Akutami leaving Gojo's character arc unfinished in Jujutsu Kaisen was an epic failure

Modified May 25, 2024 00:00 GMT

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

Ever since Satoru Gojo passed away in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, fans have been theorizing several methods through which the Strongest Sorcerer could have returned to the manga. Unfortunately, given the leak of the latest chapter's spoilers, it seems like it is finally time for fans to give up on the faint sense of hope.

The alleged spoilers saw Yuta Okkotsu stealing Kenjaku's Cursed Technique to take over Satoru Gojo's body. This process saw Yuta's brain get transferred to Gojo's body, following which Yuta took over. This move essentially saw all hopes of Gojo's return vanish into thin air.

With that, one can truly say that Satoru Gojo's character arc has been put to a stop. While one would believe that leaving it unfinished was fine, doing so was an epic failure.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Jujutsu Kaisen manga.

Jujutsu Kaisen: Gojo's unfinished character arc left him with an incomplete answer

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According to one Jujutsu Kaisen fan on X, @TheMelucifer, Satoru Gojo's unfinished character left him with an incomplete answer to the question, "Who is Gojo Satoru?"

According to the fan, the first signs of Gojo's identity crisis were seen during the Shibuya Incident Arc when Pseudo-Geto appeared before him. He was in absolute shock and fear when he saw his deceased friend back on his feet. It is to be noted that fans had never seen Gojo make such an expression.

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

During this scene, Psedo-Geto opens the Prison Realm. The eye at the center of Prison Realm showed Gojo's reflection. However, the reflection that appeared did not show Gojo's face but left it blackened.

As Jujutsu Kaisen fans would know, Akutami Gege's storyline has been inspired by arts, Japanese history, and Buddhism. In other words, his art is always intentional and carries significant meaning. When @TheMelucifer looked up "faceless arts," the one common denominator that popped up was "identity crisis."

Suguru Geto as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 (Image via MAPPA)

An identity crisis is a state where one does not know what defines them, making them wonder how to fit in. Satoru Gojo has been faced with this issue since his childhood as was born with the powers of Gods and the weight of the world on his shoulders. This was also what became his defining characteristic: strength.

This is where Suguru Geto's question to Satoru Gojo mattered the most:

"Are you the strongest because you're Satoru Gojo? Or are you Satoru Gojo because you're the strongest?"

Because, if Gojo's identity was his strength, it did not make sense for him to fail at saving Suguru Geto and Megumi Fushiguro, moreover, lose to Toji Fushiguro.

Gojo and Yaga as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

This might also be why Gojo asked Masamichi Yaga if he was strong back during the Hidden Inventory Arc. He could have started questioning his identity (strength), which is why he felt the need to ask the same.

That said, if strength wasn't enough, what was Gojo lacking? A strong ally? Unfortunately, as depicted by the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, absolute strength was always followed by loneliness, hence an ally was out of the question for Gojo. The only person who could have possibly understood his loneliness was Ryomen Sukuna. Unfortunately, the King of Curses was busy hurling remarks at him during their fight in Shinjuku.

Satoru Gojo as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha)

The Jujutsu Kaisen fan @TheMelucifer then went on to look up "identity crisis" in Buddhism, and the results hinted at "love" "loneliness" and "trying to reach." As revealed in the Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 236, Gojo always felt isolated despite being adored by everyone. With this, one can confirm that Gojo's identity crisis is deeply inspired by Buddhism.

However, now that he has passed away, there is no way for him to ever learn what he identifies as. Given how much time Jujutsu Kaisen manga spent on Gojo's identity crisis, it makes no sense for his character arc to be left unfinished, making the entire scenario an epic failure.