Jujutsu Kaisen: Megumi was never going to surpass Gojo (and Akutami always planned it this way)

Throughout author and illustrator Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen manga series, fans have essentially been given two major benchmarks for power and strength in the story. These are, of course, none other than Satoru Gojo and a fully revived Ryomen Sukuna, a rivalry that was established from the onset of the series via Gojo’s conversation with Yuji Itadori.

Likewise, there are several characters within Jujutsu Kaisen whose potential has been compared to the incredible heights that Gojo has reached and established. One notable inclusion is Fumihiko Takaba, whom the latest spoilers have shown as being able to at least stand up to Kenjaku in a fight.

However, there are even some Tokyo Jujutsu High students who have been said to have the potential to surpass Gojo, including Jujutsu Kaisen’s protagonist, Yuji Itadori. Unfortunately, fan-favorite Megumi Fushiguro was never teased as having the potential to surpass Gojo, and it seems that Akutami had always planned for this to be the case.

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Jujutsu Kaisen’s final stages continuously reminding fans that Megumi couldn’t hack it enough to surpass Gojo

Why Megumi was never going to surpass Gojo

As mentioned above, the Jujutsu Kaisen series has seen Gojo discuss specific students with the potential to surpass him several times. Some of the most memorable are Itadori, Yuta Okkotsu, and Kinji Hakari, all of whom have exceptional talent or skill, which qualifies them here. It’s also worth noting that while Maki Zen’in was never said to be able to surpass Gojo, she was able to surpass Gojo’s former enemy and arguable equal Toji Fushiguro per the series’ narration.

Megumi Fushiguro, however, was never explicitly said to have the potential to surpass Gojo. While Gojo did tell Megumi that he had more potential than Yuji and that he had the potential to kill Gojo with the Ten Shadows Technique, it’s never outwardly said that Megumi can surpass him. While this is implied via the comparison to Yuji, it’s possible that Gojo just wanted to build up his adoptive son’s confidence at that moment.

With this in mind, it seems that Akutami never intended for Megumi to become someone comparable to Gojo’s level in Jujutsu Kaisen. This is further supported by the later stages of the series, where Megumi was shown not to have the same level of mental fortitude and resistance that Gojo was known for. Without this key aspect of why Gojo was “the strongest,” it’s difficult to argue that Megumi realistically could’ve surpassed him.

This is further supported by the fact that Megumi is removed from the series completely shortly after his mental weakness became apparent via the Tsumiki Fushiguro incident. By doing so, Akutami prevented any character developments Megumi may have had after Gojo’s death. In other words, Akutami is implicitly telling readers that Megumi had already reached his absolute ceiling as a sorcerer and character, especially relative to the benchmark Gojo established.

While disappointing for many due to Megumi’s status as a fan-favorite character, it’s also a somewhat logical conclusion considering his role in the story. Despite being a main focus throughout, he was never Jujutsu Kaisen’s true protagonist, which alone is a major restriction to his potential development. Although Akutami could bring him back and prove this train of thought wrong, all current evidence points to this being the case.

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