5 ways Gege is ruining Jujutsu Kaisen and 5 ways his writing is genius

Gege Akutami, the mangaka of the massively popular Jujutsu Kaisen series, is someone who is often referred to as a genius by many. This claim is highlighted by the fact that Akutami somehow manages to get the readers emotionally attached to certain characters, despite giving these characters minimum amount of screentime.

Furthermore, Akutami's style of writing keeps the readers of the manga hooked to each and every chapter, which led to Jujutsu Kaisen becoming one of the most read and popular manga of 2023. Even those readers who claimed that they would drop the series had to return at some point of time due to the immense amount of hype surrounding the manga.

That said, there are also those fans who claim that Akutami's style of writing is ruining the series, that too, for good reason. With that in mind, let us explore 5 ways that Akutami's writing is ruining Jujutsu Kaisen, and 5 ways his writing is genius.

Disclaimer: This list contains spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen manga and reflects the writer's opinions. Reader's discretion is advised.

5 ways Gege Akutami's writing is ruining Jujutsu Kaisen

1) Creating a seemingly invincible antagonist

Sukuna as seen in the anime (image via MAPPA)

Fans may have guessed that the reason for Gege Akutami's dislike for Gojo was because he had accidentally made the character so strong that the story pretty much loses it's tension due to his mere existence. As such, Gojo's death was deemed to be imminent by many, as a way of getting rid of the "overpowered side character".

That said, Akutami doubled down on this very problem by making Ryomen Sukuna, the primary antagonist of the series, so powerful that he not only defeated Gojo while "holding back", but he is currently making light work of the rest of the characters despite being in a severely weakened state.

As such, one can say that Akutami's love for Sukuna may have driven him into a corner, where he can no longer logically write his way out of.

2) Gojo's death

Satoru Gojo's death heavily impacted the manga as well as the fanbase (image via MAPPA)

As legendary as the 'Battle of the Strongest' between Sukuna and Gojo may have been, it is pretty much universally agreed at this point that the latter's death was one of the most ridiculous sendoffs to any character in Jujutsu Kaisen.

Ever since chapter 236 of the manga got released, fans have expressed their extreme displeasure with the popular character's underwhelming death. According to the fans, they didn't necessarily have a problem with Gojo dying in his battle against Sukuna. However, the fact that a character of Gojo's status was removed from the story with an off-screen death, is something that ruined the epic battle for many.

3) The never-ending character deaths

Kento Nanami's death was one of the most gut-wrenching deaths (image via MAPPA)

A character's death is certainly vital for any story, as it may either result in development for a character or it may bring some tension into a story. That said, Jujutsu Kaisen is one such series, where fans are begging Akutami to stop killing more characters.

In Jujutsu Kaisen, a vast majority of the cast of characters have been wiped off the slate. In fact, characters have been dying one after the other in the ongoing battle against Sukuna, such as Gojo, Kashimo and Higuruma to name a few. This has led many fans to simply give up on their favorite characters and instead place bets on who will be the next to bite the dust.

4) Underdeveloped characters

Momo as seen in the anime (image via MAPPA)

At this point in the story, it is an indisputable fact that there are a lot of characters who never got the opportunity to shine, as they either end up dying, or they simply get sidelined or forgotten. Such characters include the likes of Mai Zen'in, Momo and Nobara Kugisaki.

This can be attributed to the fact that Jujutsu Kaisen is primarily a battle shonen series, as it prioritizes delivering outstanding fights instead of satisfactory character arcs. Although there certainly are a few exceptions to this, the wide cast of underdeveloped characters is a glaring weakness of the series.

5) Repetitiveness

Nobara and Yuji as seen in the anime (image via MAPPA)

With the inception of the Shibuya Incident arc, Jujutsu Kaisen gained a reputation of doing the unthinkable. This particular arc stands as a painstaking reminder of the unpredictable nature of the Jujutsu world. It saw the villains emerging victorious for the first time, which not only resulted in the complete annihilation of Shibuya, but the entire country of Japan being thrown into a state of chaos.

