#hxh interview

[i-heart-hxh]

Here's a full translation of Togashi's letter to Yumiko Seki!

Source, and a text version of this translation on the Wiki!

[marosii]

POV they're judging you

[luna-lux]

OBSESSED

[subdee]

hi! I love your HXH analysis. I wanted to asked you. Did you read the D ending from Togashi interview? What do you think?

Hi anon, thanks for the compliment!

I think it's a pretty cliched WSJ ending, which is probably why Togashi isn't using it anymore. It doesn't have any connection to what's currently going on in the manga, so it feels like something he planned a long time ago, before the story went in a different direction.

It has the advantage of not giving anything away away about how the CURRENT story might end, which as a writer is important - once you've told people about the ending, or even planned it in detail, you kinda lose motivation to actually finish the thing (at least I do).

All this stuff about "if I die" is pretty morbid, and I wonder if people are bugging him for an ending as if he's in the hospital on life support and this interview is spite....ahaha.

What else... thematically, ending D has HxH's message about the tradeoff between professional success and your home/family life - you can be a successful Hunter OR raise your children right, but not both - but it does it in a cynical way. Gon isn't any better than Ging in the end, he's also putting his career before his family. Work-life balance is an intractable problem - a problem the new generation can't solve any better than the old one could. Realistic, maybe, but cynical.

(I do like that the next gen focus is on a granddaughter and not a grandson though.)

Also, if Killugon shippers are supposed to be happy that it's implied that Noko is not the love of Gon's life and just the woman he picked to raise his kids ... Nope, sorry, not cutting it. I love Killugon but I feel bad for Noko!

Finally, it continues Togashi's track record of never, ever, ever discussing Killua in interviews.

[uozlulu]

When supper ends I get to watch ep 5. Practically vibrating because I've heard Armand is going to be a gremlin

[blacksunemiku]

some of my favorite tiktok comments

[weeblmaodotcom]

Me at my job interview today , Meme by Weeblmao.com

[cocogum]

Togashi planned different endings for HxH.

The fourth one surprised people.

Recently, there have been news regarding Togashi on his health and what would become of HxH in the near future, so he wrote his answers on a talk show for an interview. From the small leaks and sneak peeks that people were able to gather and collect from the ongoing interview, we got to know a bit more about Togashi’s thought process as well as what he had planned for some scenes to go about but later changed.

These sneak peeks and leaks were later translated by these same fans and got shown on Reddit. You can find some of the translated questions and answers HERE!

But while this was going on, what really caught the fans’ attention about this interview (that we got of for now), were the possible endings Togashi had in mind. Since his health and back weren’t doing so good, Togashi figured he could at least give us some information on the possible endings of HxH he had planned. Of course, his answer was in Japanese but thankfully, some fans (like @pewpiece on Twitter) were able to take some parts and pieces of the explanation and translate it for us.

This is what Togashi said:

According to what the translation is saying, Togashi has planned THREE possible endings for HxH and has also estimated how good the ending would impact the fans.

Ending A (the first one), seems to look rather fine. This ending is deemed to be satisfactory by 50% and unsatisfactory by 20%.

Ending B (the second one), looks like it’ll have an equally mixed reaction. This ending is deemed to be satisfactory by 50% and unsatisfactory by 50%.

Ending C (the third one), looks like it’ll have the worst reactions between them all. This ending is deemed to be satisfactory by only 10% and extremely unsatisfactory by 90%. (Ending C is very likely that it’ll receive negative remarks but Togashi kept that one possible ending around because he personally liked it.)

Despite the fact that he had made three ending possibilities for HxH, he still plans on keeping them on the side to think about a bigger ending that could be better and bigger than the three he had made up: “I want to think to the utmost extent about an ending to the point where I might not choose any of these three and create what I find most enjoyable, which is my ideal and goal.” -Togashi on paragraph 2.

He also mentioned, however, that if he doesn’t find a better ending than these three before his time runs out, he’ll resort using the fourth ending as the true ending.

Yes, there’s a fourth ending that he hasn’t estimated the satisfactory and unsatisfactory rate of. Apparently, he had planned a fourth ending but scrapped it. It’s called the “Ending D” (or the fourth ending) and was the reason why people are starting to talk about this interview (at least from my end).

