Gege Akutami: Gege Akutami reveals his inspiration behind Sukuna vs. Jujutsu High in Jujutsu Kaisen manga

Gege Akutami reveals his inspiration behind Sukuna vs. Jujutsu High in Jujutsu Kaisen manga

Modified Oct 03, 2024 12:30 GMT

Jujutsu Kaisen creator Akutami reveals what inspired the Shinjuku Showdown (Image via Gege Akutami, Shueisha)

Jujutsu Kaisen has drawn to a close after six years and 271 chapters but the hype surrounding the series hasn't died down just yet. Ever so, often titbits of information surface about the series and its creator. These too go a long way in delighting fans of the series who are determined to learn everything there is to their favorite manga.

Recently, a piece of information has come to light that is definitely intriguing and somewhat alters the way in which the series can be viewed. In a nutshell, author Gege Akutami reveals to the world what exactly inspired them when they were drawing the final arc, the Shinjuku Showdown Arc, of the manga - the anime adaptation.

The way in which anime is inspired by manga and recreated, the opposite can happen too. Authors can use the artistry showcased in certain anime and expand in what they're creating. That is what happened in this case and led to the creation of the intense Shinjuku Showdown.

Jujutsu Kaisen creator Akutami reveals what inspired the Shinjuku Showdown

Ryomen Sukuna (Image via Gege Akutami, Shueisha)

The Shinjuku Showdown in Jujutsu Kaisen was one of its longer arcs (50 chapters) and featured a number of breathtaking battles. The King of Curses proved why he has been so feared and revered through the ages thanks to the seemingly endless bouts he fought.

In the entire arc, Sukuna faced 12 different opponents in the likes of Gojo Satoru, Hajime Kashimo, Hiromi Higuruma, Atsuya Kusakabe, Takuma Ino, Choso, Maki Zenin, Yuta Okkotsu, Yuji Itadori, Miguel, Larue and Todo Aoi.

While the odds seemed overwhelming, it was Sukuna's sheer might and nearly endless of Jujutsu sorcerery that allowed him stand firm.

These fights are definitely ones to remember and in the extras section of the manga, Akutami reveals what inspired them to shape this entire encounter.

To the surprise of many, the Jujutsu Kaisen anime adaptation was what got the cogs turning in Akutami's head to put pen to paper and breathe life in to the final battle of the series.

Anime essentially follow the manga and bring the pages to screens for fans to enjoy. However, it is not uncommon for creators and authors to draw inspiration from the anime of their/other creators' series.

That is exactly what happened in this case - the anime taking the source material and reworking the directorial plan is what helped Akutami.

Furthermore, the mangaka reveals that watching the anime thrilled him to see what his work looks like on screen. It functioned like a reverse import - Akutami's product reworked with a slightly different touch and produced before him. After all, it is all about portrayal and how well animators can recreate the source material when adding effects, color, transitions, etc.

No doubt it is Akutami's genius that created Jujutsu Kaisen, but credit is also due to the animation team at MAPPA. Their intrepretation of what different techniques and abilities would like is what made Jujutsu Kaisen all that much better.

In addition, it seemingly opened more doors for Akutami to create the Shinjuku Showdown. It is highly likely that even they were surprised, at times, to see a certain technique/move being portrayed in the way it was.