Kagurabachi makes fans more emotional with a single flashback than Jujutsu Kaisen did with an entire storyline

While Kagurabachi isn't massively similar to Jujutsu Kaisen, some events prompt fans to make interesting comparisons. For instance, fans feel that Hakuri Sazanami's tragic backstory, shown in the latest chapter of Takeru Hokazono's manga, has made them more emotional than seeing Megumi Fushiguro's ill-fated relationship with his sister, Tsumiki, in Akutami's manga.

Undoubtedly, the unnamed girl with the icy skin from Hakuri's past significantly impacted his life, similar to what Tsumiki's fate did for Megumi Fushiguro. However, according to many fans, Hokazono's creative genius evoked more emotion with a single flashback than Akutami did in Jujutsu Kaisen with the entire Megumi-Tsumiki storyline.

Disclaimer: This article contains the author's opinions about the latest Kagurabachi chapter and contains descriptions of violence. The article also contains heavy spoilers from the Jujutsu Kaisen manga.

Hakuri's traumatic past in Kagurabachi makes fans more emotional than the Megumi-Tsumiki relationship in Jujutsu Kaisen

Expand Tweet

Kagurabachi chapter 35, Cage, delved into Hakuri Sazanami's past through a flashback, showcasing the events from when he was entrusted with overseeing the well-being of a merchandise woman for the Rakuzaichi auction. It was revealed that the girl would be relocated to the original storeroom after three weeks.

Until then, Hakuri had to ensure she remained healthy. On the first day, the boy observed that the merchandiser, referred to as "the girl with the icy skin," had left her food untouched. He inquired about what was wrong, and found out that she wanted to talk to someone while having her meals.

For the sake of the Rakuzaichi auction, Hakuri agreed to become her companion during the lunch hours. From thereon, every day until the time the girl was to be relocated to the real Rakuzaichi storeroom, Hakuri shared precious moments with her. He even confided in her the trauma and torture he regularly faced from his family members.

The girl with the icy skin, as seen in the manga (Image via Takeru Hokazono/Shueisha)

The girl with the icy skin sympathized with Hakuri, realizing he was also trapped in a cage like her. Slowly but surely, the young sorcerer developed a keen liking for the girl. Then on the final day of his duty, he unlocked her cage, inviting the girl to eat outside for one last time with him.

The narrative for Kagurabachi chapter 35 then showed the girl holding a knife against her throat. She told Hakuri that she had intended to die from the onset. Since the boy prevented her from starving to death, she had to choose another option.

The girl with the icy skin apologized to Hakuri, reminding him that she'd rather die than be sold to a low life. Seeing Hakuri, she also realized that there was no hope even on the outside. Following that, Kagurabachi chapter 35 saw the girl slit her throat in front of Hakuri, traumatizing him to the core.

Hakuri and the ice girl, as seen in chapter 35 (Image via Takeru Hokazono/Shueisha)

Undoubtedly, this flashback scene made fans emotional about a relationship that couldn't blossom due to the constraints of society and the situation they found themselves in. From the ice girl's death to Hakuri Sazanami facing torture from his family members, the flashback scene made fans witness a cruel tragedy.

Interestingly, a fan on X (formerly Twitter), who goes by the username @ThunderTheDevil, felt that they felt more for the ice woman in a single flashback than Megumi's sister in more than 200 chapters in Jujutsu Kaisen. There's no doubt that Megumi's sister had a tragic life.

Tsumiki, as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

Megumi's sister, Tsumiki, fell into a coma, along with several other victims across the country, after being cursed by Pseudo-Geto, aka Kenjaku. Even though she momentarily appeared throughout the narrative, Tsumiki had a massive impact on Megumi.

Later, during the Culling Game arc in Jujutsu Kaisen, Tsumiki woke up from her coma and became a player at the Culling Game, alongside Megumi and others. She discussed the game with her brother, who assured her that he would find a way to free her from the game's cruel rules.

However, it was later revealed in Jujutsu Kaisen that Tsumiki was no longer herself, but an ancient sorcerer, Yozoru, who incarnated through her body. Tsumiki's fate pushed Megumi into a mystery, allowing Sukuna to pounce on the opportunity to change his host from Yuji to Megumi.

Megumi Fushiguro, as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

After taking over the young sorcerer's body, Sukuna killed Yorozu (and Tsumiki, since she was her vessel) using the boy's own Cursed Technique, further plunging his soul into an eternal darkness. Even though Gege evoked despair from the Megumi-Tsumiki relationship in Jujutsu Kaisen, he couldn't generate enough emotion from fans.

It was mainly because Tsumiki was used as a plot device for Megumi rather than an actual character. Throughout Jujutsu Kaisen, Tsumiki's character was never fleshed out. Unlike the ice girl from Kagurabachi, who had the chance to share her inner thoughts with Hakuri, Tsumiki's identity was entirely dependent on Megumi.

She was shown only valuable to the sorcerer, leaving the audiences with little to nothing for them to care about her fate. As a result, some fans seldom forget that Megumi had a sister. However, the ice girl, as well as Hakuri had a dream, which was crushed by their circumstances. Undoubtedly, that evoked more pathos for fans.

How fans reacted to the latest comparison between Kagurabachi and Jujutsu Kaisen

Hakuri, as seen in Takeru Hokazono's manga (Image via Takeru Hokazono/Shueisha)

Several fans agreed with the viewpoints of @ThunderTheDevil on X. They felt Megumi's sister was reduced to a plot device for Megumi, while the ice woman in Kagurabachi had a character of her own. Others felt Gege Akutami's "bad writing" was the reason why they couldn't connect to Tsumiki's fate.

"Because Megumi’s sister was always a plot device and never a character" - A fan said

"Because girl in flashback gets to say her thoughts over period of time even if it's brief and Megumi's sister was only built as valuable to Megumi with not much reason for us to care. It's not necesseraly bad way to write characters, but in this case it's too surface level" - A fan felt.

"I cant tell exactly why but for some reason it feels like gege just does not know how to write" - Another fan said.

"The number of times I've forgotten that Megumi had a sister is ridiculous ngl." - A fan mentioned.

Final thoughts

Kagurabachi's latest chapter has certainly contributed to interesting comparisons. There's no doubt that Jujutsu Kaisen fans have found the Hakuri-Ice girl's relationship a parallel to Megumi-Tsumiki's fate. However, when it comes to evoking raw emotion, Takeru Hokazono's manga may have hit the bull's eye.