Curiously, Ending D was the one that had been talked about more by Togashi. Since he didn’t give any estimation on the satisfactory and unsatisfactory rate, he decided to tell us a bit on what it would be about.

To summarize it, here’s what it’s about:

Gon ends up marrying Noko, the only other kid on Whale Island, and they end up having kids. Now, Gon and Noko are grandparents and we get introduced to their granddaughter named Jin who was currently following the Freecss tradition: taking out the Lake Lord fish and share it with the other Whale Island residents. She ends up catching the fish and proudly goes up to her mother to tell her that she will not leave the island to become a hunter (insinuating that this must be a requirement once you capture the Lake Lord fish) and she’d rather stay here to inherit her parents’ place instead. Jin then goes to the shop from Mito’s days to cut up the fish all while thinking about how her mother will never understand how she’s saddened by the fact that being a hunter meant making the people that you love worry for you. Jin complains about how grandpa Gon is unaware of how his hunter stories make grandma Noko sad which is why Jin has decided that she’ll never become a hunter. Then, just as she had finished thinking about her resolve, a chubby little boy (holding a plant for some reason) enters the shop to which Jin seems to act very comfortable with. She tells him that she had caught the Lake Lord fish and they are both happy as they begin cooking it together.

This ending is odd because of three major key points.

1) This ending sounds way too much like a shonen anime ending where it’s a childhood love story like so many main pairings have gone through in the past. Plenty of people would be complaining (and even stating) that this ending is fake since Togashi would never write something this basic but you have to understand that he DID write something like this back when he was working on his old work Yu Yu Hakusho. The main character Yusuke returns after his adventures to get married to his childhood friend Keiko.

2) The way Togashi worded the ending at the end of it.

“The son of one of them, the daughter of another, and the grandchild of another live in different places, exchanging smiles. They might be the children of that character and the grandchildren of that character.” - last paragraph

This specific chunk of paragraph sounds a bit confusing at first read since Togashi doesn’t name any of these people and doesn’t address or clarify who is who. All we know, is that the “children of that character” and “the grandchildren of that character” is Gon when Togashi says “that character” since it has been established that his granddaughter Jin, the little boy with the plant, and the two kids’ parents are aware of who Gon is. However, we get confused yet again once it says “the son of one of them” and “the daughter of another” implying that “one of them” and “another” is not just Gon. This all seems a bit confusing but Togashi does have a habit of remaining ambiguous and vague when he explains in interviews.

3) The last line of the translation ends with “In the background, a figure watches the scene.” Who’s the figure you ask? No one knows.

Nonetheless, what we do know now, is that Ending D should NOT be ignored.

Many fans have already concluded that it shouldn’t be taken seriously because Togashi ‘scrapped’ it out but you have to understand that he had kept it around and WILL use it if time runs out for him and he doesn’t manage to find a better ending than the three he already has.

This is why the Ending D, also known as the fourth ending, should also be known as the default ending.

So if Togashi can’t continue anymore, this could be the true ending for HxH.

Keep in mind that this is Gon’s ending too.

We have no idea what he has in store for Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio not to mention Hisoka and the Phantom Troupe.

———————————————————————

Btw I can’t believe I’m seeing this cuz I once talked about Noko like two years ago and said how I wished that she could have more scenes or anything remotely interesting about her AND NOW WE GET THIS!!!?!! Damn.

this is the post I was talking about her if ur wondering.

I’m sure other ppl must’ve wondered about her too at some point cuz why would Togashi include the fact that she’s also the only other kid on Whale Island if ur not gonna do anything about that fact???

@thelovelyghostwriter

@itsmyara

@cautionworks

[justxtalking]

my thoughts on this hxh ABCD mess

Being a Togashi fan is such a roller-coaster of emotions. I think I went through all the stages of grief in only one day.

Half of me believes he's trolling.

To be honest, it's better to just take it with a light heart. Togashi is known for joking around about himself, his health and his own story. (I wasn't in the fandom at that moment, but I wonder how everyone reacted when he said everyone was going to die). I consider ending D to be so uncharacteristically him for so many reasons I could talk for hours about it. I find it ironic how he gave a stereotypical-shonen-like ending when he talked several times (even in this interview) about how he likes to surprise himself (and his readers) when he writes. Some other times he explained he likes to play with these shonen stereotypes and just do something different. I mean, he's been doing it since the beginning of his career.

