Jujutsu Kaisen elevates the old genre to new standards.
Long-running shonen is undoubtedly the most popular anime category, and for good reason – a simple narrative and exciting fight scenes in combination with light humor make for an easy watch. Over time, the genre has become a bit predictable, to put it mildly. Some would say that if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. Here’s what Jujutsu Kaisen is doing with old shonen clichés to keep us interested.
From the start, we know that Yuji is going to die. In an unusual move, the mangaka Gege Akutami dooms the main character to death before the main action even kicks off, leaving the reader wondering if he’s actually going to go through with the plot and we should mentally prepare ourselves for the worst.
In fact, the so-called plot armor in the series is pretty much non-existent. Anyone can die, and without getting too deep into the spoiler territory, we can tell that no fan-favorite character is spared from the danger that comes with the title of a jujutsu sorcerer.
Another thing Jujutsu Kaisen does right is avoiding the “demon inside me” trope. The cursed spirit trapped inside Yuji’s body, Sukuna, refuses to cooperate with his new vessel and lend him some of his power. He has no get-out-of-jail-free card; Yuji’s strength is his own doing.
Furthermore, while on the surface the main character may seem like your standard shonen protagonist with a black-and-white morality, Yuji’s worldview is constantly challenged throughout the series, until the events in Shibuya force him to accept the burdens and responsibilities of being a jujutsu sorcerer. He doesn’t befriend every enemy that comes his way; he fights and kills and makes decisions he regrets.
And, as a cherry on top, the female characters in the series have actual personalities and stories to tell. The women of Jujutsu Kaisen are not damsels in distress who need to be rescued. They’re written in the same way as the male characters, with unique goals and motivations that don’t revolve around the men.
So, if you see a trio of teens with special powers and a white-haired mentor and think, “I know exactly where this is going,” think again. While the series clearly draws inspiration from Naruto, Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, and other classic battle shonen anime of the past, it takes the parts that we like about them and avoids copying their worst qualities.
Jujutsu Kaisen elevates the old genre to new standards.
Long-running shonen is undoubtedly the most popular anime category, and for good reason – a simple narrative and exciting fight scenes in combination with light humor make for an easy watch. Over time, the genre has become a bit predictable, to put it mildly. Some would say that if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. Here’s what Jujutsu Kaisen is doing with old shonen clichés to keep us interested.
From the start, we know that Yuji is going to die. In an unusual move, the mangaka Gege Akutami dooms the main character to death before the main action even kicks off, leaving the reader wondering if he’s actually going to go through with the plot and we should mentally prepare ourselves for the worst.
In fact, the so-called plot armor in the series is pretty much non-existent. Anyone can die, and without getting too deep into the spoiler territory, we can tell that no fan-favorite character is spared from the danger that comes with the title of a jujutsu sorcerer.
Another thing Jujutsu Kaisen does right is avoiding the “demon inside me” trope. The cursed spirit trapped inside Yuji’s body, Sukuna, refuses to cooperate with his new vessel and lend him some of his power. He has no get-out-of-jail-free card; Yuji’s strength is his own doing.
Furthermore, while on the surface the main character may seem like your standard shonen protagonist with a black-and-white morality, Yuji’s worldview is constantly challenged throughout the series, until the events in Shibuya force him to accept the burdens and responsibilities of being a jujutsu sorcerer. He doesn’t befriend every enemy that comes his way; he fights and kills and makes decisions he regrets.
And, as a cherry on top, the female characters in the series have actual personalities and stories to tell. The women of Jujutsu Kaisen are not damsels in distress who need to be rescued. They’re written in the same way as the male characters, with unique goals and motivations that don’t revolve around the men.
So, if you see a trio of teens with special powers and a white-haired mentor and think, “I know exactly where this is going,” think again. While the series clearly draws inspiration from Naruto, Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, and other classic battle shonen anime of the past, it takes the parts that we like about them and avoids copying their worst qualities.
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