Mahito's true nature: Jujutsu Kaisen anime reveals Mahito's true nature in a way the manga never could

Jujutsu Kaisen anime reveals Mahito's true nature in a way the manga never could

Modified Feb 13, 2024 14:01 GMT

Mahito as seen in the Jujutsu Kaisen anime (image via MAPPA)

The Jujutsu Kaisen anime has gained a huge following ever since it started airing in 2020, leading many people to check out its source material, which became one of the most-read manga of 2023.

Following the conclusion of its second season, fans have been looking back at the anime to appreciate some of the series' characters, who were perfectly adapted from the manga into the anime.

One such character would be the Cursed Spirit Mahito, whose sadistic and nefarious personality was captured perfectly in the anime. That said, there is one particular detail that fans are now pointing out, which depicts Mahito's true nature in a much better way than the manga.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are solely those of the author. Individual opinions may vary.

Jujutsu Kaisen anime made Mahito's true nature more prominent than the manga

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In the second season of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime, Mahito became the central highlight of the Shibuya Incident arc, primarily because of his impact on some of the characters.

In the Shibuya arc, Mahito brutally ended the lives of Kento Nanami and Nobara Kugisaki right in front of Yuji Itadori's eyes, following which he also inflicted some severe damage to Aoi Todo, who had to step away from the life of a Jujutsu sorcerer shortly afterward. Fortunately, Kenjaku absorbed Mahito using Geto's innate technique Uzumaki, and extracted his Idle Transfiguration for himself.

Now that the infamous villain is finally gone for good, fans have been looking back on the Jujutsu Kaisen anime to relive the impact of his actions on the story. As such, in a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), one fan pointed out that depicting Mahito's blood as red instead of the usual purple-ish color like other Cursed Spirits was an excellent little detail.

According to the original poster, this detail cemented that Mahito was a Cursed Spirit born out of all the negative emotions of humans. While this fact was already stated several times throughout the series, Mahito's blood shown to be red in the Jujutsu Kaisen anime was a much better depiction of his connection to humanity.

Furthermore, witnessing a detail as important as this in the anime made it much more meaningful and straightforward for viewers to comprehend.

Often, it is hard for many people to appreciate some aspects of a story due to the black-and-white color of a manga, making it a bit difficult to tell some things apart. As such, Mahito's true nature as a Cursed Spirit born out of negative human emotions was much better showcased in the anime than in the manga.

Mahito and Yuji Itadori as seen in the Jujutsu Kaisen anime (image via MAPPA)

For this reason, many people prefer the anime adaptation of a series over the manga, as the former makes things much easier to understand than the latter. The Jujutsu Kaisen anime has been blessed with a captivating and seamless animation quality in both seasons that further heightened several vital moments of the manga.

Throughout the Jujutsu Kaisen anime, Mahito is portrayed as a cruel and sadistic Cursed Spirit who finds immense joy in toying with human emotions. Although he was born out of the negative emotions of human beings, Mahito believed that humans should be eradicated and replaced with Cursed Spirits.

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Furthermore, he had no remorse for human lives, seeing how he mercilessly killed people like they were his playthings. Moreover, he didn't seem to value his own life either, as he believed himself to be entirely different from humans and was driven to accomplish his destructive goal.

However, Yuji Itadori ultimately overpowered Mahito, as he prepared to end the Cursed Spirit's life once and for all to avenge his fallen comrades. At this very moment, Yuji became the literal embodiment of death for him, as Mahito seemed to fear for his life for once.

When faced with certain death, Mahito was just like the humans he despised, desperate to escape with his life. Although he was a Cursed Spirit through and through, this moment was another example of Mahito's connection to humanity.

Final Thoughts

Throughout two seasons, the Jujutsu Kaisen anime featured many other moments that translated exceptionally well on-screen. While the manga laid the groundwork for the success of the anime adaptation, it is an undeniable fact that the majority of the time, the latter provides more clarity and an overall better viewing experience for the series fans.