Jujutsu Kaisen
What is Jujutsu Kaisen?
Who is the creator of Jujutsu Kaisen?
What inspired Akutami Gege’s artistic style?
What are some themes explored in Jujutsu Kaisen?
What are some adaptations of Jujutsu Kaisen?
Jujutsu Kaisen, Japanese manga series written and illustrated by pseudonymous creator Akutami Gege. Serialized in the manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 2018 to 2024, it follows high-school student Itadori Yuji, who joins a secret society of sorcerers to combat supernatural curses after becoming the unwilling host of a powerful demon. Combining supernatural action, horror elements, and themes of moral ambiguity and sacrifice, the series became one of the most commercially successful manga of the 2020s. By 2024 it had more than 100 million copies in circulation worldwide, including digital editions.
(The following may contain spoilers.)
Background and publication
Akutami Gege has never publicly revealed their real name or face. In 2020, after Jujutsu Kaisen won the Mando Kobayashi Manga Grand Prize (an annual manga award presented by comedian Kendo Kobayashi), the creator gave an interview on Fuji TV (a Japanese television network) disguised as Mechamaru, a character from the series.
Akutami first explored the world of Jujutsu Kaisen in Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School (2017), a four-chapter short series serialized in the magazine Jump GIGA. It introduced cursed energy, exorcists, and the character Okkotsu Yuta, a high-school student haunted by the cursed spirit of his childhood friend Rika. Yuta later emerges as one of the most powerful sorcerers in the franchise. Later retitled Jujutsu Kaisen 0, the work was rebranded as a prequel to the main storyline. Jujutsu Kaisen debuted in Weekly Shōnen Jump in March 2018 and concluded in September 2024 with 271 chapters compiled into 30 tankōbon (“standalone books”) volumes. Including the four-chapter prequel, the series comprises a total of 275 chapters across 31 volumes. Akutami has cited Bleach, the shonen manga (manga intended mainly for boys) by Kubo Tite, as a formative influence. In a published conversation between Akutami and Kubo featured in the Jujutsu Kaisen Official Fanbook (2021), Akutami recalled:
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One day when he [Akutami’s brother] wasn’t around, I secretly opened an issue, and it happened to be the one Bleach debuted in. That first chapter was so impressive, it made me realize just how incredible mangaka [people who create manga] are. I’ve been hooked ever since.
This early encounter with Bleach shaped Akutami’s artistic style and narrative approach, particularly in the darker tone, supernatural focus, and ensemble cast of Jujutsu Kaisen. In 2021 it topped Oricon’s annual manga sales rankings—a major Japanese chart that tracks entertainment sales—selling more than 30 million copies in Japan and surpassing the sales of the manga Demon Slayer.
Concept and plot
Jujutsu Kaisen is directly translated as “Sorcery Fight.” The term jujutsu combines ju (“curse”) and jutsu (“technique” or “method”), referring to supernatural techniques that manipulate cursed energy. The term kaisen combines kai (“to revolve” or “to cycle”) and sen (“battle”), suggesting an “endless cycle of conflict.” Together the title conveys the idea of a perpetual struggle between humans and the curses born from their negative emotions.
Storyline
In the fictional world of Jujutsu Kaisen, negative human emotions, or cursed energy, manifest as curses—invisible spiritual entities that threaten humanity. Sorcerers trained to harness cursed energy combat these beings using specialized techniques, the most powerful and terrifying of which is Domain Expansion, which traps opponents in inescapable arenas.
Itadori Yuji’s name was inspired by Akutami’s childhood classmate. His surname, Itadori, refers to a medicinal herb, symbolizing healing.
The story follows Itadori Yuji, who becomes host to the “King of Curses,” Ryomen Sukuna, after swallowing one of Sukuna’s severed fingers in an attempt to save his friends from a deadly curse. The Jujutsu Society declares that Yuji must be executed because he has become the host for Sukuna, whose power is contained within cursed relics such as his severed fingers. However, a leading sorcerer in the jujutsu world named Gojo Satoru halts the execution, suggesting that Yuji should find and absorb Sukuna’s remaining fingers before he is put to death. Yuji joins Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High, a training school for jujutsu sorcerers, where he is mentored by Gojo. Training alongside Fushiguro Megumi and Kugisaki Nobara, he gradually learns how to control the force within him.
