Jujutsu Kaisen made a fatal mistake with Heian Era, and fans will never forgive Gege

Modified Sep 07, 2024 12:00 GMT

Ryomen Sukuna as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen (image via Gege Akutami/Shueisha)

Jujutsu Kaisen's curtains are now drawn on the epic Shinjuku Showdown arc as well as Ryomen Sukuna's reign of terror. Fans, on the other hand, have already started reflecting on the series, to highlight all the unresolved plotlines and questions left unanswered by the mangaka, Gege Akutami.

One of the fans' biggest complaints with the series so far, is probably the lack of any substantial flashback to the Heian Era, aka the Golden Age of Jujutsu sorcery. After witnessing the widespread destruction and countless deaths caused by Sukuna throughout the series, fans were eagerly awaiting a flashback or a glimpse at the King of Curses in his prime, as he wreaked havoc on the Jujutsu society of the past.

Unfortunately, this long-standing wish of the fans will likely go unfulfilled, especially since Sukuna is now presumed dead, and the manga is said to be ending in just three more chapters.

Gege Akutami's decision to exclude Heian Era flashbacks leaves Jujutsu Kaisen fans in despair

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As the whole world awaits the release of Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 269, fans are struggling to come to terms with the fact that their beloved manga is coming to a definitive end this month.

With chapter 268 marking the conclusion of the Shinjuku Showdown arc along with Ryomen Sukuna's story in Jujutsu Kaisen, a vast majority of fans on social media expressed their discontent with Gege Akutami's decision to end the manga's final battle in a rushed manner.

Upon hearing that the Jujutsu Kaisen manga would end in a matter of five chapters when the final battle was at its most decisive moment, almost the entire fanbase went into a frenzy, as they pointed out that the manga still had a lot of plotlines left to resolve.

Sukuna as seen in the series (image via Shueisha)

The announcement of the manga ending on September 30, 2024, dashed all possibilities of a lot of things that the series was building up to, including the beginning of the merger, Kenjaku's return, or even the completion of Megumi's Domain. However, the one complaint that almost every single fan had with the resolution of the Shinjuku Showdown arc, was that it ended without ever providing a backstory for Sukuna or a proper flashback of the Heian Era.

Sukuna's past is perhaps one of Jujutsu Kaisen's biggest mysteries. It has never fully been explored even once over the course of the entire series, except for a few glimpses and references here and there. It was something that almost everyone was waiting to witness, especially since it's a common practice among shonen manga to explore the backstories of the main antagonist.

However, it seems like Jujutsu Kaisen will seemingly be an exception to the unspoken rule of exploring a villain's backstory, which typically provides fans with the reasons and explanations for their actions and motives.

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As such, a lot of fans were looking forward to witnessing Sukuna's origins and what made him become the Undisputed King of Curses. They were also excited to witness Sukuna rampaging through the Jujutsu society of the past and trampling on the lives of anyone who dared to get in his way.

However, now that Sukuna is most likely dead after being ripped apart from Megumi Fushiguro's body, it seems highly unlikely that Akutami will provide any sort of Heian Era flashback in the upcoming chapters of the manga. It was undoubtedly something that a lot of fans had been anticipating since the beginning of the series, which makes its exclusion from the narrative all the more disappointing.

On the other hand, some fans argued that Jujutsu Kaisen would be better off not exploring Sukuna's backstory at all. According to them, the absence of a Heian Era flashback would add to the mystique of his character, which they want the mangaka to maintain till the very end of the series. Therefore, as evident, Jujutsu Kaisen fans are once again divided due to the difference in their opinions on the exclusion of Sukuna's backstory from the series.