'Hunter X Hunter' Season 3 air date, news, rumors: Series continuation to be released in 2018?
Due to the delayed continuation of the "Hunter X Hunter" anime series, there have been rumors that the show's producer, Studio Pierrot, might decide to cancel the series. However, it could not be denied that the first two seasons of "Hunter X Hunter" had enjoyed high viewership, and the demand for a continuation remains.
Crunchy Roll reported that Studio Pierrot is considering to renew the contract of "Hunter X Hunter" for a third season, as the series has been a huge successful throughout the years. It remains to be known if the next chapter of the series will still have the usual 26 episodes. Likewise, there are a number of story arcs from the original "Hunter X Hunter" manga series that the anime can cover next, and there is no confirmed report yet about the next plotline of the series.
To recall, the first season of "Hunter X Hunter" has at most 62 episodes, covering a lot of story arcs from the manga such as ''Hunter Exam," ''Zoldyck Family," ''Heavens Arena" and ''Yorknew City." Season 1 was narrated in the perspective of the main protagonist, Gon Freecss, who is on a quest to become a skilled hunter and look for his long lost father.
As of the moment, the rumors are rife that the third season will cover the "Dark Continent" arc. This part of the manga series is the eighth story arc in general, beginning with Chapter 340. It tells the story of Isacc Netero's son, Beyond Netero, as he goes on an expedition to a mysterious place known as the Dark Continent. As the Zodiacs are worried that the quest will bring upon tragedies and miseries upon the world, they invited Kurapika and Leorio to accompany Beyond Netero.
Game N Guide noted that the delay in the release of "Hunter X Hunter" Season 3 is due to the health condition of the series creator and illustrator, Yoshihiro Togashi. It is known that Togashi has problems with his back pain, the same reason that left the manga version hanging. The hiatus also happened back in 2013 when the second season took an indefinite break, but then it returned with a new story early 2015. Breathe CAST reported that Studio Pierrot almost canceled the show due to this, but it looks like there are no plans of completely discarding the third season for now.
There are rumors that Season 3 will be aired sometime in 2018, considering that the content for "Dark Continent" arc is ready. However, as Studio Pierrot has not yet confirmed any details for "Hunter X Hunter," the fans are advised to take the early rumors with a grain of salt.