Jujutsu Kaisen worldbuilding: Akutami has always ignored Jujutsu Kaisen worldbuilding, and the rushed ending will only make it worse

While few can deny the success and impact of Jujutsu Kaisen on the animanga industry, one aspect of the series that often faces heavy criticism from fans is its worldbuilding.

Given that it is primarily recognized as a battle shonen series, fans were often willing to overlook the lack of proper worldbuilding in Jujutsu Kaisen, as well as a vast majority of the cast of characters being killed off in ruthless ways.

However, with the series now confirmed to be ending in just 5 chapters on September 30, 2024, a significant portion of the fanbase has begun expressing their frustration and disappointment with the news on social media. Many even criticized Akutami for not properly expanding on Jujutsu Kaisen's worldbuilding and for potentially ending the series in a rushed manner.

How a possible rushed ending could spell disaster for Gege Akutami's lack of focus on the Jujutsu Kaisen worldbuilding

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As per the majority of the fans, worldbuilding in an anime or manga series is one of its most crucial aspects. A well-constructed world not only enriches the narrative by providing context or explanations for any characters' actions, motivations, and conflicts, but it also enhances the depth and consistency of any story.

One such anime that is praised for this very quality, is none other than Eiichiro Oda's One Piece. It has set a benchmark for worldbuilding in the entirety of the animanga industry, as there are only a few series which can claim to live up to One Piece's unique and expansive worldbuilding.

On the other hand, Jujutsu Kaisen is a battle shonen series at its core, which is why fans often used to keep their expectations low whenever it came to worldbuilding or expanding some of the series' intricate plotlines.

However, now that the series is seemingly rushing towards its end, many fans on social media are heavily criticizing the mangaka, Gege Akutami, for his lack of focus on the Jujutsu Kaisen worldbuilding, claiming that the series' potential rushed ending will only make it worse.

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

Many of the fans' harsh online criticisms are certainly not without good reason, as they claim that Akutami is ending the series in an extremely rushed manner, along with the fact that there are simply too many plotlines and events left to resolve in just 5 chapters. However, one of the fans' biggest complaints with Akutami's decision to end the series next month, is that he never truly emphasized the Jujutsu Kaisen worldbuilding.

According to fans, Akutami had put too much emphasis on fights rather than storytelling in Jujutsu Kaisen and had failed to develop what he had previously set up.

For example, the aftermath of the Shibuya Incident arc and how the citizens of Japan coped with the large-scale destruction and massacre that took place in Shibuya, the whereabouts of the US army after their involvement in the Culling Game arc, the aftermath of the Zen'in clan massacre, and how the ruthless killing of the higherups affected the Jujutsu society, were all pretty much ignored or given less importance.

Sukuna as seen in the anime (image via MAPPA)

What's more, Akutami never actually got around to giving them even a brief idea of the Heian Era, and how Sukuna became the King of Curses. All readers know about the Heian Era, is that it was once the golden age of Jujutsu sorcery, and it was a much more ruthless and dangerous era than the current timeline.

While this is not to downplay the things that Jujutsu Kaisen does right, it can be argued that the worldbuilding of the series had much room for improvement. It could be achieved by simply expanding on the geographical scope of Jujutsu sorcery outside of Tokyo and Kyoto, properly defining the Jujutsu society, and exploring the origins of sorcery, which dates back to a time period over 1000 years before the current JJK timeline.

By depriving the series of intricate worldbuilding, Gege Akutami missed the chance to make the world of Jujutsu Kaisen feel more immersive and complete, especially since fans are complaining that the series currently feels immensely incomplete.

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Additionally, wrapping up a climactic storyline like the ongoing Shinjuku Showdown arc, in a matter of a mere 5 chapters, is certainly not a good showing for the series. According to some fans, even the My Hero Academia mangaka, Kohei Horikoshi, took his time to create a proper epilogue for his magnum opus.

Akutami on the other hand, looks to conclude the Shinjuku Showdown arc, epilogue, and story arcs of the remaining characters in a matter of 5 chapters, that too, without properly expanding on the Jujutsu Kaisen worldbuilding. As such, it's only natural for fans to feel frustrated with Akutami's decision to end a series as popular and impactful as Jujutsu Kaisen in such a short time.

That said, it's also important to remember that at the end of the day, it is the mangaka's decision as to what they want to do with their series, and how they want to conclude it. With that in mind, fans can only hope as of now, that their beloved series gets a proper ending.