Satoru Gojo: Jujutsu Kaisen fans fail to recognize the point Akutami makes with Gojo

Since Satoru Gojo met his unexpected demise in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 236, fans have been relentlessly holding out hope for his eventual return to the series. However, as the story ended, the chances of Gojo returning became increasingly slim.

After the release of Jujutsu Kaisen's final chapter, many fans took to social media to express their deep disappointment with the ending of the series. Not only did their beloved character end up not returning after all, but almost every other character seemingly forgot about his existence and efforts entirely.

In the final chapters of the manga, not a single character took the time to acknowledge Gojo's efforts or mourn his loss. What upset fans even more was the fact that Gojo wasn't even given a proper burial, despite everything he had done for the Jujutsu society.

However, what fans may not have realized at the time was the fact that Gege Akutami had managed to subtly yet perfectly illustrate the bitter truth about the Jujutsu society via Gojo's treatment, or lack thereof, by his students and peers after his death.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the author. Reader's discretion is advised.

How Akutami portrayed the bitter truth about Jujutsu society through Satoru Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen

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A point that Jujutsu Kaisen fans have frequently brought up is that since his birth and even after his death, Satoru Gojo has always been seen as a tool or weapon, never a person.

While many may consider this to be a dramatic conclusion drawn from the events of Gojo's past and the series' current storyline, upon closer inspection of his character arc, fans may realize that this statement may actually be true. To understand the sentiment behind this statement, let us first look at Satoru Gojo's past and the events that made him the sole pillar of the Jujutsu society.

In the Shibuya Incident arc, it was revealed that even when Gojo was a mere child, a bounty of over a hundred million was placed on his head. From this statement alone, it can be inferred that Gojo may not have had a normal childhood, given that the balance of the world itself was shifted due to his birth.

Gojo and Geto as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via MAPPA)

During his teenage years as a student at Jujutsu Tech, Satoru Gojo shared the title of being the strongest sorcerer with Suguru Geto, who was the only other person nearly as strong as him. However, after Toji Fushiguro singlehandedly overpowered and nearly killed him, Gojo went through a major awakening and learned the usage of the Reverse Cursed Technique, which made him nearly invincible.

From thereon, Gojo surpassed Geto by a wide margin, firmly establishing himself as the sole bearer of the title of the 'strongest.' As a result, his responsibilities grew with each passing day, and his relationship with Geto gradually deteriorated. After Geto abandoned his principles as a Jujutsu sorcerer and became a Curse User, Gojo found himself truly alone once again. Now burdened with being the sole pillar and protector of the Jujutsu world, he faced an even greater responsibility.

Losing the only person who understood the burden of being the strongest sorcerer certainly took a toll on Gojo, who, from that point onward, focused all his attention on correcting the corruption that ran deep in the Jujutsu society.

As the Jujutsu society's strongest sorcerer, Gojo was aware of just how rotten the Jujutsu society was to its core. Being a sorcerer was not only a thankless job but one where the sorcerers were expected to lay down their lives and sacrifice themselves for others. As a result, no matter how young or old anyone is, any sorcerer could meet their end at any point in time without receiving any appreciation or acknowledgment for it.

Satoru Gojo as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via MAPPA)

This was also one of the main reasons Kento Nanami quit the life of a Jujutsu sorcerer. Due to the cruel and unforgiving nature of the Jujutsu society and its higher-ups, Yuji Itadori and Yuta Okkotsu were sentenced to be executed due to curses that were beyond their control. Additionally, Masamichi Yaga, the principal of Jujutsu Tech, was framed by the higher-ups for the massacre that took place in Shibuya and was thus executed.

Therefore, it is easy to see why Gojo was so determined to change the ways of the Jujutsu society. He may have even succeeded by killing the corrupt higher-ups with his bare hands and fostering a new generation of talented sorcerers who rivaled his potential to be the strongest sorcerer one day.

That said, one cruel aspect of the Jujutsu society likely didn't change even by the end of the Jujutsu Kaisen series, which was made prominent by how Gojo was treated following his death.

After dying to Sukuna in the Shinjuku Showdown arc, Shoko Ieri stitched Gojo's body together. It was subsequently taken over by Yuta, who used his teacher's corpse to battle against Sukuna for a second time.

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Many fans on social media expressed their disgust with this development. According to them, Gojo wasn't given the opportunity to rest even after his death, as he was being used as a weapon once again. At the very least, they had expected the sorcerers to acknowledge Gojo's contributions to the final battle and pay their respects to him by giving his body a proper burial.

Unfortunately, in the final chapters of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, no sorcerer acknowledged Gojo's efforts or even mourned his loss. What's worse, even Megumi, who Gojo had taken in at a young age and saved from the Zen'in clan, didn't spare a single moment to reflect on the loss of his mentor.

The final nail in the coffin was when fans realized the last they saw of Gojo's body was in the Shinjuku Showdown arc, where Yuta collapsed inside Gojo's body after burning out his cursed technique. Following this, no further mentions were made about Gojo's body or its whereabouts, which deeply upset a lot of fans.

Despite everything Satoru Gojo did for the Jujutsu society, his peers, and his students, no one was seen giving him a proper burial or thanking him for his efforts. Through this, the mangaka, Gege Akutami, subtly yet perfectly depicted the harsh and unforgiving nature of a sorcerer's life and the Jujutsu society as a whole, which seemingly remains as cruel and resistant to change as ever.

Final Thoughts

Although Satoru Gojo wasn't the only sorcerer denied a funeral after his death, his case is perhaps the most prominent example of how twisted the Jujutsu world is. In this world, sorcerers are valued solely for their utility, and once they die, they are quickly forgotten, with little regard for their legacy or contributions.