If you’ve been waiting for Hunter x Hunter to return, 2026 is the most eventful year the franchise has had in a long time. The manga is back in Weekly Shonen Jump, new official animated footage exists for the first time since 2014, and the conversation around a new anime adaptation is louder than it’s been in years. But there’s a lot of noise to cut through, so here’s what’s actually happening.
The Hunter x Hunter manga is finally back
Start here because everything else flows from this. Hunter x Hunter Chapter 411 officially returned to Weekly Shonen Jump on June 29, 2026, one and a half years after Chapter 410 ended on a tense cliffhanger in the Succession Contest arc aboard the Black Whale in December 2024.
The 2026 return seems to be following Togashi’s usual pattern of releasing around 10 chapters at a time, which could take the manga up to Chapter 420 before another break. Togashi has also revealed on X that he has work prepared up to Chapter 430, giving Hunter x Hunter its largest backlog of completed material in years.
Volume 39, titled Negotiation, was released in Japan on July 3, 2026. The English version through Viz Media is unlikely to arrive before late 2027 or early 2028, given that Volume 38 took nearly one and a half years to reach English readers after its Japanese release in September 2024.
Togashi has been transparent throughout about why the schedule is what it is. He suffers from chronic back pain that has worsened steadily since 2006, supported throughout by his wife Naoko Takeuchi, the creator of Sailor Moon, whom he has publicly thanked multiple times for making continued work possible.
His most recent X update, posted on July 11, 2026, confirms character inking completed for Chapter 432 and started for Chapter 433, meaning he is now working 22 chapters ahead of what is currently serializing in Weekly Shonen Jump. The current batch is expected to run approximately 10 chapters weekly before another hiatus, consistent with how Togashi has structured his last several returns.
The new anime footage
This is where many headlines became misleading. In December 2025, the official account for Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Survivor revealed that the mobile roguelite action game would feature a completely new animated opening movie.
The game was developed as a collaboration between WonderPlanet and Bushiroad Games, with the new animation produced by Studio M2 (known for Pluto). While the footage marked the return of new Hunter x Hunter animation after years, it was created specifically for the game and was not an announcement of a new anime series.
The game launched on February 18, 2026, worldwide as a free-to-play mobile game for iOS and Android, with optional in-app purchases.
While the new animated opening was praised by many fans for bringing fresh Hunter x Hunter animation after years of waiting, reactions to the game itself were more mixed. Many players criticized it as a typical mobile gacha cash grab, pointing to concerns about monetization, slow progression, and a repetitive survivor-style gameplay loop.
Where a new anime would actually stand
The 2011 Madhouse adaptation remains the definitive version of Hunter x Hunter for much of its global audience. It ran for 148 episodes, covering the story from the Hunter Exam arc through the 13th Chairman Election arc and ending around chapter 339 of the manga. Since then, over 70 new chapters have been released, creating the possibility of a continuation, although the unfinished and complex Succession Contest arc would require careful pacing.
The problem is that having around 70 chapters released over more than a decade is not the same as having a reliable pipeline. Togashi’s recent pattern has been releasing batches of around 10 chapters followed by long breaks, rather than maintaining a regular weekly schedule. Because of this, a studio would likely need to wait and build up a much larger buffer before starting a new anime. Otherwise, there is a real risk of the adaptation catching up quickly and ending up in the same situation again.
The most realistic scenario for a new anime, given current manga output, is that Togashi would need to complete and publish something closer to 40 to 50 chapters before any studio could commit to a full season with confidence. Unfortunately, at his current pace, that could take several more years.
Based on Togashi’s recent output, building a 40โ50 chapter buffer could realistically take around 5โ10 years, with the main uncertainty being whether he can maintain a more consistent release schedule.
Why Hunter ร Hunter still has a future
Despite the uncertainty around Togashi’s health and release schedule, one thing has remained clear: he still wants to finish Hunter ร Hunter. In a 2018 interview, Togashi explained that while Gon meeting Ging could have worked as a natural stopping point, he decided to continue because there was still much more of the story he wanted to explore. He also said that, both as a reader and as the creator, there are still parts of the series he is genuinely interested in seeing unfold.
The mangaka has also continued working on the manga despite the physical challenges that have affected its schedule. In recent years, he has openly shared progress updates on chapters, showing that he remains involved in the production process even during long breaks. His hiatuses have largely been connected to his health issues rather than a loss of interest in the story.
Togashi has also clearly been thinking about how the story should eventually end. He revealed that he has considered several possible endings for Hunter ร Hunter, including endings A, B, and C, which he ranked differently in terms of how satisfying he believed they would be for readers. He also prepared Ending D as a contingency plan. Ending D was a scenario he had discarded, but he shared it as a possible conclusion only if he was unable to complete the manga himself. It was not the ending he wanted to use, but a way to ensure fans would still have some form of closure.
The honest probability assessment
A new Hunter ร Hunter anime is possible, but it most likely is not happening soon. Even in an optimistic scenario, a new adaptation would likely still be several years away, potentially around 3โ5 years, assuming Togashi continues making steady progress and enough source material becomes available.
In a less favorable scenario, it could take much longer. If Togashi’s release pace slows again or another extended hiatus occurs, a new anime could potentially be pushed back many years, possibly a decade or more, depending on how much additional manga material becomes available.
The manga’s recent return removes one of the biggest obstacles to an anime continuation: the lack of available source material. The 2011 anime ended in 2014 after adapting nearly all existing chapters, and further episodes would have risked catching up to Togashi’s work. While the manga has returned multiple times since then, its inconsistent schedule has made a new adaptation difficult to plan.
However, Togashi’s recent progress is a more encouraging sign, with chapters being worked on ahead of current serialization. While it remains unclear if this pace can continue, it puts the series in a stronger position for a potential anime return in the future.
