One of manga's most famous hiatus survivors is back: Hunter x Hunter volume 39 finally has a date.
After one of the longest gaps between volumes in recent memory, Hunter x Hunter is finally returning to bookshelves. Volume 39 of Yoshihiro Togashi's celebrated manga now has an official release date in Japan, with the collected edition set to arrive on July 3, 2026. The confirmation lands roughly a year and ten months after the previous volume reached readers, underscoring just how irregular the series' publication has become over the years.
For context, volume 38 launched in Japan on September 4, 2024, before VIZ Media followed with an English-language edition on January 6, 2026. The substantial stretch between those two volumes, and now the wait leading into volume 39, reflects the stop-and-start rhythm that has defined Hunter x Hunter for much of its life. Each new volume has therefore become an event in its own right, a marker that the long-running saga is still moving forward.
Togashi first launched Hunter x Hunter in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump back in 1998, and the series quickly became one of the magazine's defining titles. In the decades since, it has spawned a wide range of adaptations and spin-offs across media, including two separate television anime series, the first airing in 1999 and the second in 2011. That second adaptation in particular introduced a whole new generation of fans to the world of Hunters and the intricate Nen power system at the heart of the story.
The manga's enduring appeal owes much to Togashi's willingness to subvert shonen conventions, layering dense political intrigue, morally complicated characters and dark turns into what begins as a classic adventure tale. Its arcs have ranged from grounded tournament battles to sprawling, slow-burning conflicts that reward patient readers. That ambition has earned the series a devoted following that has stuck with it through every hiatus.
The story itself follows Gon, a country boy with outsized aspirations who, against his Aunt Mito's wishes, sets out to follow in his father's footsteps and become a legendary Hunter. On the storm-tossed ship carrying the hopefuls toward the exam, Gon meets Leorio and Kurapika, two fellow applicants who, like him, are spared the seasickness that fells the others. The trio must then survive a gauntlet of tests simply to reach the elusive Exam Hall, where the real trial begins.
What makes volume 39 especially significant is the broader uncertainty that has surrounded the manga's future. Togashi's health and the demanding nature of his work have led to repeated and lengthy hiatuses, leaving readers to savour every new chapter and volume as it comes. A confirmed release date is, for the fanbase, reassurance that the story is continuing rather than stalling, and it gives long-time readers a concrete reason to return to the series this summer.
With the Japanese release set for July 3, attention will naturally turn to when VIZ Media schedules the English edition, given the roughly sixteen-month gap that separated volume 38's Japanese and English releases. For now, the news is a welcome one for a fanbase that has learned to treat each new Hunter x Hunter volume as a gift rather than a guarantee. The countdown to July begins.
Reported by Crunchyroll.