And I'll be honest, ending D sounds like a mockery of shounen.

(And I feel a bit dumb taking this so seriously if he's joking.)

(Though, this also may be the case of "the boy who cried wolf" and he's actually saying the truth this time.)

The other half of me thinks he's being honest.

If he is actually giving us a back-up ending, I find it incredibly sad. Not only because of his health, but also because he felt pressured enough to give us an ending, no matter its form and no matter if it's an ending he doesn't even consider anymore. He shouldn't have been on that position.

It is important to take into account that this is not an ending he wants or even considers anymore, it is an ending we can take if he's not able to finish HunterXHunter. We need to realize there's a lot of circumstances we don't know about or may not be considering for him to give us this ending as an option at that moment. And what type of ending too.

I seriously want for him to be able to finish Hunter X Hunter the way he truly wants, not worrying about anything else. He's thinking about three plausible scenarios that may see the light of day or not. And no matter what he ends up choosing, he should choose whatever he wants. It's his story, no ours. And it may even be his last story (I know it's sad, I want him to keep on writing forever, but it's true). Honestly, a part of me wants him to choose the A scenario because that's where seems to be less drama, but actually I want him to choose the C scenario. Even if that ending is Gon married to a lizard with beautiful lizard-babies in the Dark Continent. And that's because that ending is what he would actually want to do with the story.

(I really am curious about it, though. I know I wouldn't be able to guess even in a million years, but I'm still curious. And I so want to read the whole interview and see the whole episode, since there were more questions about other things.)

For the shippers

I know this feels like a punch in the gut or something even worst. I felt it too. And it's totally valid to feel like we do and not agreeing with ending D. Even as a non-shipper because what do you mean, Gon did what?

Everyone who follows me knows I'm a proud Killugon and Leopika shipper. And I will keep on being one even if Hunter X Hunter transforms into Boruto and I have to see Grandpa Gon (the more I say it, the more it sounds like a joke).

Honestly, I always considered the gay ships were never going to be explicitly canon.(Kishimoto traumatized me). Not because of lack of material, but because there's a whole context and a lot of external circumstances we sometimes forget about (and Kishimoto traumatized me). There was a reason why Togashi couldn't make his queer manga in the 90s, which, I'm sorry, I don't consider it to be that long ago. And there is a reason why he can't explicitly say that characters like Pouf or Hisoka are gay (despite being totally obvious and them being villains).

I still find it admirable how Togashi included so many queer elements in his stories and got away with it. And he's a mangaka that does shonen. And not just any shonen, a battle manga in Shonen Jump. (He included a trans man in Level E and made him transition. The way Togashi explains some things about this character may be a bit problematic, but Togashi still did this). And those queer elements are still there and are still as canon as when he wrote it the first time. Pouf is as gay as he is dramatic. And Ging and Pariston still have that sexual tension (and I'm 100% sure they fucked or they are going to fuck in the near future or both). And Killua is still the queerest boy I've seen in the longest time.

Sometimes, I think there's a possibility of Killugon being canon. But only because of Togashi's history and tastes. He may feel a bit rebellious and just go with it, he's so unpredictable that I'm always expecting anything and everything from him (I mean, he did what he did with Hisoka and Illumi and so many other things). However, he's an introvert, I'm not sure if he actually wants the attention he would get if he actually goes with it. And that is something we should also respect. (I do think the most plausible option is Killugon to be as ambiguous as they are now.)

In relation to ending D, I don't think we should worry that much. At the end of the day, it is an ending he doesn't consider anymore. (At least we can sleep well knowing that the ending he wants to do doesn't have to do with Grandpa Gon). What's important is what he writes and does in the manga. That is what speaks louder than anything.

Though, I do think it's going to be a pain in the ass interacting with other fans. I'm not looking forward to it. (At least they are going to stop saying that Kurapika will die, I hope!). What I'm looking forward to is the new Killugon content in the fandom.

My personal take

Gon =/= Ging. I could say a lot about this, since one of the things I love the most about Hunter X Hunter is what he did with these two and Gon's arc, but I think this is clear enough.

So!

