Akutami calls out anime industry's Racism in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 255

Modified Mar 29, 2024 08:22 GMT

Akutami calls out anime industry — Miguel as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (Image via MAPPA)

With the events that took place in the manga's previous chapter, it was hinted that Miguel is set to be the center of attraction in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 255. While the manga chapter has not been released yet, its spoilers have leaked online. Surprisingly, the upcoming chapter will see manga creator Gege Akutami calling out the anime industry's racism through a flashback exchange between Miguel and Satoru Gojo.

The manga's previous chapter saw Ryomen Sukuna defeating Kusakabe. Right after, Ui Ui arrived to take Kusakabe away. However, Sukuna was starting to get annoyed with Ui Ui. Hence, Sukuna appeared behind him, possibly to kill him. That's when Miguel arrived and rescued Ui Ui. With that, the manga set up a fight between Sukuna and Miguel.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Jujutsu Kaisen manga. Reader's discretion is advised.

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 255: Gege uses Miguel to call out racism in anime industry

Miguel as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (Image via MAPPA)

As evident from the spoilers of Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 255, the upcoming chapter will show a flashback of Satoru Gojo commenting on Miguel's physical abilities. He labels Miguel's physical abilities to be truly frightening.

According to Gojo, 99% of Jujutsu Sorcerers are Japanese and use Cursed Energy to strengthen themselves. However, that wasn't the case for Miguel. As per Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 255, Miguel had a rare skeletal and muscle structure that made him a threat compared to a Japanese sorcerer.

Satoru Gojo as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 (Image via MAPPA)

Miguel immediately refuted the statement as he was certain what Gojo claimed was blatant racism. Gojo saying that Miguel had a rare skeletal and muscle structure just because he was black was discrimination. In addition, Miguel adds that there are black people who are non-athletic as well.

Lastly, Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 255 saw Miguel stating that him being special had nothing to do with him being black. Upon hearing this, Gojo immediately apologized to Miguel.

Miguel as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

The reason we believe that manga creator Gege Akutami called out the anime industry's racism through Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 255 is because there are too many black characters who have been shown to be physically strong. Thus, Miguel calling out Gojo's blatant racism might have been Gege Akutami's attempt to call out other creators.

Some of the most notable physically strong black anime characters include Bleach's Sado Yasutora and Kaname Tōsen, and Naruto's A and Killer B. While these characters are strong partially due to their abilities, several other characters have been labeled strong with no such abilities. The two most notable ones are Yasuke and Afro Samurai.

Yasuke as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

Both Yasuke and Afro Samurai are swordsmen with strong physical prowess. However, their anime never really revealed what made the two characters stand out when compared to the others around them.

Lastly, Fire Force anime has a character named Ogun Montgomery. While fans loved the character, the stereotype surrounding this character was reportedly outrageous. Ogun has an ability called Flamy Ink which he uses to create tattoos made out of flame onto his skin. Using the ability made the character's physical strength increase.

Ogun Montgomery as seen in Fire Force (Image via David Production)

The mere correlation between a black character, tattoos, and physical strength may show how misinformed or ignorant the creator was while making the character. While they must have made the character with good intentions, the stereotypes do backfire.

Hence, Gege Akutami calling out Gojo's comment through Miguel in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 255 was important to address the anime industry's racism.