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Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Jujutsu Kaisen!
Jujutsu Kaisenis one of the most popular manga franchises to come out in the recent decade, coming a long way since its 2018 debut to headline the Shōnen Dark Trio and get a massive hit anime adaptation. The series, at its heights, would be met with eager anticipation about any juicy info related to the latest weekly chapter as the hype continued to mount after the first and second seasons of the anime concluded. However, upon review,Jujutsu Kaisendeserves to be evaluated for its merits just as much as its shortcomingsas one of the most popular manga to conclude in 2024.
The story and concepts ofJujutsu Kaisenare loaded with memorable moments, particular highlights, and more than a few missed opportunities. However,the characters ofJJKare often among the biggest highlights, as is typical of practically any comic or manga, for fans recommending the series to newcomers. But evaluating the subjective qualities of such a popular series can be difficult, especially given the reaction to its final chapters, so it’s essential to step back and reviewJujutsu Kaisenas a whole series, not merely for what it could have been.
Jujutsu Kaisen Has an Unmistakably Cinematic Visual Style
A Modern Fashion Successor to Bleach with Great Paneling
Like any original manga series,the visual appeal should be an immediate selling point for fans.JujutsuKaisen’searliest chapters promote its combination of convincing sorcery-powered action, paneling to convey motion, and a lethal fashion palette. The series was an easy candidate for an anime adaptation, with fans quickly and eagerly anticipating its greatest moments, including the Shibuya Incident and the spectacular multifaceted battles of the Culling Game survivors against Sukuna. ButJujutsu Kaisen’svisual style doesn’t just apply to its concept as a future anime.
There’s a feeling of depth and gravity to the action as it can be seen and experienced byJujutsu Kaisenreaders.
Jujutsu Kaisen’sbattles shine particularly well, conveying a palpable weight to the action and exchanging blows through cursed techniques, weapons, or even bare-knuckle brawling. Moments include flying cars being tossed at characters while feeling immersive to the reader through excellent two-page spreads and brutally violent would-be killing blows like in Hajime Kashimo’s fight against Panda in chapter #184. There’s a feeling of depth and gravity to the action as it can be seen and experienced byJujutsu Kaisenreaders, but the visuals come with limitations.
35 Strongest Jujutsu Kaisen Characters, Ranked
While not everyone in Jujutsu Kaisen cursed energy, the strongest characters have dangerous techniques and high levels of cursed energy.
Much like many popularWeekly Shōnen Jumpmanga,Jujutsu Kaisenwasn’t immune to being rushed, with its artwork most notably following suit in Sukuna’s battle with Satoru Gojo alongside other stories. This led to some panels being noticeably less detailed, and while the character posing remained convincing, details like hands, feet, and even appendages like fingers fell to the wayside. While this has been fixed in the volume version,Jujutsu Kaisenfans stood by their series out of hope for their favorite characters to survive, not merely because they’re likable but because of their impeccable design.
A Special Mention for Jujutsu Kaisen’s Fashion
Sorcerers Laying It All on the Floor
One doesn’t need to venture far to find a strong case forJujutsu Kaisen’sstatus as a spiritual successor toBleach.While the supernatural battles are one aspect, another is its pop culture awareness and influential fashion choices. Fans typically agree thatJujutsu Kaisen’spotent incorporation of bold fashion statements and street aesthetics is often jaw-dropping. It elevatesAkutami’s character designsto the point where seeing them undergo a style change, like Maki Zen’in slaying in a sleeveless shirt, is almost worth as much discussion as the action, with major designers includingDolce & Gabbana using the series as inspiration.
Jujutsu Kaisen Has Inconsistent Yet Strong Writing & Worldbuilding
Most Arcs Are Looked Upon Favorably
Gege Akutami took a remarkably creative approach to creating a unique and fascinating world and individual plotlines inJujutsu Kaisen. This is key because early portions of the story could have made the series too easy to compare unfavorably toNaruto, namely the Team 7 parallel and Sukuna standing in for an anthropomorphic Kurama. Instead, the series encountered strong moments like a tense terrorist plot in the Shibuya Incident Arc andthe Vs. Mahito Arc showcased a bona fide body horror icon, among many other prominent highlights.
