Who is Sugawara in Jujutsu Kaisen? Gojo and Yuta's shared ancestor, explained

Sugawara in Jujutsu Kaisen answers one of the biggest questions in the entire series—why Satoru Gojo and Yuta Okkotsu are so powerful. Gojo revealed at the end of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 that he and Yuta are distant relatives, which is why they have so much natural Cursed Energy and can pull off so many incredible feats.

However, Sugawara in Jujutsu Kaisen and the role he holds in the story can be greater than answering questions such as "Who is Yuta's ancestor?" or "Is Gojo descended from Sugawara?" Considering how little author Gege Akutami has shown from the Heian era where Sukuna hails from and how those events from centuries ago have molded the current Jujutsu world, that would be something very significant to address.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen.

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Sugawara in Jujutsu Kaisen and his role in the story

Sugawara in Jujutsu Kaisen is an ancestor from many centuries ago to two of the main characters in the series, Satoru Gojo and Yuta Okkotsu. Gojo had found Yuta as a teenager struggling to deal with his own Cursed Energy and took him in as his student, eventually discovering that they are distant relatives, which explains why they are both so extremely powerful.

The main reason these two characters could be so powerful is the fact that they both descend from Sugawara, who was heralded as one of the Big Three Vengeful Spirits. These three individuals are the ancestors of the three big families of the Jujutsu world, which include the Gojo clan, the Zen'in clan, and the Kamo clan, thus giving context to their strength and influence all over this society.

It is also worth pointing out that author Gege Akutami hasn't given a lot of context or information regarding the Big Three Vengeful Spirits, and that affects a bit of these discussions. There are no indications in the manga of who they were, how powerful they were, or how much of an impact they had on the grand scheme of things, although it could be inferred that they were fundamental for the birth of Jujutsu society.

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Sugawara in Jujutsu Kaisen and real history

Most fans would mostly care about Sugawara in Jujutsu Kaisen, but it is also important to point out that Akutami has drawn a lot of influence from Japanese myths for this manga. A very clear example of this is Sukuna's appearance and his deeds, although with Sugawara there hasn't been a lot of information about his character in the series, so it's hard to say if Akutami plans to extract some of those historical facts into the manga's lore or not.

The real-life Sugawara no Michizane was a scholar, politician, and poet of the Heian era and was a man who traveled through most of Japan during those years. While not much is known about his life and his achievements, he often clashed with people in the political world, particularly those of the Fujiwara clan. His biggest achievements were connected with the world of literature and languages, which is something he excelled at.

It is difficult to see what Akutami is going to do with this information moving forward or if he is going to add more from his own accord. Be that as it may, this individual is often viewed as the source of Gojo and Yuta's natural talents in the Jujutsu world.

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Final thoughts

Sugawara in Jujutsu Kaisen is a huge mystery because it is the root of Yuta and Gojo's strengths, although that depends on whether Akutami would want to elaborate on that lore. Considering that the manga seems to be heading to a conclusion, now that Sukuna is in his real body, things don't seem very likely at the moment.