Yuji's parents didn't need more focus in Jujutsu Kaisen, and it's obvious why

Modified Dec 09, 2024 03:30 GMT

Jujutsu Kaisen didn't need to expand on Yuji's parents (Image via MAPPA and Shueisha).

Jujutsu Kaisen is a series with a lot of popularity but an issue that many fans have pointed out is that author Gege Akutami struggled to expand several subplots and develop them. In that regard, one that fans wanted to see more of and didn't really need to further exploration is the element of Yuji Itadori's parents.

It was revealed throughout the story that Jin, Yuji's father, was the reincarnation of Ryomen Sukuna's twin brother and Kaori Itadori died and Kenjaku took over her body. However, while all of this is quite interesting, most of the information that could have been explored in Jujutsu Kaisen with this topic wouldn't have made a major difference in the grand scheme of things.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the story and not Sportskeeda as a publication.

Gege Akutami didn't need to explore Yuji's parents in Jujutsu Kaisen

Kenjaku turned out to be Yuji's mother (Image via MAPPA).

As mentioned earlier, it was revealed in the manga that Kenjaku had taken over Kaori Itadori's body after she passed away and conceived Yuji with his Jin to create a perfect vessel for Ryomen Sukuna. Moreover, it was also confirmed during the final arc of the series that Jin himself was the reincarnation of Sukuna's twin brother, hence why Kenjaku had an interest in him.

While this setting is certainly interesting and fans wanting to know more is a natural reaction, adding more content to Jin and Kenjaku's connection wouldn't have served a purpose in the story. It was clear that the centuries-old sorcerer simply wanted to use Sukuna's reincarnated twin as a way to create the perfect vessel for the King of Curses, with the manga already covering that.

If anything, providing more details would have only served to showcase gruesome details such as Kenjaku taking over Kaori Itadori's dead body. There would have been even the possibility of exploring how Yuji was conceived despite the graphic nature of the moment, which wouldn't have been allowed in a Shonen Jump title and probably would have been cheap shock value.

More details surrounding this

Yuji with his grandfather Wasuke (Image via MAPPA).

It makes sense that a lot of fans would have liked to see more of Yuji Itadori's family since he was the Jujutsu Kaisen protagonist and had some interesting roots that connected him with the two main villains, Kenjaku and Sukuna. However, there wasn't a lot worth exploring in the grand scheme of things when considering that Yuji's journey was not truly affected by this.

Yuji's journey as a Jujutsu sorcery was about overcoming tragedy and helping others who needed said help through thick and thin, which is why him having Kenjaku as his mother wouldn't have affected his character if he knew the truth. There is also the fact that Akutami clearly wanted to end the story somewhat quickly, hence why he probably chose to cut this element.

Jin Itadori's connection with Sukuna also doesn't affect the protagonist in the sense that would make their conflict a bit more forced if he knew about it. Yuji's disdain for the King of Curses and the desire to stop him became very personal because of the several tragedies he committed, making his victory at the end feel quite cathartic.

Final thoughts

While is understandable that a lot of Jujutsu Kaisen fans would have wanted to see Akutami explore more of Yuji's parents, it doesn't affect the story in a meaningful way. Moreover, when thinking about the execution, this subplot wouldn't have added much to the series.

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Edited by Tiasha