Is Jujutsu Kaisen inspired by Akame ga Kill? Explored

Without a doubt, one of the most popular anime and manga series to come from the new-gen era (series that began in 2010 or after) is none other than the Jujutsu Kaisen manga series. Despite its humble and low-key beginnings, author and illustrator Gege Akutami’s original manga series has found a nearly unmatched level of success amongst its peers.

Likewise, several fans have conducted their own deep dives into Akutami’s origins and the inspirations he pulled from in the process of creating his Jujutsu Kaisen manga series. While one of the biggest and most obvious inspirations is Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter manga series, elements of another world famous and legendary manga series can also be found.

However, some fans are curious to know if Akutami and Jujutsu Kaisen were ever inspired by mangaka Tetsuya Tashiro’s original and infamous Akame ga Kill series. Although there are some similarities between the two series, fans seemingly can’t decide if there’s enough evidence to claim that the former was inspired by the latter.

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Jujutsu Kaisen’s writing as of late has fans questioning if Akutami is pulling from Akame ga Kill as series nears end

One of the biggest reasons why Jujutsu Kaisen fans are questioning if Akutami is pulling inspiration from Akame ga Kill for his series stems from the plethora of deaths as of late. While the two series do have this infamous similarity, it seems more likely than not that Akutami’s series is not inspired by Tashiro’s for a few key reasons.

One of the biggest pieces of evidence to support this claim stems from the difference between the original Akame ga Kill manga series relative to its television anime adaptation in terms of plot. Whereas the anime sees most of the central cast of heroes and villains killed off by its conclusion, the manga actually has a much higher survival rate, relatively speaking.

However, the anime adaptation of the series is a much more popular and well-known format due to its status as a “starter anime.” Likewise, the series as a whole is primarily known for its high mortality rate despite this only accurately reflecting the anime’s events. Moreover, it’s unlikely that Akutami would pull from the anime adaptation for inspiration in his Jujutsu Kaisen series rather than the original source material.

Despite similarities in respective protagonists Yuji Itadori and Tatsumi (pictured above), Jujutsu Kaisen does not seem to be inspired by Akame ga Kill (Image via WHITE FOX)

Beyond this sensible claim, there’s also no real connection between the two series other than the recent surplus of deaths in Akutami’s manga. Their power systems are merely tangentially similar in regard to weapons and tools, and the plots are extremely different as well. Although some slight similarities could possibly be drawn between protagonists Yuji Itadori and Tatsumi, there’s not enough there to say that the former is inspired by the latter.

As a result, it seems that Akutami and Jujutsu Kaisen did not take inspiration from Tashiro and Akame ga Kill. Although there are some similarities that can be drawn between the source material for each series, there’s not enough there to truly argue that the former was inspired by the latter.

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Final thoughts

While Akutami has taken inspiration from many legendary series like Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter, Tite Kubo’s Bleach, and Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, Tashiro’s Akame ga Kill unfortunately doesn’t make the cut. Although future developments arising as the series progresses towards its end could suggest such a connection, this seems unlikely as of this article’s writing.

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Be sure to keep up with all anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2024 progresses. Check out our other Jujutsu Kaisen pieces here:

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