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Jujutsu Kaisen has built a reputation as a manga series known for shocking its audiences with a lot of unexpected and heart-wrenching moments. Author Gege Akutami knows how to take shonen tropes and give them some twists and turns to subvert expectations and keep the story interesting.
In that regard, there are several moments in Jujutsu Kaisen where fans were left speechless because no one saw those coming. It was a combination of shock value and logical conclusions with some story plots that have shown that Akutami has no fear when it comes to taking risks.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen manga.
Kenjaku's reveal and seven other Jujutsu Kaisen moments that shocked its fandom
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1. Nobara Kugisaki’s “death”
When Nobara Kugisaki first showed up in Jujutsu Kaisen, she was viewed as a breath of fresh air in the anime and manga mediums. She was a capable and strong female character who didn't have to rely on a man, had a fun personality, and seemed to be able to hold her own in a battle, which quickly made her a fan-favorite.
So, when Gege Akutami decided to kill her off during her battle with Mahito in the Shibuya Incident arc, fans everywhere didn't believe it. She was shown to be one of the main characters and was removed from the story somewhat early, with fans arguing even to this very day about whether she is still alive or not, which goes to show the level of surprise this event caused.
2. Junpei Yoshino's death (mainly in the anime)
Junpei Yoshino was a character that author Gege Akutami built up in the manga to make his death all the more gut-wrenching, but MAPPA Studio took it to another level in the anime. The studio added Junpei in the opening of the first season to make anime-only viewers believe that he was going to join the main cast, following classic shonen tropes.
Of course, this being Jujutsu Kaisen, Junpei ends up being killed off by Mahito in a very painful moment, especially as Yuji Itadori, who was desperate to save him, had to endure a lot of suffering for this. There was a lot of sympathy online for Junpei because he was dealt a very bad hand and a lot of people feel that he deserved better.
3. Kenjaku taking over Suguru Geto's body
Jujutsu Kaisen has this interesting element of establishing something for the reader to believe and then giving it a complete turn that changes everything. For example, Suguru Geto had been established as a major antagonist since the beginning of the manga and the Hidden Inventory established his origin and friendship with Satoru Gojo... only for Suguru Geto to then change direction during the Shibuya Incident arc.
At the start of the aforementioned arc, there is a revelation that the man is not Geto, but rather someone else who took over his body and identity. Later on in the manga, it is revealed that he is a centuries-old sorcerer known as Kenjaku and he has been plotting most of the main events of the series.
4. Kenjaku being Yuji's mother
It was revealed in chapter 160 of the manga that Kenjaku, before taking over Geto's body, was in control of a woman's and got involved with Yuji Itadori's father to birth the latter, which was one of those moments that completely shattered the fandom's perceptions of events.
This not only explained Yuji's superhuman strength and why he was such a perfect vessel for Sukuna (although this part has been mostly theorized by the fandom) but also showed the extent of Kenjaku's action. His centuries-long plan had been carefully crafted and many different events were his doing, which goes to show how influential he has been in the story.
5. Nanami's death
Very few deaths in Jujutsu Kaisen have hit the fandom as hard as Nanami Kento. He was a major fan-favorite because of his personality, his character design, his relationship with Yuji, and his philosophy, which was a such stark contrast with most characters in the series.
During the Shibuya Incident arc, Nanami was badly wounded in combat and then was cornered by Mahito, who wanted a third round with him in battle. Nanami was already close to dying and Mahito murdered him in front of Yuji, causing the latter a lot more pain and trauma.
6. Maki slaughtering the Zen'in clan
Maki became a fan-favorite the moment she was introduced in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga and her story with the Zen'in clan only made her more interesting. She was treated as a slave because she was born with a Heavenly Restriction, much like Toji before her, and decided to become a sorcerer to spite her family, which slowly led to the events of the Zen'in massacre.
After her twin sister Mai's death, Maki went up against the people of her clan because of certain events in the story and she ended up slaughtering them. It was one of those moments that showed that Jujutsu Kaisen could push some typical shonen boundaries, showing one of the main characters choosing revenge over the classical forgiving path.
7. Satoru Gojo being sealed for almost three years (in real life)
Gojo being sealed in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga was already a major event in the story as a whole but it was the context in real life that made it all the more shocking to the fandom. Nobody thought that arguably the most popular character in the series was going to be out of the story for almost three years, which felt like an eternity for the fans.
The most interesting part about Gojo not being a part of the story during the Shibuya Incident and Culling Games arcs was how much of a free-for-all the series became. Satoru is so above everybody else in terms of power that he could have defeated most of the antagonists on his own, which goes to show how much of a difference-maker he was for the Jujutsu world.
8. Sukuna taking over Megumi's body
Sukuna had shown a lot of interest in Megumi Fushiguro during most of the Jujutsu Kaisen series and fans had a lot of theories regarding why. However, almost no one expected the King of Curses to bide his time to take over Megumi's body, which was one of the biggest plot twists in the series.
The moment that Sukuna took control of that body, of someone who wasn't born to be the perfect vessel to control him like Yuji Itadori, people were left shocked. Sukuna had been built as this unstoppable force and now he was on the loose and with Megumi's Shikigami abilities, giving him even more edge when it came to battle.
Final thoughts
Jujutsu Kaisen is a series that has proven to be massively successful while also overcoming a lot of shonen tropes. Akutami has proven his worth as a mangaka who can offer something different and maintain a solid narrative structure, with fans hoping that the series' conclusion is just as strong as the rest of the story.
