Good news for anyone who's been checking the release calendar every month: Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun is coming back. AidaIro's supernatural school mystery returns in the September issue of Square Enix's Monthly GFantasy, which hits Japanese shelves on August 18th, according to the official X Account for Square Enix's G Fantasy Magazine.
The series paused late last year. AidaIro placed the manga on an indefinite hiatus starting with the December 2025 issue, which went on sale November 18th, so the creative team could focus on medical treatment for an unspecified illness. No further specifics were shared, and out of respect for the mangaka, that's how it should stay.
This wasn't the first pause AidaIro has taken. Back in July 2025, the manga sat out a single issue and returned the very next month, so a short absence isn't new territory for this title. A confirmed comeback date, after months of waiting, is the update fans have been hoping for!
What's On Shelves Right Now
While the chapters were on hold, the collected volumes kept moving. In Japan, Square Enix released Volume 25 on October 27th, 2025. English readers aren't far behind, either: Yen Press put out Volume 23 on November 20th, 2025, with Volume 24 arriving July 28th, 2026. So even during the break, there's been plenty of Hanako-kun to catch up on.
A Ghost Story Built From Real Folklore
Some Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun background, in case you're new to the series: it's been running in Monthly GFantasy since the July 2014 issue, which puts it well into its second decade in print.
The pen name AidaIro belongs to a duo, with one half handling the story and the other on art. That partnership has kept both the artwork and the storytelling remarkably consistent across all those years.
The premise of the story leans on Japanese folklore. Hanako-san of the toilet is a genuine urban legend, a spirit rumored to haunt the girls' school bathroom. AidaIro turned it on its head: their Hanako is a boy, and high schooler Nene Yashiro summons him hoping to have a wish granted, then gets pulled into the supernatural rumors and Seven Mysteries swirling around Kamome Academy.
The anime has kept the property front and center, too. The first season premiered in January 2020 with a 12-episode run, which Funimation streamed at the time with an English dub. A long stretch followed before Season 2 arrived in January 2025, and its second half landed that July, both streaming on Crunchyroll with a dub. There's also the spin-off, After-School Hanako-kun, if you're hungry for even more time with these characters.
Between steady volume sales and back-to-back anime seasons, Hanako-kun has grown from a cult favorite into one of the more recognizable supernatural titles on shelves. With 25 volumes already out in Japan, it's no small backlog for newcomers to dig into, and that long runway is a big reason the hiatus stung the way it did.
For a fandom that has spent months not knowing when, or even whether, new chapters were coming, a firm date lands as a real relief. Hiatuses tied to a creator's health can stretch on with no end in sight, and longtime readers know that all too well. Seeing the September issue circled on the calendar means the story picks back up right where AidaIro left it.
So, where are you jumping back in? Are you caught up through Volume 24 and ready for fresh chapters, or are you saving it all for one big binge once the story eventually wraps?
Let us know in the comments below!
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