User blog comment:Patrick x hunter/what if he dies?/@comment-26871067-20161216051200

It's presumably the same as if any author dies and leaves a series incomplete - unless the person he gives the rights to does something with it, that's the end for a very long time.

I've only done some cursory research re: Japanese copyright law, but it seems that it's in line with international copyright law in most ways, with some time frame differences. Written works do not enter the public domain until 50 years after the author's death (legislation is ongoing to change this to 70 years). Copyright and economic rights are transferrable, authorship is not.

I don't believe Shonen Jump could legally just hand the series off to another mangaka. As I understand it,  Shonen Jump is the publisher for HxH, but the company does not own the series or characters as they are Togashi's intellectual property. He is, like the vast majority of mangaka, an independent creator and HxH is not a commissioned series. As far as I know, Togashi holds all rights to the series while Shonen Jump/Shueisha (parent corp) holds publication rights.

As I understand it, this is how it would go:

If Togashi were to die, he would retain authorship of the series, but the copyright of the series would be transferred. I believe Shonen Jump/Shueisha would continue to hold publication rights, and whoever owned economic rights/copyright would only be able to publish via SJ.

I can't imagine him giving the rights to someone else before Takeuchi, honestly. Whether she would take over (or give another mangaka legal permission to take over) in this circumstance, I don't know. Takeuchi is retired as a mangaka despite the (American) rumormill claiming she's going to take over her husband's story.

So assuming I've understood everything correctly:

Intellectual property and series rights for HxH can and presumably will be included in Togashi's estate, and will pass down to whoever he chooses to receive said property.

They'll probably go to Takeuchi (and/or their children), so that the family continues to receive royalties for his work as long as it's still being published and sold - this goes for all of Togashi's work, not just HxH.

And, again assuming my info is correct...

If HxH is unfinished at the time of Togashi's death, it will be up to whoever is given the rights in his will to decide what happens to the series. After either 50 or 70 years (depending on how legislature goes), HxH will enter the public domain. Shonen Jump will likely continue to reprint the series right up until it enters public domain, and the money will be split between SJ/Shueisha and whoever holds the economic rights to the HxH.

Hopefully, though, what will be passed down when Togashi dies (please may it be far in the future, as I am always praying for his good health) will be the rights to several completed series.