Akutami's true masterpiece is his Jujutsu Kaisen massacre, but not Shibuya

Modified Oct 25, 2024 15:30 GMT

The Shibuya arc of Jujutsu Kaisen is widely regarded as the peak of the series, thanks to its massive reveals and the development of lore around the series' power-scaling and cursed energy. However, the true peak of the series might be in the arc that would receive an anime adaptation in season 3 and has a fandom of its own, the Zennin clan massacre of the Perfect Preparation arc.

The sole reason for considering this arc the best work of Gege Akutami is solely due to how the author conveyed his characters' feelings through gore, something that is unheard of in Shounen Jump. Combined with a flawless narrative and the reality of the Zenin sisters, the arc could redefine Shounen once it is animated and beat its predecessor, the Shibuya arc.

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

Jujutsu Kaisen: Exploring the greatness of the Zenin clan massacre from the Perfect Preparation arc

Maki and Mai as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha)

The Perfect Preparation arc of Jujutsu Kaisen is the prequel to the ultimate Culling Game arc. The arc featured the protagonists training to their best abilities so that they could dominate the upcoming Culling Games. While most characters focused on fortifying their cursed techniques, Maki focused on retrieving as many cursed tools as she could.

For this purpose, she visited her home, where she learned that her father and the rest of the Zenin clan were adamant about keeping everything from her. Moreover, Mai was abducted, making it hard for Maki to fight. Eventually, Maki and Mai were thrown into a den of cursed spirits, where they awaited their deaths. However, this was when Gege Akutami decided to do things differently.

To fully awaken her sister's Heavenly Restriction, Mai sacrificed herself before Maki and died, promising her to 'destroy everything.' After Mai's death, Maki's limiters stopped restricting her, and that day, the entire Zenin clan was massacred by the child whom the clan considered a misfit since her birth.

The sealing of Gojo Satoru (Image via MAPPA)

The Perfect Preparation arc was preceded by Itadori's Extermination arc, which was preceded by the famous Shibuya arc. The Shibuya arc is widely regarded as the best arc in Jujutsu Kaisen, having redefined Shounen through its reveals and lore. This arc introduced Mahoraga, the game-changing cursed spirit who saw the healing of Goj Satoru, and many other things.

Additionally, the arc fortified the series' power-scaling, cursed energy, with lore that was easy to understand. However, the Perfect Preparation arc might have every arc beat solely due to its narrative and over-the-top gore. 'Gore' has been a complicated topic for Shonen Jump from the start, due to which this theme is inconsistent.

Maki slaughtering the Zenin clan (Image via Shueisha)

However, what the Perfect Preparation arc did with this genre, while connecting it with the overall narrative of the series, was mind-blowing. The arc featured the true birth of the second Toji, Maki Zenin, and she took her revenge against the Zenin clan in the most brutal way. Maki kept killing everyone who she crossed paths with during her, but she also beheaded the Hei, the strongest sorcerers of her clan.

This combined with the narrative of two sisters who tried fitting in society but had to fake everything due to the norms of the Jujutsu Society was something that fans only see rarely in Shonen manga. So, the Jujutsu Kaisen massacre outclassed the Shibuya arc as the true masterpiece of Gege Akutami.

Final thoughts

As amazing as the Zenin clan massacre might be in the manga, some restrictions could apply to the anime adaptation, especially regarding the gore. Therefore, if the fandom wants to experience the masterpiece of the series in its actual form, reading the Perfect Preparation arc in the manga series is most recommended.

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Edited by Shubham Soni