As a member of the Dark Shonen Trio, together with Chainsaw Man and Hell’s Paradise, Jujutsu Kaisen features some of the darkest scenes in modern anime. Being a jujutsu sorcerer is treated as a massive burden, forcing practitioners to make some of the toughest decisions imaginable in order to neutralize both cursed spirits and curse users.
This career takes a bigger toll than most, leaving emotional scars on many jujutsu sorcerers. Meanwhile, others pay the ultimate price through death, desire, or an unwillingness to sacrifice morality. Whatever the case, there are many instances in Jujutsu Kaisen that highlight the harsh realities of jujutsu sorcery, exposing the unbearable personal costs behind both losses and victories.
Satoru Gojo Took a Great Risk by Challenging Sukuna
For much of Jujutsu Kaisen, Satoru Gojo was treated as an untouchable force of nature. From his introduction, where he toyed around with one-finger Sukuna, to his ultimate battle in the manga, Gojo was an anime character created to deliver. Unfortunately, he also knew that he would have to eventually fight Sukuna; it was the only way to spare Yuji from certain execution.
Gojo may not have feared his opponent, not even after their explosive battle concluded, but he went in aware of the possibility of his defeat. That was why he challenged the King of Curses in the first place: in a battle of attrition, Gojo could weaken Sukuna even if it meant losing his life. More importantly, he entrusted his students and successors to complete the job in his absence. Gojo appears cheerful, but he also understands the grimness of jujutsu sorcery.
Suguru Geto Went on a Downward Spiral After Riko Amanai’s Murder
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto were the previous generation’s representative “protagonists,” reflecting the same bond shared by Jujutsu Kaisen‘s Nobara, Megumi, and Yuji. But failing to protect Riko Amanai from Toji Fushiguro sent Geto down a dangerous path, which was further kindled by Yuki Tsukumo’s confusing advice.
In any case, the man that Geto later became was a moral shadow of his former self, sacrificing morality and empathy in order to create a world exclusively for jujutsu. The schism between sorcerers and non-sorcerers — once considered purely philosophical — nearly became an apocalyptic battle for dominance. And it’s all because the overpowered Geto allowed a single tragedy to redefine his worldviews.
Mechamaru Died Immediately After Acquiring a Healthy Body
Kokichi Muta, known as Mechamaru due to the puppets representing him in the real world, was born into a physical nightmare. Although blessed with a Heavenly Restriction that boosted his combat prowess, Muta spent most of his life barely surviving the agony. As a result, it wasn’t surprising that he cooperated with Mahito, who was the only one capable of curing his condition.
Since Muta immediately turned against the villains after acquiring his healthy body, fans realized that the double-cross was always his plan. It was too late for him, though, especially against a Special-Grade like Mahito. Muta’s story highlights the cruelty of the jujutsu world, where many sacrifice everything for goals they may never enjoy. On a positive note, at least his contingency plan allowed the heroes some respite.
Yuji Realizes That Sukuna Used His Body to Massacre Shibuya
Yuji Itadori’s willpower was so great that even Sukuna was unable to take over his body, forcing the villain to generate mysterious Binding Vows in his favor. When an unconscious Yuji was force-fed over a dozen fingers, however, Sukuna exploited the sudden increase in power and seized control of the young hero. Manifesting for the first time at around 75% of his total output, Sukuna proceeded to demolish Shibuya.
Sukuna’s fight with Jogo caused significant devastation, but even that damage paled before the consequent battle against Mahoraga. In the end, Yuji awakened to memories of his body slaughtering the city and taking countless lives, as casually and callously as flicking a stone at a puppy. The sheer burden was almost too much to tolerate, and yet he persevered through the darkness.
Nanami and Nobara’s Deaths Represented Worst Outcomes
Yuji Itadori never wanted to harm a single innocent in his life, so the story naturally pushed him in that terrible direction. If the Shibuya massacre wasn’t horrible enough to paint a clear picture of JJK‘s gloomy atmosphere, Yuji was forced to watch two of the people closest to him die before his eyes. The first to go is Nanami Kento, who bittersweetly passes the torch before Mahito explodes him into shocking gore.
Yuji struggles to keep his spirits afloat while fighting Mahito, who continues to mock him about Nanami’s death. Then comes Nobara, one of the anime’s golden trio, who suffers a similarly grotesque fate. Already bearing the weight of thousands of deaths on his shoulders, Yuji has no choice but to endure even more.
