Hunter X Hunter General Discussion
- Thread starter NikaInParis
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I don't think we're supposed to keep up with the story arcs of each characters. I think it's meant to fuck up our brains. Literature did this many times and people complained at first and afterwards they understood the great shit that it was.
Togashi already said that he wanted to bloat this arc way more than the Marineford war in One Piece. And yes the expedition arc was announced back in 2012 and Marineford was around 2010. Yes we're all old grumpy mofos now.
Togashi already said that he wanted to bloat this arc way more than the Marineford war in One Piece. And yes the expedition arc was announced back in 2012 and Marineford was around 2010. Yes we're all old grumpy mofos now.
The difference between the Succession War and Marineford is that one is understandably chaotic but far less complex
In Marineford there were various characters that you didn’t know much about but their allegiances and purpose were made incredibly clear from the jump
The Succession War is filled with murder and deception. You have to juggle shifting allegiances while also committing their nen ability (whatever it may be) to memory
I think you could have a teenager with an average reading level go through Marineford and they’d understand most things. The Succession War? No shot
In the HxH subreddit they have multiple alignment charts and location trackers that are updated every chapter because most people just can’t keep up. I think when we get to that point it’s just too much
I’ve said this before but I understand why Togashi is writing this way. I just don’t think this is the best way to go about it
In Marineford there were various characters that you didn’t know much about but their allegiances and purpose were made incredibly clear from the jump
The Succession War is filled with murder and deception. You have to juggle shifting allegiances while also committing their nen ability (whatever it may be) to memory
I think you could have a teenager with an average reading level go through Marineford and they’d understand most things. The Succession War? No shot
In the HxH subreddit they have multiple alignment charts and location trackers that are updated every chapter because most people just can’t keep up. I think when we get to that point it’s just too much
I’ve said this before but I understand why Togashi is writing this way. I just don’t think this is the best way to go about it
Main reason why there is a chart on the subreddit is because of the multiple breaks over the last decade and more.
But even then I already said why this isn't bad to write a story hard to follow. There are books with hundreds and hundreds of characters already in existence that were heavily criticized in their time and received praise years after because they were "impossible to decipher".
I have to do stuff so here is a ChatGPT explanation (I kinda agree with it and it only scratches the top of this topic):
But even then I already said why this isn't bad to write a story hard to follow. There are books with hundreds and hundreds of characters already in existence that were heavily criticized in their time and received praise years after because they were "impossible to decipher".
I have to do stuff so here is a ChatGPT explanation (I kinda agree with it and it only scratches the top of this topic):
Postmodern Aspects of the Succession War Arc
The Succession War arc is arguably the most complex and psychologically intense arc in Hunter x Hunter. Its postmodern qualities can be seen in several ways:
1. Fragmentation & Nonlinear Narrative
Stream of Consciousness in the Succession War
1. Heavy Use of Internal Monologues
So… Is the Succession War Arc Postmodern?
In many ways, yes:
The Succession War arc is arguably the most complex and psychologically intense arc in Hunter x Hunter. Its postmodern qualities can be seen in several ways:
1. Fragmentation & Nonlinear Narrative
- The arc doesn’t follow a single protagonist or linear path. Instead, it presents multiple overlapping narratives from different princes, guards, Kurapika’s group, the mafia, and the Phantom Troupe.
- The story is deliberately disjointed, echoing the postmodern rejection of grand, cohesive narratives.
- Each character operates within their own moral framework and subjective worldview, with no clear "hero" or "villain" dominating the arc.
- This aligns with postmodernism's tendency to deconstruct binaries (good/evil, order/chaos, etc.) and show how reality is constructed through perspectives.
- The Nen Beast system introduces an unseen layer of influence, almost like a commentary on invisible forces shaping characters’ lives—which can be interpreted as a postmodern metaphor.
- Togashi also plays with genre expectations—this is technically a shonen manga, yet it slows down into a psychological and political chess match, subverting the typical genre beats.
Stream of Consciousness in the Succession War
1. Heavy Use of Internal Monologues
- The arc relies heavily on internal dialogue—we are often inside the minds of characters like Kurapika, Halkenburg, and the bodyguards.
