Jujutsu Kaisen's lack of training arcs is necessary for Akutami's final vision

Jujutsu Kaisen may initially seem like a regular dark fantasy anime, featuring a bizarre world of curses, supernatural forces, and sorcery. The narrative involves powerful and cunning antagonists alongside brave and driven protagonists, each equipped with unique abilities.

However, creator Gege Akutami's approach sets this series apart. Unlike other anime, which at some point treat viewers to a training montage explaining characters' power-ups, Jujutsu Kaisen has no such dedicated training arc. The absence of such scenes is proving to be crucial to the story, and this absence is intentional for a specific purpose.

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Jujutsu Kaisen: The absence of training arcs sets up the final product perfectly

Essentially, Jujutsu Kaisen has no dedicated segment or arc showing what the training characters did to awaken new abilities. The only proper training sequences were Yuta's training by Maki Zenin and her team, Panda and Toge Inumaki in Jujutsu Kaisen 0, and Yuji learning to control his Cursed Energy while watching movies.

Other than that, there is not really any instance that can be called a training arc. This absence is what sets the series apart from anime like Naruto (Mount Myoboku), My Hero Academia (Internships, Training during school), Hunter X Hunter (Green Island), Assassination Classroom (Assassination training), and many others.

The story opts for a narrative that revolves around intense battles and nail-biting scenarios, showcasing the characters' development through real trauma and emotion before awakening. This approach is employed for specific storytelling reasons, such as highlighting Maki's rebirth.

The reborn Maki Zenin in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via Gege Akutami, Sheuisha)

Fans of the Jujutsu Kaisen series also seem to understand Gege Akutami's decision to keep away from training arcs. They grasp the idea that characters develop and grow through major setbacks and defeats to unlock formidable abilities and powers. Also, viewers seem averse to a training arc that occurs once and is then nearly forgotten.

Again, a separate arc committed only to training would make the series longer. Not to mention, in any way, it would also negatively affect the hype for what is to come after it. Consider this, a training arc prior to the Shibuya Incident would probably lessen the anticipation for it, firstly, and secondly, the involved parties would already be powered up and events would play out differently.

Additionally, incorporating training arcs would affect the pacing of the story. This is a vital aspect of the author's line of work. A well-paced story contributes heavily to retaining the readers' attention. With a good balance of tension, action, and reflection, the pace keeps viewers drawn in and turning the pages eagerly.

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But are training arcs all that unnecessary?

Yuta Okkotsu in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via MAPPA)

Undoubtedly, training arcs or training montages are completely up to the creator's discretion. However, while they do have the effects mentioned above, they can work in the opposite way as well. As seen in My Hero Academia, they detail how each character acquired his/her unique ability that he/she uses in battle.

Next, they need not be entire arcs per se. Rather, they can be a couple of chapters long. Being so short will keep the viewer interested and will not take away from the hype of the main story.

Lastly, training arcs present an opportunity for distinctive character interactions. Faces that would not be able to interact in the main story can link up during training sessions. It would be quite interesting to see Gojo Satoru interact with Kinji Hakari before his suspension or Miguel training Yuta to control Rika.

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Final Thoughts

Ryomen Sukuna on the Jujutsu Kaisen manga cover (Image via Gege Akutami, Sheuisha)

Jujutsu Kaisen creator Gege Akutami has nearly skipped training arcs for good reason. In exchange, the trade-off has been nothing short of breathtaking - adrenaline-inducing, exceptionally sharp, and heated action sequences. As mentioned earlier, this was also likely done keeping in mind the bigger picture.

The story has been explosive so far, and judging by the editor's comments, there is still more to come. Jujutsu Kaisen truly has established itself as one of modern-day's top series, and the credit goes to Akutami and the team. Their decisions have been on point so far, and we can only wait to witness what else is in store.