, but the next one will be a mystery/crime investigation, and then the following one will be set in a virtual reality RPG-style world. The main characters also change often. While most of the stories focus on the protagonist, Gon Freecss, and his closest friends, it's not unusual for secondary characters to take center stage for many chapters or entire arcs. Hunter X Hunter even goes out of its way to subvert tropes like super transformations.

This is perhaps the series' greatest appeal:  all the subplots, characters, and locations make the story look like it could go on forever and it's all unpredictable enough that the series could legitimately go in any direction. This gives the feeling of a true "open world" in which the readers feel exactly like the Hunters, the elite individuals who can go almost anywhere in the world and do almost anything, which typically includes tracking down priceless items, mystical places, and the unseen wonders of the world. Just like Hunters are driven by their desire for knowledge and adventure, so the readers are constantly pulled in by the manga's seemingly endless creativity.

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It's Unexpectedly Dense

Hisoka whispering something at a shocked Kurapika in Hunter x Hunter

Reading Hunter X Hunter is actually not easy. Dialogues abound in the series, with speech balloons sometimes taking over the majority of a panel. Following the many plots and subplots requires attention and devotion from the reader, but this only made the Hunter X Hunter fandom more dedicated. Togashi is a master in crafting complex rules systems to challenge his characters with, which makes Hunter X Hunter pretty unique in the shonen landscape. The battles, trials, and puzzles the characters have to face are so good that they are one of the main selling points of the series, besides the deep and nuanced representation of Hunter X Hunter's characters.

For example, the "Nen" ability, which gives characters in the Hunter X Hunter world their supernatural abilities, is so complex and explained so thoroughly and realistically that it's impossible not to feel that it could actually exist in the real world. Nen gives each user a unique ability, that becomes more powerful the more restrictions (or rules) the user puts on it, making every battle in Hunter X Hunter a complex tactical and intellectual exchange, before a physical one. When it's not about a fight, the characters are still challenged in the most peculiar ways: for example, the elections for the 13th Chairman of the Hunter Association lasted for sixteen chapters, due to the complexity of the rules and the scheming involved. Other manga such as My Hero Academia could learn a lesson from Hunter X Hunter.

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It's Still Far From Over

Gon in Hunter x Hunter key art featuring members of the supporting cast behind him.

It's safe to say that Togashi has only scratched the surface of the wonderous world he is creating for Hunter X Hunter, despite the series being around for more than two decades. This became especially clear after the debut of the "Dark Continent Expedition" arc, which revealed the existence of a mostly-unexplored and incredibly dangerous portion of the world, where only Hunter X Hunter's most powerful Nen users can step foot. This revelation opened the way for the debut of new characters, abilities, and a whole bunch of plots and subplots that will develop in the future.

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Of course, this also means that the constant delays in the series have an even bigger impact because there is absolutely no hint of an ending in sight. This could be frustrating for fans who want to see the many mysteries of the series start unraveling, or are curious to know how the story will end. However, that's exactly the reason why Hunter X Hunter is so unique: there is not one big story that needs to get to a conclusion. The manga can be enjoyed just as much on a chapter-by-chapter basis or focusing on a single story arc.

With three new chapters already completed, and a fourth one in the works, it could be that Togashi's health improved enough to allow for a semi-regular serialization schedule. The excitement for the manga is at its highest peak in years, so there is really no better time to be a Hunter X Hunter fan.

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