- These monologues sometimes reflect disorganized, emotionally charged, or morally conflicted thought processes, mimicking stream of consciousness techniques found in modernist/postmodern literature (think Virginia Woolf, James Joyce).
- Togashi often stacks multiple character thoughts within a single panel—you might see 3–4 characters thinking simultaneously about one event, creating a textual collage of mental states.
- This mirrors stream-of-consciousness writing, where the narrative becomes less about plot and more about the internal rhythm of thought.
So… Is the Succession War Arc Postmodern?
In many ways, yes:
- It deconstructs traditional narrative structure.
- It emphasizes internal psychology over external action.
- It embraces ambiguity, multiple truths, and moral relativism.
- It plays with format and genre.
- And yes, it incorporates a manga-adapted form of stream of consciousness, which is rare and sophisticated.
Haters will say that it's also 2000pages long 
https://x.com/Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp/status/1961099952014360828
New tweet for chapter 415. We can expect a new batch by the end of the year.
Post automatically merged:
https://x.com/Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp/status/1961099952014360828
New tweet for chapter 415. We can expect a new batch by the end of the year.
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Maybe even sooner than expected since he chose to tweet every two days
https://x.com/Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp/status/1961960257892286876
416 completed.
Excepting a new batch before Halloween or even before October.
https://x.com/Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp/status/1961960257892286876
416 completed.
Excepting a new batch before Halloween or even before October.
Maybe even sooner than expected since he chose to tweet every two days
https://x.com/Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp/status/1961960257892286876
416 completed.
Excepting a new batch before Halloween or even before October.
https://x.com/Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp/status/1961960257892286876
416 completed.
Excepting a new batch before Halloween or even before October.
Cliffhanger chapter better be resolved quick. We ain't waiting a year this time again to see another dozens of characters be introduced for the sake of rage-baiting the reader. We either get to see Benjamin Nen Beast aka the Xenomorph going berserk or we die.
Hype is real because we either get the best batch since Hisoka vs Chrollo or the best frustration batch. We playin' a dangerous game
Hype is real because we either get the best batch since Hisoka vs Chrollo or the best frustration batch. We playin' a dangerous game
https://x.com/Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp/status/1963370870816346599
New tweet for chapter 418. Soon we will eat.
New tweet for chapter 418. Soon we will eat.
Yes, if he tweets about an entire chapter then it's pretty much done.
And yes he quickly went from 413 to 418 but a year ago he was working on 421 (or so) and was tweeting pages.
I guess that working with batches of 10 chapter a year and releasing them when they're entirely done is different than week to week classic way of work.
And yes he quickly went from 413 to 418 but a year ago he was working on 421 (or so) and was tweeting pages.
I guess that working with batches of 10 chapter a year and releasing them when they're entirely done is different than week to week classic way of work.
Togashi has - due to his health and status as living mangaka legend - a very unique schedule.
He basically has the freedom to do anything he wants.
Whereas other mangaka are about 3 or 4 chapters ahead most of the time (only working on those), Togashi is currently simultaneously working on about 50 chapters, which he confirmed last December.
Those 50 chapters are all in various stages of completion.
The next 10 (411-420) are basically done and are those that he currently posts updates on. Only some minor background corrections have to be made.
The next 10 (421-430) are also mostly drawn. Here writing and inserting the dialogue is the next step (takes the longest), before the background adjustments happen as final step.
The next 30 (431-460) are in the storyboard stage (very rough sketches of the chapters).
He basically has the freedom to do anything he wants.
Whereas other mangaka are about 3 or 4 chapters ahead most of the time (only working on those), Togashi is currently simultaneously working on about 50 chapters, which he confirmed last December.
Those 50 chapters are all in various stages of completion.
The next 10 (411-420) are basically done and are those that he currently posts updates on. Only some minor background corrections have to be made.
The next 10 (421-430) are also mostly drawn. Here writing and inserting the dialogue is the next step (takes the longest), before the background adjustments happen as final step.
The next 30 (431-460) are in the storyboard stage (very rough sketches of the chapters).