Togashi Puts Dragon Quest Aside for Hunter x Hunter

Togashi Puts Dragon Quest Aside for Hunter x Hunter

Togashi puts Dragon Quest aside. Or that's the joke fans are running with. It comes after the mangaka made a quiet but important announcement about his workload. On October 5, Yoshihiro Togashi posted on his official X account that he will no longer accept commissioned work with deadlines, and the man behind Hunter x Hunter explained that after years of dealing with physical and mental health issues, the commission he's currently working on will be the last one he takes on. Fans can't get enough of it.

That is the whole announcement. No release date. No chapter count. No promise that Gon is coming back next month. Just a simple boundary drawn in public: no more outside deadlines, more room for his own manuscripts.

What Togashi Actually Said

The post is brief and direct. Togashi stated that he will turn down any future work with a fixed deadline and instead dedicate his time to his own projects. He also confirmed that he will announce on social media once he resumes working on his manuscripts.

For anyone who has followed Hunter x Hunter, that last line matters more than anything else. It is not a comeback date. It is a signal that a comeback is being prepared. Fans now have a rough window to reread the latest chapters and refresh their memories before whatever comes next arrives.

There is still no indication of exactly when the manga will return. Togashi's message makes it clear that his health remains the priority. After everything he has been through, that is probably the most important thing for readers to remember.

The Dragon Quest Running Joke

There are few things more closely associated with Hunter x Hunter than its incredibly long hiatuses. Well, except perhaps Togashi's legendary love for Dragon Quest. His obsession with the classic RPG franchise has become something of a running joke among fans over the years, with his gaming habits often humorously blamed for the waits between chapters.

So when the news broke that Togashi puts Dragon Quest aside to focus on his own work, the internet did what the internet does. One particularly hilarious response to his post simply asked: "Who the hell is asking Togashi to take on work with deadlines?" Probably someone who has never played Dragon Quest, right?

"Who the hell is asking Togashi to take on work with deadlines?"

Jokes aside, there is no evidence that Togashi is literally abandoning Dragon Quest to work on Hunter x Hunter. The announcement is about commissioned work, not video games. But the timing and the phrasing made the comparison almost irresistible.

Why Removing Deadlines Matters

Togashi has spent years dealing with serious health issues. Those issues have repeatedly forced the manga into extended hiatuses. That context isn't new. But it's the reason this announcement carries weight. Removing additional deadline-driven work from his schedule, work that has long pulled at his time and energy in ways fans don't always see, could ultimately give him more freedom to focus on his own series.

It is worth remembering that this is not a small ask. Commissioned work with deadlines is a commitment. It takes time, energy, and creative bandwidth. For a creator whose health has already limited his output on his own terms, cutting that category of work entirely is a meaningful structural change, not a cosmetic one.

The announcement doesn't say Togashi is working on Hunter x Hunter right now. It says he will announce when he resumes working on his manuscripts, which is a very different thing. That gap is everything. It's where patience lives. And we've got no choice but to sit inside that space between what they've told us and what we actually want to hear, because the statement never promises pages, chapters, or a date, only a future announcement about a future return to work.

What Fans Are Actually Getting

There is no new chapter date. There is no arc confirmation. There is no official word on how much story is left. What fans are getting is a clear signal that Togashi is deliberately clearing his schedule to focus on his own work.

That is not nothing. In the long history of Hunter x Hunter hiatuses, a public statement about prioritizing personal manuscripts is a rare and specific kind of update. It tells readers that the pause is not indefinite by neglect. It is being managed.

If that does not sound like someone preparing for the final boss of the Hunter x Hunter publication schedule, I do not know what does.

The Takeaway

For now, Hunter x Hunter fans can take some comfort in knowing that Togashi is removing other deadline-based work from his plate so he can prioritize his own manuscripts. Just do not ask him to finish that manuscript by Friday.

And if Togashi puts Dragon Quest aside for a while longer than usual, well, that is between him and his backlog. The controller can wait. Gon has waited longer.