Warning! Contains spoilers for Hunter x Hunter Chapter 400!Although Hunter x Hunter is now sadly entering another hiatus, it closed out its recent run of chapters with a tantalizing hint at Kurapika's return in its next installment. The long-running manga by Yoshihiro Togashi has been plagued by hiatuses throughout its serialization, which has greatly disrupted the flow of its current Succession Contest arc. This has caused certain characters to be absent from the story for years at a time, making it a major event when they reappear.
In chapter 400, Kurapika finally makes their grand reappearance, answering a cliffhanger years in the making. When Kurapika last appeared, he was training the retainers of various different Kakin princes to use Hunter x Hunter's Nen, which caused him to be regarded as a figure of great interest. The fifth prince Tubeppa had sent one of her men to form an alliance with Kurapika in the chapters before the hiatus, but since the series has returned it hasn’t actually addressed this plot thread at all. Until in the final s before the manga goes back on hiatus, Kurapika finalizes a deal to collaborate with Tubeppa. This is a great sign for his fans, who have been deprived of any Kurapika content for over 3 years.
In many ways it is odd that Kurapika has been absent for so long as they are the main character of unfortunately made Hunter x Hunter sideline Kurapika and the Princes. But this last-minute reintroduction is a hopeful sign for fans who have been disappointed with the latest chapters.
Kurapika's Return Implies the Series Will Focus More On Him Soon
The most recent hiatus ended with a chapter that picked up directly from the events of Chapter 390 from three years earlier. This is a pretty good indication that no matter how long the gap between releases, Togashi is committed to making his story flow seamlessly, directly continuing from wherever he left off. So with Chapter 400 ending by showing Kurapika, Chapter 401 will hopefully pick back up from that moment as well. This means that the story will likely be refocusing on Kurapika and the Princes instead of the Kakin gang wars.
If this theory is true then Kurapika fans will likely be very happy when the series returns from hiatus. And rumblings from Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter assistants make it seem that the manga’s next hiatus won’t be as long as the previous one, so readers may not have to wait long to get more Kurapika content. Hopefully Hunter x Hunter’s renewed focus on Kurapika is also a sign that the series will continue to focus on what readers care about rather than introducing more facets to the most complicated arc in Shonen history.
Hunter x Hunter Chapter 400 is available to read from Viz Media.
