In celebration of the recent opening of a Jujutsu Kaisen art exhibit, author Gege Akutami went into detail about the creation of the main character, Yuji Itadori. He describes the character as “bland” for the sake of the story, but just how does that make Yuji a good protagonist?
Yuji Itadori’s Idealistic Nature
Yuji Itadori is meant to fit the mold of the typical Shonen protagonist. Akutami says as much in the exhibition interview: “Itadori’s versatility is in the sense that he’s easy to fit into shonen-type stories, but this can also make the stories a bit bland. When Itadori does something straightforward, like saving someone, there’s no real need for a reason behind it, so the story is easy to move forward, but it also can lead to the reader not feeling much or not getting a good taste of his actions.”
However, this “bland” nature doesn’t hinder the story of Jujutsu Kaisen. In fact, it does quite the opposite. Yuji Itadori serves as a blank canvas of a character for the readers to grow with. Much like Yuta Okottsu in the original Jujutsu Kaisen 0 one-shot, Yuji is our entry into the fascinating and dark world of Jujutsu Sorcery. The character enters the story with a fresh and hopeful perspective, seeing himself as possibly heroic when he decides to help Jujutsu High track down Sukuna’s fingers, even if it means his death. Moreover, it’s these heroic intentions Yuji starts the story with that make Jujutsu Kaisen all the more tragic.
Warning: This article from here on contains spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen anime and manga.
Yuji Itadori’s Outlook Changes With the Viewer
Nothing accentuates the cruelty of Jujutsu Kaisen more than the “Vs. Mahito” arc, which sees Yuji Itadori teaming up with Grade 1 Sorcerer Kento Nanami for the first time and taking on his first special grade curse. Just as Akutami described, Yuji comes in with the “bland” and generic intentions of stopping curses and befriending anyone who comes his way. In this specific arc, Yuji crosses paths with Junpei, a troubled high school student who is constantly bullied at school. Junpei is able to see the curse at the center of the arc, Mahito, who tempts Junpei with power. In some more generic shonen stories, Yuji would have come in and defeated the curse while also saving Junpei.
The opening animation for the series even implies that much, closing with a shot of Junpei wearing the Tokyo Jujutsu High uniform alongside the rest of the main first-year students. Unfortunately, no such happy ending ever comes. Instead, Mahito kills Junpei, and when Yuji tries to reason with Sukuna (the curse living inside him) to help him save Junpei, the King of Curses mocks him along with Mahito. Without Yuji’s bland characterization, such a brutal moment would not have hit nearly as hard as it did. Not only that, but this would be an important lesson for Itadori. The blank canvas that was his character at the start would soon earn itself a dark streak, and his perception of the world of Jujutsu Kaisen would evolve and change at the same time as the viewers’.
Related: What Is Yuji Itadori’s Domain? The Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 264 Spoiler, Explained
Yuji Itadori Finds New Ways To Carry His Burden
Gege Akutami doesn’t just describe Itadori as “bland” but “flexible” as well. The character has an inherent ability to adapt to whatever messed-up situation comes his way, which, by the way, happens a lot in Jujutsu Kaisen. Whether it’s the Shibuya incident that leads to Sukuna using Yuji’s body as a vessel and going on a murderous rampage or the culling games that force Yuji to fight and defend himself against bloodthirsty, newly awakened Jujutsu Sorcerers, Itadori displays new sides to his character in interesting ways while somehow remaining as dedicated as ever to the crusade he starts at the beginning of the series.
One such pivotal moment for Itadori is his battle against the lawyer-turned-sorcerer Higuruma, whose domain expansion turns the battlefield into a courtroom. When confronted with Sukuna’s crimes in Shibuya, instead of pleading innocent and laying the blame on the curse who took over his body, Yuji accepts the responsibility. Despite not having been part of the heinous acts, Itadori chooses to take on the burden of Sukuna’s evil in an entirely new way than before. It’s a powerful moment in the series that accentuates everything people love about Itadori.
Only Yuji Itadori Can Resolve Jujutsu Kaisen
Now that Jujutsu Kaisen is in its final stretch, Yuji’s struggle with Sukuna has transcended from an internal battle to an external one. The “bland” character that set the events of the series in motion by selflessly eating Sukuna’s finger has been beaten into shape by the story of the series (and, by extension, the author, Gege Akutami). Now Yuji, with permanent scars both physically and emotionally, rises to the occasion to face the King of Curses. Now inhabiting the body of his closest friend, Megumi Fushiguro, Sukuna is in a no-holds-barred fight with the main character, whose single purpose is to rise above the malice and defeat him.
Yuji Itadori may have started Jujutsu Kaisen as a bland character, but strong writing from Akutami and incredible and consistent world-building have shaped Yuji into a compelling protagonist. The character has become the only one who can stop the main antagonist of the series, and the path to this explosive conclusion has made him someone who will undoubtedly go down in shonen history as one of the best.
Jujutsu Kaisen is available to read on VIZ and other platforms. The anime is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
Published: Jul 31, 2024 08:23 am