The characters are compelling, and the writing is good inJujutsu Kaisen.Aoi Todo is a prime example of turning a mundane question, like his preferences for women, into an iconic line.Even the less consistent later arcs include bright spots, like the nonsensical Fumihiko Takaba being surprisingly popular among fans, breaking the fourth wall, and shockinglyeven winning over hardened villains to his side. The world and clans ofJujutsu Kaisenare fascinating enough that, even with mixed reactions to the final chapters, people would happily consume new spinoff media about sorcerers in the Heian era, Sukuna’s period of origin.
A small set of images fromJujutsu Kaisenvolume #23 conveys the author’s frustrations with illustrating complex military uniforms and equipment, calling it “hard as hell” in some instances and wishing to avoid it.
However, not everything aboutJujutsu Kaisen’swriting was consistently strong. In the Culling Game Arc, an intricate and expansive rule is set for the story’s titular death game, yet readers feel disengaged due to forgettable battles.Entire plotlines, namely one involving the United States government, were droppeddue to Akutami not wishing to draw detailed army uniforms and military tech. These particular chapters, like #201, are also full of hamfisted writing with a caricature of racially ignorant American war hawks. The point is,Jujutsu Kaisen’swriting fell off by the Culling Game Arc, yet had its moments.
The Ending Is Divisive at Best
And Not Just for Gojo
An undeniable energy was building up to the Shinjuku Showdown Arc, the finalJujutsu Kaisenstory arc poised as the ultimate battle between fan-favorite characters Satoru Gojo and Ryomen Sukuna. ForWeekly Shōnen Jump,this would translate to consistent fan attention to every new chapter, every heartbreaking moment, andevery major character death that would follow. The Culling Game and Shibuya Incident were meat grinders, but readers feared their favorite characters getting axed leading to the finale, and the general rule was not to get attached.
Yet, one key moment in chapter #236 was enough to launch fans into a frenzy, hopingJujutsu Kaisenwould reverse the fate of their beloved character.Ensuing chapters would bait fans' hopes for a righteous return, only to be dashed. While writing a story independent of what the fans want is perfectly reasonable,Jujutsu Kaisenwent one step further and created a wholly underwhelming ending.
The ending was divisive inJujutsu Kaisenbecause readers could tell it was rushed.
In the latter phases of the Shinjuku Showdown, the Culling Game was rushed to a close as Kenjaku made his bid to join humanity with Tengen. Most of the moments teased, like the monstrous potential of a Cursed Tengen sent on an apocalyptic rampage, were never shown; instead, after the two villains are defeated, one of whom is off-panel,the series just ends, even with the story’s world in a precarious place. The ending was divisive inJujutsu Kaisenbecause readers could tell it was rushed, skipping over many missed opportunities.
The Verdict
“You Were Magnificent”
To paraphrase a line from the Shinjuku Showdown Arc’s most shocking moment,Jujutsu Kaisenwas magnificent.However, its last fifty chapters didn’t meet the lofty expectations of an increasingly demanding shōnen reader base. Still, it should be remembered that rushing has always been a peculiarity of the series, which thrived on its compressed narrative. No other shonen manga has become so iconic in a mere 271 chapters. For reference, the shortest of the “Big Three”,Bleach, has 698 chapters, and also had to rush its ending.Dragon Ballhas 519.
Jujutsu Kaisenis still full of brilliant and culturally-savvy moments, including Yuji learning to control his cursed energy by lulling a doll to sleep while watching movies or Kenjaku using Uzumaki curses, including once as a direct Junji Ito reference. When weighing these moments against its weakest aspects, and considering the impressive fanbase it gathered in a short time,Jujutsu Kaisencan be called a great series worthy of its popularity.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisenis a Japanese anime and manga series created by Gege Akutami. The story is set in a world where Cursed Spirits, born from negative human emotions, prey on humanity. It follows high school student Yuji Itadori as he becomes entangled in the world of Jujutsu Sorcery after swallowing a cursed talisman—Ryomen Sukuna’s finger—and becomes the host for one of the most powerful curses. Yuji joins the Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical College to learn how to combat curses while searching for the remaining fingers of Sukuna to exorcise him permanently.