After saying all of this, I think the only thing we should consider as canon is the manga. If he doesn't write it, it didn't happen.

If he's saying the truth, he may be thinking about how to finish Hunter X Hunter sooner or later. Even though so many fans say that they want an ending, I feel like we are not ready. Not even for Gon marrying a lizard and having beautiful lizard-babies in the Dark Continent.

I hope I was coherent enough. I have no answers, only thoughts and thoughts! I feel like we can only speculate and ending D is so confusing because how did we even get there?

I may be going through all the stages of grief again tomorrow, but I wanted to share my thoughts (at least partially). I may erase it if I feel too uncomfortable, but yeah!

Conclusion: Let's just take it with a light heart and wait to see what happens! (I know it's hard).

[i-heart-hxh]

So, I've posted before about Gon and Killua actually getting to hug in the HxH stage musical.

In addition to that, I recently came across this adorable behind-the-scenes video on Twitter! Their actors sure do understand the assignment, it's so cute to see them cuddling like that and then being so close even afterwards! ❤️❤️❤️

Even in interviews and promotional materials related to HxH (link 1, link 2), they often sit REALLY close together and sometimes look like they're on a date, it's pretty funny.

(Not shipping real people here, don't worry, it's just cute how close they act when portraying/representing Gon and Killua. I wonder what instructions and insight they were given with regards to how to portray them...)

[silkopera]

••HXH 405 Commentary••

This is a very rough and short commentary because I mainly just want to get my feeling and thoughts out because wow this chapter was something. The situation with the Phantom Troupe and Hisoka is finally picking up and getting the ball rolling. I'm eager but also terrified as to what will happen in future chapters.

To start off, Hisoka's in the casino just chilling and playing cards. wow😭. This man is not afraid that the troupe is out for blood. His vest + dress shirt combo+ bolo-tie is very snazzy though. Reminds me of Lestat from interview with the vampire 1994.

Bonolevnov?? I did not expect him to be the star of this chapter but he is living up to his name! I am quite concerned for him though as he's weak to Hisoka's bungee gum and that's literally all Hisoka uses but he's also tailing Hisoka ALONE dressed as HISOKA? The rate of him dying is exponential I fear unless the troupe has another plan or he has an ace up his sleeve.

CHROLLO !! He has finally returned. Very happy to see him again but also my heart does feel for him. He looks so tired. We know how much he cares about his friends and seeing him slowly crumble and succumb to his feelings that he's tried to keep hidden all these years? If we see him break down and bawl, I fear I will cry myself.

This was the most memorable panel from the chapter for me. Chrollo really did love Pakunoda who was 09. Whether as a sibling, friend, partner or something more, he really does love her and miss her. Now that I think about it, he was close and comfortable with all the girls like Sheila, Sarasa and Pakunoda and they often protected him from his bullies aka Phinks, Feitan and Uvo. Then Sheila and Sarasa were gone and Paku was the only one he had. They were together for so long and they had such a sentimental connection even before all that dubbing business so this makes Paku's death hurt even more.

This also basically confirms that the phantom troupe will disband and they are finally realizing that if they continue to go on like this , more of their beloved friends will die. Karma and catastrophe are finally catching up to them for their misdeeds. However the Troupe does look out for Chrollo like how Gon and Killua looked out for Kurapika. I enjoy seeing the parallels between Kurapika and Chrollo along with their friends. They're both so similar but destined for tragedy with the path they chose.

It's satisfying to know what Sarasa's murderer and torturer got what he earned (by the troupe's hand I assume). Ironically he was the chairman of a foundation to help children?? What a joke. The way she ,a small girl, spent her final moments in agony , all alone, surrounded by horrible people, ultimately to end up in a trash bag. She deserved and got the justice she needed. I hope we get to unravel more of the story behind everything soon.

A little extra but Feitan's concerned face and eyebrows actually has me cracking up because we know nothing phases the man🤣.

Finishing this off, there was a LOT more to this chapter but I needed to get my feelings off my chest for these specific parts. Reading and analyzing this manga is a CHORE but Togashi is so good at what he does and It's amazing he can come up with such complex storytelling and make it interesting to read at the same time. Forever grateful for his work and excited to see what lies ahead for 406.

-silkopera.

