Yuta’s greatest mistake in Jujutsu Kaisen was switching to Gojo’s body

Modified Nov 07, 2024 10:30 GMT

Jujutsu Kaisen made a serious mistake by having Yuta take over Gojo's body (Image via MAPPA).

Jujutsu Kaisen author Gege Akutami made many divisive decisions during the final arc, Shinjuku Showdown, and one of the most controversial was having Yuta Okkotsu take over Satoru Gojo's dead body. While there was an in-world logic that explains what he did quite well, the upside was quite minimal, and, from a storytelling perspective, there wasn't much to gain for the series.

In a way, Akutami played with the hopes of many Jujutsu Kaisen fans who wanted Gojo to come back, and then he subverted that by having Yuta in the former's body. It was certainly a shock at the time, but now that the dust has settled, it is difficult to deny that this moment was a bizarre decision from the author's perspective, even when it came to Yuta during this battle.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series and reflects the author's opinions.

Yuta Okkotsu and author Gege Akutami made a significant mistake with the Satoru Gojo plot twist in Jujutsu Kaisen

Okkotsu and Gojo, as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA).

A major plot twist during the Shinjuku Showdown arc was Yuta Okkotsu taking over Satoru Gojo's dead body. However, now that the story has ended, it is worth highlighting that the former gained little from this decision. The impact of using Gojo's body against Ryomen Sukuna was minimal, and his biggest contribution was saving Yuji Itadori and Aoi Todo, which hinged greatly on plot convenience.

While it is true that Yuta was mortally wounded at the time, the final chapters of the manga showed him overcoming that thanks to Rika's help, so there is a chance that he could have healed himself and come back to the battlefield. Moreover, it was shown that he had no real control of Gojo's body because he didn't have time to get used to it. This emphasizes the earlier statement that the upside he gained was very minimal.

It was a significant gamble in a tense situation, so Yuta's reasoning makes sense since they were facing the King of Curses. However, when analyzing the entirety of the battle and the contributions of each character in the conflict, there is no denying that taking over Gojo's body didn't have a major impact on the grand scheme of things.

The narrative consequences of this decision

Neither Yuta nor Gojo benefitted from this decision (Image via MAPPA).

Since Yuta's decision didn't contribute much to the battlefield, Jujutsu Kaisen author Gege Akutami made a significant mistake by having him take over Gojo's body. It was a decision that divided the fandom at the time, and, looking back now, it is difficult to claim that it was a direction that elevated the story or the arc of either character.

Yuta fighting in someone else's body undermines his own sense of individuality and the role he was going to have as Gojo's potential successor, making said prediction very literal and forced.

Moreover, Gojo's body is desecrated for a minimal contribution to the plot. Some fans argue that it emphasized his role as a weapon for Jujutsu society, but the story never showed him being used in that manner and was only interpreted by fans.

Final thoughts

It is difficult to look back on the final Jujutsu Kaisen arc and not see significant problems, with this Yuta decision being one of the worst. It wasn't a game-changer when fighting Sukuna and didn't contribute much from a storytelling perspective, making it one of Akutami's most bizarre decisions.

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Edited by Shreya Das