Gege narrowing the scope after Shibuya is where Jujutsu Kaisen's biggest issues come from

Modified Mar 22, 2025 03:30 GMT

Gege narrowing the scope after Shibuya is where Jujutsu Kaisen's biggest issues come from (Image via Gege Akutami/Shueisha)

Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 is already in production and fans expect the same treatment for this sequel as the second one. However, the manga fans have other concerns, specifically regarding the plotline that might become simple and centered around only two characters.

After the Shibuya Arc, the series properly introduced its second major antagonist, Kenjaku, and, unsurprisingly, the future of the manga rests on these two. Starting from Kenjaku's Culling Games to Sukuna's changing of hosts, everything would be centered around the power scaling of these antagonists, only for both of them to die as disappointments.

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

Jujutsu Kaisen: Why the series fell after the Shibuya Arc

The frenzy during the Shibuya arc (Image via MAPPA)

Jujutsu Kaisen's Shibuya Arc might be the best work of the author, Gege Akutami, as it redefined shonen manga. Combining hype with intricate writing, the author wrote something that was appreciated all around the world. Moreover, animation studio MAPPA elevated the arc through its touch of amazing animation.

Some of the most crucial moments in this arc include the sealing of Gojo Satoru, the formal introduction of Kenjaku, and the Shibuya massacre done by Ryomen Sukuna. With a proper ending that promised a good future, the fandom was ready to be blown away with Jujutsu Kaisen season 3. However, the sequel might bring some new issues and the manga hints at them.

Sukuna changing hosts (Image via Gege Akutami\Shueisha)

Following the Culling Game Arc, the entire series might focus on making the antagonists (Sukuna and Kenjaku) overpowered. The arc started with Sukuna stealing the body of Fushigoro Megumi, transferring his hosts from Itadori Yuji. Even though the antagonist had just changed his host, he was a demon and utilized Fushigoro's cursed technique to the maximum.

After wreaking havoc, Sukuna went through the 'bath' and strengthened his control over his host. Moreover, to add more regrets to Megumi's bag, Sukuna killed Tsumiki through Megumi's cursed technique. This left Megumi with no will to live as the antagonist got control over a formidable host. This was followed by the battle of the strongest, where Sukuna killed Gojo Satoru.

Similarly, Kenjaku's potential was also showcased as he single-handedly took out Yuki Tsukumo, a special-grade sorcerer, by revealing that he could still use the cursed techniques of his past hosts. Moreover, killing Takaba was not hard for this Jujutsu Kaisen antagonist, even though Takaba's cursed technique was at its top effective stage.

Yuki versus Kenjaku (Image via Gege Akutami/Shueisha)

While having such strong powers, how did things turn out for both of these antagonists? To fans despair, this made the series fall from its top spot. Sukuna lost to Itadori Yuji and was exorcised in a very humiliating way. Moreover, he might have even changed his life philosophy, given his last conversation with Mahito.

Similarly, Yuta easily executed Kenjaku through a sneaky attack, after which the antagonist simply passed his will to Sukuna. Despite spending thousands of years plotting the Great Merger, Kenjaku died without completing his legacy. Sukuna, on the other hand, died as a disappointment despite claiming to be the strongest.

Final thoughts

It is an established opinion in the fandom at this point that Gege Akutami soon gave up on writing a proper story and started focusing on building hyped moments. This might be the crucial reason why Jujutsu Kaisen might never become a binge-reading manga as it developed its reputation through its weekly release hype.

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Edited by Bharath S