[rebellionmoon]

my hxh assassin oc girlies in a nutshell ✨🔪

[character template from pinterest]

Psyche Moiraio: youngest sister of the trio. Assassin for hire, specializes in revenge, and believes in what goes around comes around, so if you've been naughty then hide because she is coming to get you. Will fight for you when no one else will. Believes in true love and will do just about anything to have it. Obsessed with Illumi Zoldyck and dreams of being his wife. Overthinks scenarios and acts upon worries until they become self-sebataging. Hobbies include: reading romance novels, nagging sisters to do community service with her because she loves her cesspool crime ridden city, knitting, staring at Illumi, and plotting the downfall of the Hunter Association in her spare time.

Chaotica Moiraio: middle sister of the trio. Assassin for hire, but would honestly kill for free because she loves it so much. Is obsessed with becoming a filthy rich socialite appearing on the front cover of tabloids. Impulsive, wild, and drop dead gorgeous. Will recite Shakespeare without being asked. Was once interviewed on TV for the exact crime that no one knew she actually committed. Destined for the stage, but assassination is her day job. Hobbies include: shopping, watching Heaven's Arena fights (and Hisoka's ass) on TV, dreams of being famous for being famous, homeopathy, and stabbing.

Anomie Moiraio: Oldest sister of the trio. Assassin for hire, assassin on fire (literally), and runs the family business alongside their mother that she one day will take over as leader. Deeply loves her sisters even though they make her want to regularly commit arson. Most calculating, logical and reasonable among her sisters, but is just as responsible for the destruction of city property as they are. CEO of an underground criminal cleaning service (Don't know where to the hide the body? AFRAID YOU LEFT INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE EVERYWHERE?! Have no fear, The Moiraio Cleaners got you covered!) Hobbies include: watching reality tv, reading scientific magazines, eating shit loads of sweets, purell, and making grown men cry.

Fanfic Link:

[hunterxhell]

Did you hear togashi's talk about potential ending and the discarded ending d? People are freaking out over ending d because he made a joke about it being the ending if he dies, even though togashi only said what it was since he discarded it.

omg i have so many messages about this, so sorry for responding to everyone so late!

first i was waiting for the actual video of the talk show to come out because i didn't understand how a leak of a talk show could exist but somehow the leak was real lol. i think i've seen full transcripts posted but i don't have links at the moment. i'm sure it's on the hxh subreddit or something.

i've seen lots of people freaking out over this as well but as you said, it's something he's discarded and the comment about "this is the ending if i die" did seem like togashi's dark sense of humor to me. it's not really worth looking into or getting emotional over, if anything, togashi just confirmed what the ending WON'T be lol.

it wouldn't surprise me if "ending D" was something he considered at the very start of hxh. when your manga is serialized in a magazine like weekly shonen jump, it lives and dies based on reader surveys. you could have 300+ chapters planned for your series but it might get cancelled around chapter 8 and you need to wrap things up asap. i remember yusei matsui (author of assassination classroom) saying in an interview that when he begins a series, he is prepared in case he needs to end a series at any point in time, because you never know how many chapters you're gonna get. "ending D" could've been the ending if hxh got cancelled during the hunter exam, and we flash forward and see that gon became just like his dad. kind of.... sad.... but it easily brings the series to a close by coming full circle.

in togashi's case, his health being a factor will probably play a role in if he's able to finish all the arcs he has planned for hxh or if he thinks he needs to wrap it up early, so having multiple endings in mind with varying levels of satisfaction for himself makes sense. i don't think it's anything to be concerned by, let's just hope togashi can complete hxh with no regrets.

[chunkymamatam]

Master List Shifting

A little collection of my Storytimes and Shifting Info I've posted

Have I actually Shifted?

How long did it take and how long do I stay?

Scripting Suggestions

Shifting Trauma (See Reblogs for more)

Story mix (JJK/Obey Me/Apothecary Diaries)

Please Stop Hoeing around

Stop Hoeing around Images

Old Ref sheets and Group Shifting shit

TWST and Demon Slayer dump

Demon Slayer and Genshin DRself

Sketch Dump 1

Ref sheets for multiple DRs

Are My DRs in 2D or 3D?

My favorites 1

Remixes (Crossover DRs and dragging my boyfriend and his alters away with me)

You held back?!?!?

