For decades, Japan’s work culture has treated the deadline as something close to sacred: a promise that must be kept regardless of exhaustion, pressure or personal cost. However, Yoshihiro Togashi, the creator of Hunter × Hunter, has never been particularly interested in playing by those rules. He has repeatedly pushed back against the grueling demands of standard manga serialization, choosing creative freedom over the relentless pace expected of a hit series.
That philosophy has become inseparable from the way Hunter × Hunter is made; rather than forcing himself to maintain a conventional weekly schedule, Togashi has worked on the series at his own pace, returning to it when he is able and stepping away when necessary. Now, Togashi appears ready to take that principle a step further. In a recent announcement, he said that after completing his existing commitments, he would decline all deadline-based work requests.
A Different Way of Working
“Due to a combination of physical and mental health difficulties, I have decided that, after completing my current commitments, I will decline all future work with deadlines and prioritize my own manuscripts,” he wrote on X. “I will announce here again once I resume working.” The post quickly drew widespread attention, surpassing 26 million views as fans and readers reacted to Togashi’s decision to step away from deadline-driven work and put his own creative projects first.
The response from fans was overwhelmingly supportive, with many urging Togashi to put his health ahead of his work. “Please prioritize your physical and mental well-being above all else. In the manga world that has lost Akira Toriyama, we cannot afford to lose you too,” one X user wrote. Another fan, referring directly to Hunter × Hunter, echoed the sentiment: “I sincerely hope you can continue writing at your own pace without pushing yourself too hard.”
Importantly, Togashi is not announcing his retirement, nor is he saying he intends to stop working on Hunter × Hunter. Instead, his comments point to a different way of working, one in which he can prioritize his own creative work rather than projects dictated by external deadlines. For Hunter × Hunter fans, waiting has already become part of the experience. The manga has disappeared for months, sometimes years, only to reappear with new chapters for fans to read.
Who Is Yoshihiro Togashi?
Yoshihiro Togashi is one of Japan’s most celebrated manga creators, with a career spanning more than three decades. He first found major success with Yu Yu Hakusho, but it was Hunter × Hunter, which began in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1998, that would become his defining work. The story centers on a 12-year-old boy named Gon Freecss who sets out to become an elite professional adventurer called a “Hunter” to find his missing father.