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In the universe of Jujutsu Kaisen, curses are born from negative human emotions, such as fear, anger, and resentment. The series explores moral ambiguity, often blurring the lines between good and evil. As Akutami explained in a 2020 interview with Le Figaro, a French daily newspaper:
No one holds the ultimate truth, the “good guys” as well as the “bad guys.” Some seek to kill the hero out of pure selfishness, but others are led to this decision by logical reasoning. If no one is really right, then no one is wrong either. Each character is guided by his own ethics.
Although the actions of the villains are reprehensible, their motivations may be understandable, often leading readers to question the strict demarcation of right and wrong that features in many shonen series. Even the humans who fight these curses are not always noble and upright, as authorities misuse their power and manipulate institutions. Victories, too, often come at a heavy cost, showing that doing what seems right does not always lead to a good outcome.
Story arcs
Jujutsu Kaisen unfolds in distinct narrative arcs, each adapted from the manga into television episodes or theatrical films.
| arc | chapters | anime adaptations |
|---|---|---|
| Cursed Child | 0.1–0.4 (prequel) | Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie |
| Fearsome Womb | 1–18 | episodes 1–8 |
| Vs. Mahito | 19–31 | episodes 9–13 |
| Kyoto Goodwill Event | 32–54 | episodes 14–21 |
| Death Painting | 55–64 | episodes 22–24 (end of season 1) |
| Gojo’s Past | 65–79 | episodes 25–29 |
| Shibuya Incident | 79–136 | episodes 30–47 (end of season 2) |
| Itadori’s Extermination | 137–143 | episodes 47–49 (beginning of season 3) |
| Perfect Preparation | 144–158 | episodes 49– (season 3) |
| Culling Game | 159–221 | season 3 |
| Shinjuku Showdown | 222–271 | to be announced |
Anime adaptations and media franchise
The anime adaptation by the studio MAPPA premiered in October 2020 and was widely praised for its fluid combat sequences, striking use of color and lighting, and visual staging of battles.
The first season, which aired until March 2021, adapted the early arcs, following the storylines from Fearsome Womb to Death Painting. After Yuji’s fateful connection with Sukuna is created, he is enrolled in Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High and learns about the importance of cursed energy. In the first year of school, Yuji is assigned missions with his companions, such as saving people in a detention center. Later Yuji and Nobara face the Death Painting Wombs—a group of half-human, half-cursed spirit beings created through forbidden experiments.
The second season appeared in 2023 and was split into two broadcast periods, or cours. The first cour, Gojo’s Past, uncovers how an irreparable rift appeared in the friendship between Gojo and fellow sorcerer Geto Suguru when they were in school. A failure in what was supposed to be a routine mission seeded doubts in Geto’s mind. Over time Geto became more and more disillusioned, turning into one of the central antagonists of the story. A third season, which began airing in 2026, continues the story following the Shibuya Incident and adapts the Itadori’s Extermination, Perfect Preparation, and Culling Game arcs.
The feature film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 premiered in Japan in December 2021 and was released elsewhere in 2022. It was an adaptation of Akutami’s 2017 prototype series, centering on Yuta and his struggle to master the cursed spirit of Rika. The film grossed more than $180 million worldwide and ranked among the highest-grossing anime films of 2022.
The Jujutsu Kaisen franchise has expanded into multiple media and commercial ventures. Several light novels (illustrated Japanese prose works typically aimed at young adults) have been published, including Jujutsu Kaisen: Summer of Ashes, Autumn of Dust, and Jujutsu Kaisen: Thorny Road at Dawn. The series has been adapted into video games, including mobile adaptations and the 2024 console and PC fighting game Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash. It has appeared in crossover content within Fortnite, a popular online battle game. The series has also been adapted for the stage in Japan. Merchandise includes figures, apparel, and collaborations with brands such as Uniqlo and Dolce & Gabbana.