Hunter X Hunter

POV: Local idiot attracts the attention of the bitch they were trying to avoid

Illumi chill please/The Zoldyck Parents decent grandparents???

FUCK YOU LEAVE ME FOR DEAD THEN BITCH

Accidentally Crashing a Heaven's Arena interview/Clown Whore exposes himself to his roommate

Advice for shifting here

Rumors and Speculation on Chrollo’s love of feet

Heavens Arena my Shame(Suggestive)

Dumbass interrupts a Heaven's Arena interview for a hug

Divorce Arc? /J

"I have healed you"

Stop being taller than me

Illumi with a partner(In crimes)??? I thought this was a solo act

Heaven's Arena Polaroid and my daughters

Hisoka, a weirdo? Yeah

Sketch Dump

My babies and their father/other versions of myself in my different HxH DRs

Silva being my second biggest hater/Illumi yoinks me over his shoulder

Killua, honey, you're gay

My first 3 kids and my deities are here too

Local Autistic Man loves their husband

Taller than me/Me and my friend's DRselves

Potato Sacked once again

Just let me have the cat bitch/At least the outfits were cute

Die Clown

Illumi and the babies

HxH 1999 Sketches

More 1999 HxH/Clothes for Hisoka/My 2 girls

Big Blackberries

Twisted Wonderland

Bullied awake by Pomefiore

A casual meeting with a prince/Sleep over with Lilia

Snatched by the night raven carriage

Dragon Prince Bullies his tiny human

Classes and What they entail 1

Classes and what they entail 2/Other questions

Gender in Night Raven

Experience with Rook and Leona

Gender advice/Experiences in Book 3

Beast men and gender

Sebek racist???

Sebek being my biggest hater

Humans ate Merfolk? The answer is unsurprising unfortunately

Ace/Deuce Stories

Human Fuckery???

Does it get better in NRC?

Malleus the Otome

oooooo Sebek's in troouubblleee

Religion?

Oh Vil, Guess what I'm eating

Maleficent knows I exist *Whale eyes like a nervous dog*

I've got ✨connections✨

Sketch Dump

Sorry Pookie(Vil) but I gotta dip

Snatched by Scarabia(Also art from one of my Alters)

Hypnosis isn't cool

Cuz Crowely's a bitch

Pool Time with The Tweels(and Wally's here too)

Demon Slayer

Getting Harassed by Upper 2

That bitch killed my bird

Canon event(Snatched once again)

ENMU PLEASE FOLLOW THE SCRIPT

Worst part to live through in Demon Slayer

Is it a good idea to shift here?

Zenitsu I know Girls better than you

Scared for the Infinity Castle

JJBA Part 2

Joseph.. That was my wall.

MHA

Story Collage

ROR

Poseidon please I have work to do *Hair tuck*(18+)

Pokemon

Poke tidbits

Obey Me

We joke now but-

The brothers lowkey fucking haters

Hellverse

Hazbin Ref sketches

Genshin Impact

Mini Shift and my run in with Scaramouche

The Pig Masked Shopper and Kaeya's Shitty Flirting

Taking a Drunken Kaeya Home

Complicated Feelings with Ajax

Chilling with the mels

Honkai: Star Rail

Big Sis of Star Rail

Seraph of the End

Accidentally on Purpose rocking Ferid's shit

The Apothecary Diaries

Doodles

Beast Man DR

Where's my Child Support????

Sugar Apple Fairytale

Meeting Chyme

Delicious in Dungeon

Pining by Thistle

Tiny Tam doodles

SK8

Ref for myself

I'll be adding onto advice and tidbit posts as I think of them. Have a lovely day <3

Also tell me if anything is repeating/links wrong its really late

[arcaladiwoompa]

Drawn for card 34: Universal Survey on the Greed Island HxH server!

#34 Universal Survey Rank: B Write various questions pertaining to yourself and give it to someone, and he will answer all questions honestly. Challenge: Create a mock interview with a hxh character of your choice. Your character can answer questions through comic/art/or a one shot. Remember, they must tell the truth!

[hxhhasmysoul]

Do you think that… if Gege had took more breaks if even put jjk on hiatus- similarly to how Togashi would take hiatus for hxh- do you think that Gege would have spend the much needed break and rest to give jjk the pacing and proper development that the story needed?

