Genichi Sojo in Kagurabachi becomes what Mahito couldn't be in Jujutsu Kaisen

Genichi Sojo, the first major antagonist of Kagurabachi had an uncanny resemblance to Mahito from Jujutsu Kaisen. Whether it's his destructive ideology or pure instinct, every aspect of Sojo reminded fans of the cursed spirit born from people's hatred and malice.

Although both characters are examples of excellent writing, there are a few reasons why Gege Akutami, the author of Jujutsu Kaisen, might have missed a trick in elevating Mahito's character.

Unlike the cursed spirit, Genichi Sojo's impact lingered in the narrative even after his death. One could say that Akutami failed to portray Mahito as a recurring phantom of despair for Yuji after his death, something Takeru Hokazono expertly handled with Sojo in Kagurabachi.

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Genichi Sojo's psychological presence after death in Kagurabachi surpasses that of Mahito's in Jujutsu Kaisen

Genichi Sojo was a menace in Kagurabachi. Introduced as the first major villain in the series, Sojo sought nothing but to cause destruction using the Enchanted Blade, Kuregumo (Cloud Gouger), which had been forged by the late master blacksmith, Kunishige Rokuhira.

Since Kunishige was no more, Sojo formulated his own theories about the Enchanted Blades' purpose and felt they existed solely to wreak havoc upon humanity. Sojo's unreal devotion toward his wicked ideology was antithetical to Chihiro Rokuhira's justice-driven ideology.

As their ideologies clashed in Kagurabachi, a battle was the only option to decide whose vision prevailed. During the combat, Sojo realized that although he was blessed by Kuregumo (an Enchanted Blade), he would never be able to surpass Kunishige Rokuhira and realize the dream of forging an Enchanted Blade himself.

Genichi Sojo vs Chihiro, as seen in the manga (Image via Takeru Hokazono/Shueisha_)

Following his defeat against Chihiro, Genichi Sojo sought more power and grabbed the main ingredient for creating an Enchanted Blade, Datenseki, to channel the power in himself. However, he couldn't withstand the energy and perished in the process.

Although Sojo died, the psychological scar he left in Chihiro's mind was unparalleled. Throughout his life, Chihiro Rokuhira believed that an Enchanted Blade existed to protect people.

However, Sojo showing him the destructive nature of such blades made Chihiro realize that he might have had the wrong idea about them the whole time. The world was perhaps better without the existence of such blades.

Genichi Sojo, as seen in the manga (Image via Takeru Hokazono/Shueisha)

Naturally, Sojo's vision and ideologies in Kagurabachi left a lasting impression in Chihiro's mind. Gradually, Sojo, even after his death, began to exist as a lingering phantom for Chihiro. As a traumatic figure, the ex-Kuregumo user had a psychological presence in the narrative.

Undoubtedly, Takeru Hokazono utilized this unique presence of Genichi Sojo to elevate Chihiro's character. In chapter 26 of Kagurabachi, Chihiro revealed that he learned to remotely activate an Enchanted Blade after hearing the reports of Sojo's battle against the Kamunabi sorcerers.

Sojo takes on Chihiro in Kagurabachi (Image via Takeru Hokazono/Shueisha)

Interestingly, Sojo died in chapter 18 of the series. So Chihiro remembering Sojo and his feats after eight chapters (and in the second arc) speaks volumes about Sojo's impact on the narrative.

He not only existed as the first antagonist but also shaped Chihiro as a character, even after his death. Later, in chapter 27, we see Chihiro Rokuhira wielding Kuregumo, the blade that Sojo once held to bring destruction.

Unfortunately, Gege Akutami in Jujutsu Kaisen couldn't utilize Mahito to play the same role. Although the cursed spirit served as the ultimate foil to the protagonist, Yuji Itadori, he was forgotten after the Shibuya arc, where he died.

Mahito, as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 (Image via MAPPA)

Prior to his death, Mahito served as the perfect traumatic figure to Yuji. He killed Junpei, Kento Nanami, and Nobara Kugisaki, all three in front of Yuji Itadori's eyes to drive him into the pit of despair.

Moreover, being a cursed spirit born from people's hatred and malice, Mahito exhibited a contrasting ideology to Yuji. While the Jujutsu Kaisen protagonist wanted to save people, the cursed spirit wanted to bring destruction.

Fans of Kagurabachi could compare Mahito and Yuji's dynamics with Genichi Sojo's relationship with Chihiro as it was strikingly similar. Although Sojo didn't kill any teammate of Chihiro, he nonetheless played his part in the narrative, becoming a reason of psychological trauma to him.

Mahito as Yuji's trauma (Image via MAPPA)

However, Mahito from Jujutsu Kaisen couldn't become like Sojo. Although he did mentally destroy Yuji Itadori by pushing him to his limits, after his death his presence in the narrative vanished.

The narrative shifted its focus to other major antagonists, namely Kenjaku and Sukuna, leaving no room for the cursed spirit to exist as a lingering phantom in Yuji's psyche.

The Jujutsu Kaisen protagonist also became occupied with the Culling Game, which didn't allow him to introspect and process the battle with his arch-enemy.

The cursed spirit, as seen in the Shibuya arc in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via MAPPA)

There's a possibility that Yuji perhaps wanted to move on from that trauma and live his life as a Jujutsu sorcerer. Nevertheless, it's undeniable that the Cursed Spirit could have been used better in the narrative. It's almost unreal how he was forgotten post the Shibuya arc.

On the contrary, Genichi Sojo in Kagurabachi constantly has a presence in the narrative, even though it's an indirect one. Yet, it has to be said that both Sojo and Mahito had a stellar impact in their respective series, especially with regard to acting as foils to the protagonists.

However, while Sojo clearly had more impact in the narrative following his death, Jujutsu Kaisen fans would have liked it if Gege Akutami had given Mahito the same treatment after the Shibuya arc.

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