However, this unpredictability soon disappeared after the Shibuya arc, as both the plot and the fights became a bit too repetitive. This was taken up a notch after Gojo's death, as almost all the remaining cast of characters keep on entering the fray, only to meet their end in the most tragic ways imaginable.

The repetitve and predictable nature of almost all the battles against the King of Curses has more or less made fans prepared to bid farewell to the remaining characters as the ongoing fight continues to result in unthinkable casualties.

5 ways Gege Akutami's writing is genius

1) Creating characters who stand out despite limited appearances

Kento Nanami as seen in the anime (image via MAPPA)

It is certainly true that the Jujutsu Kaisen characters often do not get the opportunity to truly shine. That said, there are certain characters who etch their names in the minds of the fans, as they end up stealing the show whenever they do appear.

Some examples of such characters include Satoru Gojo and Kento Nanami, who are regarded as some of the most beloved characters of the entire series. Their untimely deaths have left an unfillable void in Jujutsu Kaisen, as fans continue to mourn their loss to this day.

2) Deviating from common shonen tropes

Mahito, Todo and Yuji as seen in the anime (image via MAPPA)

As a part of the Dark Trio of shonen anime, Jujutsu Kaisen manages to deviate from common shonen tropes. A prominent example of this was the Shibuya Incident arc, which marked a significant deviation from typical shonen storylines.

The said arc not only saw the protagonists lose for the very first time, but it also saw large-scale destruction of thousands of people, as well as some of the most beloved characters of the series.

The way in which Akutami used to subvert the readers' expectations, is one of the main reasons why the hype and excitement surrounding the release of each chapter is still consistent even after Gojo's death. Now that people know that anything can happen in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, their interest in the current storyline is at an all-time high.

3) Akutami's portrayal of Satoru Gojo

Satoru Gojo as seen in the Jujutsu Kaisen anime (image via MAPPA)

Contrary to the common belief among the fanbase, Satoru Gojo's charming looks aren't the only reason behind his popularity. His character is one of the most complex ones in the entirety of the series.

Despite possessing an immense amount of power that pretty much made him a God in the modern world, Gojo never once strayed from his morals. While he knew that killing the higher-ups of Jujutsu High would be an easier path to his goals, he turned instead to education, so that he could nurture strong and dependable allies who could bring about a change in the Jujutsu world one day.

Gojo has also been portrayed as one of the tragic characters of the series. In spite of having all the power in the world, he could never protect the things that mattered to him the most.

4) Character dynamics

Gojo and Nanami's relationship is one of the most unique ones in the series (image via MAPPA)

If there's one thing that's consistently great about the Jujutsu Kaisen characters, it's the chemistry and the dynamic between them. Somehow, each and every character feels like an irreplaceable part of the series, even if they rarely make an appearance.

The way these characters interact with each other and form unbreakable bonds is a testament to Akutami's ingenius style of writing. One prominent example would be the dynamic between Gojo and Nanami, who despite being polar opposties, always manage to trust and count on each other in difficult times.

5) A simplistic yet engaging style of writing that keeps the reader craving for more

Yuji, Nobara and Megumi as seen in the anime (image via MAPPA)

Satoru Gojo's death was so universally despised that a lot of readers swore that they would drop the manga thereon since their favorite character was killed off in such an underwhelming manner.

However, the Jujutsu Kaisen manga barely lost it's popularity after Gojo's death. If anything, the series became even more famed, becoming one of the most-read manga of 2023. Now that the trump card of the Jujutsu society is out of the picture, people are getting even more invested in the story, in order to see how the epic clash between the Jujutsu sorcerers and the King of Curses reaches its end.

This proves that despite having a simplistic premise of good vs evil, the engaging and exceptional nature of Akutami's writing can keep fans hooked to each chapter of the manga, perhaps till the very end of the series.

Final Thoughts

Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen is currently at the peak of it's popualrity, as fans continue to wait patiently for each chapter, which ends up becoming the talk of the Internet upon it's release.

While Akutami's style of writing certainly has it's downsides, there's no denying that Jujutsu Kaisen's success couldn't have happened if it weren't for his unique and often controversial choices regarding the characters and the story.