It's not impossible, but I think the issue is more complex than that.

From what I've gathered from one of Gege's recent interviews, their writing process is a bit like mine. The story is less planned and it more evolves. This means that the author is kinda screwed if they can't edit let's say something on page/in chapter/in episode 5 once they've written page/chapter/episode 30 where some concept already mentioned in chapter 5 gets clarified/changed/etc.

If you're writing something that will only be published once completely finished and edited, it doesn't matter what your writing process is. But if you publish stuff in increments, almost instantly after writing it, then well, it's out there.

I have rewritten parts of already published fic chapters and updated them on AO3 without a second thought, because the story I was writing evolved and I wanted something to be different/clearer/mentioned/better set up/etc in an earlier chapter.

Miura, the author of Berserk, rewrote and republished parts of it, because when he started writing Berserk, he didn't really have a proper idea of Guts' backstory and other crucial elements.

The whole thing with Nobara's mum, the New Shadow Style school, earlier the merger and the foreign military invasion or Yuki, and most importantly Yuuji’s family. All of that feels like ideas that clarified/appeared in Gege's mind too late to be properly developed, or like ideas that felt good at the time but then like stopped fitting the vision. Especially when Gege decided to quickly wind down JJK somewhere mid the Culling Games. 

If I remember correctly they also expressed dissatisfaction with how the Culling Games shaped out be. It may be that Gege’d started writing them in the shape they are now because it seemed to them they had a good idea of what to do with them, and then once writing them it turned out the idea was not what they wanted. 

This happens to me all the time, I’ll write myself into a corner. Even in things I’ve written in collaboration with a friend, where we kinda try to brainstorm ideas thoroughly. Until you write something, you really have very little idea what it will feel like to you once written. And what actual shape it will take. I sometimes write a scene and it takes such a fucking turn… And I rehearse scenes in my head several times before I even open the file. And in such a situation, once you read how the scene went, you see that your initial idea for it was lacking. It felt good in broad strokes but once all of it comes together in detail, when you actually have to write all the sentences, only then you actually see how this scene connects to everything. 

I think a few things came together. Health and time crunch is one thing. I’ve written about it before, but the fact that it seems Gege never planned to turn Zero into a full length series and actually pitched something else. Or that JJK was supposed to be cancelled early on and things from much further down the line were moved so that Yuuji’s death at the detention centre would serve as an ending. 

And this combined with the fact that this is Gege’s first long form story. I don’t think they realised how their writing style would affect it. They might have not even imagined what it would be like for them to write a long story like this. 

People often accuse Gege of asspulls, of making shit up as they go along… this is what fucking writing is… you make up shit as you go along. The fact that some long form stories seem very coherent and so on is usually a mix of experience, luck, and either a planning oriented writing style where the writer is actually good at sticking to their plans, and/or the ability to fucking edit to shape.

So like, I think that Gege really discovered a lot about themself with JJK. 

JJK has some really good ideas and characters and masterfully written moments. It has also disappointing moments, meh or underdeveloped ideas and underused or overused characters.

__________

PS. A bit of salt to make myself feel better.

Underused: 

Nobara, Yuki, Hana, Angel, Kenjaku, Uraume, Hakari, Noritoshi, Kaori, Jin, Sukuna, Eso, Kechizu, Chousou even, Toudou, Tengen, Uro, Yorozu, Tsumiki, Higuruma, Inumaki, Shoko, kinda Megumi even, and in the ending even Yuuji. (I’m sure I forgot some)

Overused:

Gojou as a motivator throughout the Culling Games, Gojou in Shinjuku, Yuuta in the Culling Games, Yuuta killing Mother, Yuuta wasting everyone’s time in the fight with Sukuna, Gojou’s carcass so Yuuta again… did I mention Gojou and Yuuta? Oh and Kusakabe… why is he not dead? I’d add here Naoya, but he at least got humiliated 4 times first by Touji, then by Chousou and Yuuta (the fucking only time Yuuta did anything borderline acceptable) and then by Maki twice. Oh and Sukuna, he was overused for fighting, and underused as a character with interesting potential (he ate no one! Unless it's in some unleaked pages.).