Honestly, if you're scouring the web for a specific, hard-coded Hunter x Hunter new season release date, you’ve probably run into a lot of clickbait. It’s frustrating. We’ve all been there—scrolling through some site promising a "Fall 2026" premiere only to realize they’re just guessing based on nothing.
The truth is a bit more complicated. And a lot more interesting.
As of right now, January 18, 2026, there is no official announcement for a new anime season. None. Neither Studio Madhouse nor Nippon Animation has put a date on the calendar. But don’t click away just yet. While we don't have a date, we have more activity from the series creator, Yoshihiro Togashi, than we've seen in nearly a decade.
The Togashi Factor: Why 2026 is actually looking up
Let’s talk about Togashi’s Twitter (or X, whatever we're calling it today). For years, that account was a graveyard. Then, things changed. Just a few days ago, on January 14, 2026, Togashi posted an update showing the manuscript for Chapter 414 is basically done.
That might sound like "manga news," but for anime fans, it’s the only thing that matters.
The 2011 anime ended at Chapter 339. Since then, we've only had about 70-ish chapters of new material. In the world of anime production, that’s barely enough for two small cours (maybe 24 to 26 episodes). Studios usually wait until an arc is finished—or at least close to it—before they sink millions into production. Togashi currently has manuscripts planned or in progress all the way up to Chapter 430.
If he keeps this pace, we’re looking at a serious mountain of content finally being ready for the screen.
The "Succession Contest" Problem
The biggest hurdle for a Hunter x Hunter new season release date isn't just the number of chapters. It’s the content itself. If you thought the Chimera Ant arc was heavy on dialogue, the current "Succession Contest" arc is like a political thriller on steroids.
It is incredibly dense.
There are hundreds of new characters.
The Nen abilities are so complex they sometimes require three pages of text just to explain how a single punch works.
I've seen rumors floating around Reddit and Japanese boards like 5ch suggesting that a studio—maybe not even Madhouse this time—could be looking at a seasonal format rather than a long-running weekly show. Think Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. Breaking the "Succession Contest" into 12-episode chunks would actually make a lot of sense given Togashi’s health. It lets the anime breathe without catching up to the manga in six months and hitting a wall.
Realistically, when is it happening?
Let’s be real for a second. Even if a studio greenlit the project this morning, animation takes time. Pre-production, voice acting, and actual frames don't just appear.
- Manga Return: The manga is likely to resume serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump by mid-2026 based on Togashi's recent manuscript progress.
- The Announcement: If we get a "New Season" teaser, it’ll likely happen at an event like Jump Festa (usually December).
- The Premiere: If the announcement drops late 2026, the earliest we’d see an actual episode is late 2027 or early 2028.
It's a long wait. I know. But for a series that literally changed how we think about Shonen power systems, "soon" is a relative term.
What to watch while you wait
Since the Hunter x Hunter new season release date is still a ghost, you’ve gotta fill that Nen-shaped hole in your heart. Honestly, Yu Yu Hakusho is the obvious choice if you haven't seen it (same creator, obviously), but if you want something that captures that tactical, "I-outsmarted-your-outsmarting" vibe, check out World Trigger. It doesn't have the same emotional gut-punch as Gon and Killua's journey, but the battle system is just as nerdy and satisfying.
Another weirdly good recommendation? The Apothecary Diaries. It’s not an action show, but the level of political intrigue and character observation feels very much like the current manga arc.
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Your HxH Checklist for 2026
Stop checking those "Release Date" countdown sites. They’re just farming your clicks. Instead, do this:
- Follow @Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp on X. That is Togashi’s official account. If he posts a picture of a tree or a corner of a page, it means he’s working.
- Keep an eye on Shonen Jump+. New chapters will drop there first.
- Watch for news about Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Survivor. This rogue-lite game is slated for February 17, 2026. Often, big game releases are used to "warm up" the audience before a major anime announcement.
- Re-read (or read for the first time) starting from Chapter 340. The anime leaves off at a perfect spot, but the "Dark Continent Expedition" arc starts immediately after, and it is wild.
The king is cooking. We just have to let him finish the meal.
If you're caught up on the anime but haven't touched the manga, go buy Volume 33. It picks up exactly where the 2011 show left off and covers the start of the journey to the Dark Continent. Reading those first few chapters will give you a much better idea of why this next season is taking so long to produce—the scale is just massive.