A Jujutsu Kaisen reread highlights the series' biggest flaws

Modified Nov 24, 2024 16:30 GMT

A Jujutsu Kaisen reread highlights the series' biggest flaws (Image via Gege Akutami/Shueisha)

Jujutsu Kaisen manga series ended on September 30, 2024, and during its serialization, its chapter releases were filled with hype and joy. Even the spoiler releases were internet-breaking, and this branded the series as one of the most influential and successful manga series.

However, what worked as a weekly release might not work out as a one-time read. If we read the series now, every second chapter brings forth a redeemable plot hole due to the author's writing, and sadly, nothing can be done now.

With big cases like Kenjaku's failed merger to minute details like Ryu's unexplored potential as one of the strongest cursed spirits from the Heian Era, Gege Akutami might have left the fandom with more cravings rather than encouraging them to rereading the series to relive its hype moments.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the Jujutsu Kaisen manga series and has the author's opinion.

Why Jujutsu Kaisen might never be a one-time read manga series?

Kaori (Kenjaku) as seen in the manga (Image via Gege Akutami/Shueisha)

Jujutsu Kaisen told the tale of a non-sorcerer boy named Itadori Yuji, who learned about the existence of the occult and joined the Jujutsu Tech to find a purpose in life. The series achieved massive success in its weekly serialization, gathering millions of weekly views on social media. However, reading it again was a mess, considering how much the author has left to be desired.

Starting from the protagonist, Itadori Yuji, was the son of one of the major antagonists, Kenjaku, who possessed his mother before his birth. Strangely enough, after the Jujutsu Tech won against the King of Curses, no one brought up this point, especially Gakuganji.

Gakuganji, who was obsessed with kicking out Gojo from Jujutsu Tech, had no problem keeping the son of an evil cursed spirit on the premises. Either he was uninterested in Itadori's origins, or he just forgot to investigate for one of his students.

Continuing on, the questionable friendship between Kenjaku and Tengen was another question mark as nothing was revealed about their time together.

Kenjaku and Tengen as seen in the manga (Image via MAPPA and Gege Akutami/Shueisha)

Speaking of Kenjaku, one of the most famous plot holes was his thousand-year-old plan to make the Great Merger a success, which ended up getting axed. The bigger question is how he spent centuries working on a plan solely because he was bored with life. However, the issues don't end here.

During the Culling Game arc, Angel (who was using Hana Kurusu as a vessel) revealed Sukuna's reality as the 'Disgraced One,' yet the author forgot to clarify any reason behind this name. This was followed by Sukuna one-shotting Ryu Ishigori, one of the fan-favorite cursed spirits from the Heian Era, who was under-utilized and deserved more time (rather than becoming a sacrifice to showcase Sukuna's powers).

Nobara's return as seen in the manga (Image via Gege Akutami/Shueisha)

Lastly, the biggest controversy was the last-minute return of Nobara, whose return wasn't utilized and was just used as a plot device to mark the end of the King of Curses.

These examples all indicate that Jujutsu Kaisen might just be a hype manga that satisfied the fans with amazing moments every week but didn't think about its longevity as a manga that readers who binge-read and question every detail the author left unanswered.

Analysis and final thoughts

While it is advised to take this article just as a form of entertainment, most fans would agree that the series might be hype-bait for the weekly release enjoyers. With the examples mentioned above being just the tip of the iceberg, it is obvious that the author rushed after a certain point in the story, after which the series became 'hype' and nothing else.

Yes, leaving a story on an incomplete end is usual, but if every other chapter has a question that needs to be answered, then the author should have answered it somehow. As the author hasn't released any word regarding a future part of Jujutsu Kaisen (a light novel or analysis book), the fandom can only speculate on the answers.

Related Links

Edited by Toshali Kritika