HUNTER×HUNTER Has Three Possible Ending Patterns, Yoshihiro Togashi Also Prepared a Separate Ending in Case the Manga Remains Unfinished

HUNTER×HUNTER returned with its latest chapter, Chapter 411, in Issue 31 of Weekly Shonen Jump, released today, June 29. It marks the first new chapter in about one and a half years since Chapter 410 was published on December 9, 2024.

HUNTER×HUNTER Chapter 411 Appears in Center Color

The latest chapter appears in center color and depicts the movements of Kurapika and others as the Succession Contest intensifies. Regarding the ending of the final chapter of H×H, however, author Yoshihiro Togashi previously revealed details, explaining that there are three possible ending patterns, while also preparing one additional pattern in the event that the manga remains unfinished and he passes away.

The final chapter was discussed during a H×H feature on the variety program Iwakura to Yoshizumi no Bangumi, which aired in 2023. In response to the question, “Has the ending been decided?” Togashi gave a detailed explanation in a long letter. The full text of Togashi’s letter is as follows.

Full Text of Yoshihiro Togashi’s Letter

Broadly speaking, I have prepared three patterns for how the story will end: A, B, and C. When imagining readers’ reactions in terms of the ratio of approval and disapproval, I expect A to be 8 approval and 2 disapproval. This does not mean I think it will be highly praised, but rather that I personally see it as a safe development that is unlikely to attract many negative votes. For B, I expect approval and disapproval to be about even, and for C, I expect something like 1 approval and 9 disapproval.

The reason I am keeping C, even though I expect overwhelmingly negative reactions, is because it is the one I like best. Fundamentally, however, my ideal and goal is to come up with an ending so interesting that I do not have to choose any of these three patterns. For reference, I will disclose Pattern D, which did not make it into the three candidates. If I die with the work still unfinished, I would be grateful if you could consider this to have been the ending.

[Pattern D for the ending]

A girl stands by the edge of a pond, gripping a fishing rod and not moving an inch. Suddenly, the rod bends sharply, and the girl cries out. Her name is Gin.

Gin (JP: ギン, not Ging): “It’s here, it’s here, it’s heeeere!!”

Carrying the lord of the pond on her shoulder, Gin proudly stands before a woman and declares:

Gin: “Just like I promised, I caught the lord!! Mom!!”

She then moves closer to the woman and continues in a small voice.

Gin: “Now you’ll never tell me to become a Hunter again, right…!”

The woman reluctantly nods. Gin leaves while carrying the lord of the pond.

Mother: “I thought that catching the lord would awaken her to hunting… Right?”

The woman seeks agreement from the husband beside her.

Father: “Never leaving the island and taking over the shop. That is what Gin wants right now. Let’s respect that.”

The woman still looks dissatisfied.

Mother: “Well, she might change her mind along the way. Honestly, you and Gin are both so… Well, I suppose that comes from the bloodline of Great Grandma Mito and Grandma Noko…”

Apparently, the woman does not know that Mito and Noko are not blood relatives. The husband smiles quietly.

Unable to give up, the woman continues.

Mother: “But! Grandpa Gon was a famous Hunter…! I’m sure that girl will someday leave the island…”

Gin: “I won’t leave!!”

From deep in the forest, where she can no longer even be seen, the daughter shouts back, even though she should not be able to hear her parents’ exchange.

The father mutters happily.

Father: “She sees right through us.”

The scene changes to the shop that has continued since Mito’s time. The lord of the pond has been beautifully cut up, and every part has been prepared. As she works, Gin reflects silently.

Gin: “(Mom doesn’t understand… That when Grandpa happily talks about memories from his days as a Hunter, Great Grandma casually leaves the room. That every one of Grandma Noko’s replies is a message from someone else, and that Grandma quietly lets slip the loneliness of not being able to stay by Grandpa’s side.)”

With the hand holding the kitchen knife, she strikes the cutting board hard.

Gin: “(I absolutely refuse!! Waiting for someone to come home for months and years with my heart squeezed tight!! Making someone wait for me, too!! I…)”

The sound of the door opening. A laid back, gentle voice echoes. A plump boy comes in carrying plants.

Boy: “I picked wild vegetables. Whoa, amazing. You really caught the lord! All right, let’s serve it to everyone on the island.”

Gin: “(I want to be with the person I want to be with…)”

Boy: “I can already picture how happy everyone will be. Come on, let’s get started.”

Gin: “(Forever and ever!!)” “Yeah!!”

The two cook together with beaming smiles.

A single bird flies away from the island. The bird soars through the vast sky. Beneath the bird is a town somewhere. Many different people. Someone’s son, someone’s daughter, someone’s grandchild, all living in various places and smiling as they exchange words with someone. They may be the child of that character, or the grandchild of that character. The bird flies off beyond the sky. Someone watches it go, seen from behind.

The end.

Source : ORICON NEWS