The creator of Hunter X Hunter, Yoshihiro Togashi, revealed that if it were up to him, the manga’s story would have been completely different from what fans have grown to love. Togashi had a completely different vision of what the first arc, focusing on the Hunter Exam, would look like but was stopped by his publisher.
In an interview with TV Asahi’s Iwakura and Yoshizumi Show, Togashi said he wanted to take a different direction for the Hunter Exam arc, but his editor rejected the idea.
As translated by X user TogashiTroupe, Yoshihiro Togashi wanted Gon to fail the Hunter Exams. The series would then have a time skip ranging from one to multiple years, where an adult Gon would once again try out for the exams.
Hunter X Hunter Was Supposed To Have A Time Skip Right At The Start
Gon failed his Hunter Exam in Togashi’s original idea.
One of the hosts sent Togashi a list of questions, to which he replied with letters that were read to the viewers and fans of the iconic shonen series. When asked how much of the series he had written before drawing, he revealed that he had planned for Gon to fail the Hunter Exam. The story would then jump to a few years in the future, with Gon retrying the exam. After consulting with his editor, the idea was rejected and Gon went on to pass the exams. Gon’s best friend Killua on the other hand, was the one to fail the exams and try again in the future, thus maintaining a glimpse of the original story.
This isn’t the first time an editor has vetoed an idea by the creator of a manga. Naruto‘s author Masashi Kishimoto hated the Chuunin Exam arc – the part of the story that truly put the series on the map – and was forced to make it by its editors as he was not a fan of tournament arcs. In the manga industry, editors play a vital role and ensure the series is in the direction that the company wants it to be. Just like in the case of Naruto, the editor’s input or pressure proved successful as the Hunter Exams arc contributed to making Hunter x Hunter very popular.
Time skips are very popular in anime and do a great job of hooking in viewers who want to see how much the characters have changed over the years. One Piece is a series famous for its time skip, and there is no doubt that Togashi would have made it work considering how great of a writer he is. Still, it would have been pretty unusual to have it right at the start of the series, and also to have the main character fail his first real challenge. This would have surely made Hunter x Hunter even more original than it already is.
Although a time skip might’ve been a good idea, it would not allow fans to experience Gon’s journey as he developed as a character. Hunter X Hunter‘s appeal was, in part, following Gon’s journey as a character, so in this case the editor’s input was probably a boon for the series, but fans must be still very curious about Togashi’s original idea for his manga.
Hunter x Hunter is available from Viz Media and Manga Plus.
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