Toji Fushiguro Did Not Deserve the Zenin Clan’s Hatred
Those born with immeasurable power aren’t always treated as gods in anime. Considering how much the Zenin clan prides itself on pure strength, it was hypocritical of them to reject Toji for having the audacity to be born as both an unstoppable force and an immovable object. The absence of cursed energy, however, meant that Toji could never inherit the precious Zenin techniques that the family valued above all else.
Exiting the clan resulted in Megumi Fushiguro’s birth, a net positive for Jujutsu Kaisen, but Toji was always considered an outsider, a pariah, and the emotional fallout of the Zenin’s bigotry presumably led to his villainous character arc. As the ancient proverb goes, “a child abandoned by the village might burn it down just to feel warm.” That said, it wasn’t until the next generation that the Zenins were reduced to ash.
Mai Could Only Strengthen Maki by Sacrificing Her Life
As bad as Toji Fushiguro had it, at least he was a man. Maki Zenin faced even worse from the Zenins, both for having practically zero cursed energy and for her gender. Whatever bound Toji to the Zenin clan, and thus prevented their annihilation by his hand, was also initially a factor for Maki. But watching Mai die transformed her, literally and figuratively, into the Toji of her generation.
The Zenin clan’s idiotic misogyny played a role in their absolute collapse, but it also demonstrated the violent effects on those who didn’t deserve it. Taking her own life was the only way for Mai to prove useful to her sister, so she doesn’t even get to enjoy the results of her heroic sacrifice. That said, perhaps she was watching from somewhere as Maki laid waste to the clan by murdering nearly every Zenin.
Masamichi Yaga’s Execution Highlighted Jujutsu Dogmatism
The looming threat of Satoru Gojo served to minimize the brutally negative influence of jujutsu authorities, who preferred dealing with every major problem through violence. They demanded the executions of Yuta Okkotsu and Yuji Itadori, only capitulating because Gojo took them under his wing. But when Gojo was trapped in the Prison Realm, the higher-ups sent Yuta to assassinate Yuji.
Although this plan wasn’t successful, they still managed to get rid of Masamichi Yaga following the chaos of the Shibuya Incident. Childishly terrified of the threat he might pose thanks to his Cursed Corpse creation techniques, and mulishly turning a blind eye to all the potential benefits provided by the beloved principal, the unknown and unnamed superiors had Yaga killed. When the system itself is flawed, there are more risks than privileges to being a sorcerer.
Yuta Okkotsu Was Haunted by Rika Orimoto for Too Long
As much as jujutsu society honors its outdated traditions, it appears as though few among them actually understand how cursed energy can work. Even fewer are aware of the institution’s complicated bloodlines and legacies, which have become increasingly less clear over the centuries. It took Satoru Gojo’s personal involvement to even uncover Yuta Okkotsu’s ancestry, explaining the latter’s overwhelming power.
What’s worse is that Yuta endured five years of Rika Orimoto’s spirit “haunting” him throughout his formative childhood, a burden that he should have never borne. The curse of Rika isolated Yuta from the world, endangering everyone else with her mere presence, turning the pleasant memories of a sweet friend into half a decade of psychological suffering.
Yuji Accepts the Dark Burdens of Jujutsu Without Hesitation
Yuji Itadori fits the chosen one archetype in a roundabout way. Though his creation was intended to make him a vessel for Sukuna, he rejected his destiny in favor of heroism. Jujutsu Kaisen couldn’t have asked for a better protagonist than Yuji, who willingly accepts the world he’s thrown into, expressing a level of personal responsibility that most adults would shy away from.
No matter what happens, no matter how often he serves as Sukuna’s proxy for violence, Yuji never stops moving forward. One of the toughest scenes in JJK featured Hiromi Higuruma accusing Yuji of widespread massacre. Even though Higuruma was aware of Sukuna’s sole role in the matter, the hero took the blame upon himself. This moment highlighted the staggering burden of guilt carried by Yuji, who accepted responsibility because he believed that someone had to answer for those unforgivable crimes.
- Release Date
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October 3, 2020
- Network
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TBS, MBS, CBC, Tulip Television, BSN, tys, NBC, HBC, RKK, i-Television, SBS, IBC, BSS, MRO, OBS, TUF, RSK, TUY, tbc, RKB, SBC, KUTV, RBC, UTY, RCC, MRT, atv, MBC
- Directors
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Ryohei Takeshita, Masataka Akai, Chie Nishizawa, Daisuke Tsukushi, Tomomi Kamiya, Kakushi Ifuku, Ken Takahashi
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Yuichi Nakamura
Satoru Gojo