Jujutsu Kaisen has so many deaths that manga readers stopped caring about them.
Some Jujutsu Kaisen deaths lack meaning.
Chainsaw Man’s deaths fit well into the overall narrative.
There are a lot of parallels between Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen. While these shows started out a bit differently with Chainsaw Man being crazy straightaway and Jujutsu Kaisen resembling a typical shounen, the current vibes of both series are very similar.
Both Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen raise a lot of existential dilemmas and talk about humanity, surviving, the meaning of life and sacrifice, the importance of friendship and many other topics. However, there’s also one major thing that makes these series similar: they are not afraid of killing important characters.
We know that there’s plenty of anime where characters die in every other episode, but some of them only create an illusion of important characters dying, when in reality, we know pretty well which characters are safe and will survive until the very end.
Or maybe characters that cannot die until the end but are meant to meet their demise in the finale (Attack on Titan’s Eren is a great example).
But Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen are not like that. With these series, it’s not just an illusion, no one (except, maybe, for the main protagonist) is truly safe.
Both manga have similar conflicts: humanity vs. something supernatural (curses in JJK and devils in CSM). Death is an important part of these conflicts because it’s obvious that people cannot avoid death while fighting such fierce opponents. Devil Hunters and Jujutsu Sorcerers are surrounded by it, so such series wouldn’t be believable without their characters dying once in a while.
Jujutsu Kaisen and deaths
We are even afraid of counting all the important characters that said their goodbyes in the series. The Shibuya Incident Arc alone took away our favorite Nanami and Nobara, and we’ll never forgive the manga for that.
Speaking about Gojo’s death still leaves us in denial. With each released chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen fans make dozens of memes about Gojo coming back any second, but it never happens.
Of course, Jujutsu Kaisen kills antagonists too, but when you hear the phrase “is not afraid to kill important characters,” you usually think of heroes because villains are meant to be defeated, this is just how shounens work. So sorry, Mahito, it is not about you today.
The point with Jujutsu Kaisen deaths is that fans stopped truly caring for them. There are so many deceased characters that you just expect more to die at any second. Higuruma’s possible death didn’t have much impact on manga readers, and they are upset that they are not feeling it anymore.
Fans say that Gege keeps killing off likable characters with the sole purpose of a shock factor. He wants to subvert readers’ expectations and make them really surprised. But character deaths shouldn’t be like that — they have to bear importance to the story, which Jujutsu Kaisen’s deaths often don’t.
On top of that, readers feel like deaths have become unsatisfying in the series. Gojo was practically killed off-screen after several chapters of battling Sukuna. And he is a very significant (not to mention, loved) character. That’s just disappointing!
Chainsaw Man and deaths
Chainsaw Man, on the other hand, deals with deaths in a different way. Two of the main trio have said their goodbyes, and we will never forget Power and Aki, but their deaths had meaning and were connected to the story.
The Gun Devil used Aki’s corpse to trick Denji, and we know it was important to choose one of the two people closest to him to make this plan work. It also added a new level of drama because Denji was forced to fight someone who looked like one of his best friends.
And the same goes for Power. Denji had to see Power brutally murdered by Makima in order to be able to defeat the Control Devil in the future. It was cruel and unfair, since Power was always a fan favorite, just like JJK’s Gojo, but it served a greater purpose and just had to happen.
It doesn’t mean that Fujimoto is not a fan of shock factors. Of course he is, just read at least one of his manga! But there is more intention put into certain characters’ deaths in Chainsaw Man.
However, Jujutsu Kaisen’s deaths are not entirely meaningless, either. We know that Gojo had to die for his students to overcome him and become stronger, but fans see JJK’s deaths as a means to get the audience’s attention first, and only then as a way to promote the series’ narrative.
Still, fans want something else from these deaths, since there will come a moment when Yuji will follow the readers and become more immune to all the horrors happening around him. And when this moment comes, the series will have to find another way of entertaining everyone, while keeping the story engaging and surprising.
Jujutsu Kaisen has so many deaths that manga readers stopped caring about them.
Some Jujutsu Kaisen deaths lack meaning.
Chainsaw Man’s deaths fit well into the overall narrative.
There are a lot of parallels between Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen. While these shows started out a bit differently with Chainsaw Man being crazy straightaway and Jujutsu Kaisen resembling a typical shounen, the current vibes of both series are very similar.
Both Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen raise a lot of existential dilemmas and talk about humanity, surviving, the meaning of life and sacrifice, the importance of friendship and many other topics. However, there’s also one major thing that makes these series similar: they are not afraid of killing important characters.
We know that there’s plenty of anime where characters die in every other episode, but some of them only create an illusion of important characters dying, when in reality, we know pretty well which characters are safe and will survive until the very end.
Or maybe characters that cannot die until the end but are meant to meet their demise in the finale (Attack on Titan’s Eren is a great example).
But Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen are not like that. With these series, it’s not just an illusion, no one (except, maybe, for the main protagonist) is truly safe.
Both manga have similar conflicts: humanity vs. something supernatural (curses in JJK and devils in CSM). Death is an important part of these conflicts because it’s obvious that people cannot avoid death while fighting such fierce opponents. Devil Hunters and Jujutsu Sorcerers are surrounded by it, so such series wouldn’t be believable without their characters dying once in a while.
Jujutsu Kaisen and deaths
We are even afraid of counting all the important characters that said their goodbyes in the series. The Shibuya Incident Arc alone took away our favorite Nanami and Nobara, and we’ll never forgive the manga for that.
Speaking about Gojo’s death still leaves us in denial. With each released chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen fans make dozens of memes about Gojo coming back any second, but it never happens.
Of course, Jujutsu Kaisen kills antagonists too, but when you hear the phrase “is not afraid to kill important characters,” you usually think of heroes because villains are meant to be defeated, this is just how shounens work. So sorry, Mahito, it is not about you today.
The point with Jujutsu Kaisen deaths is that fans stopped truly caring for them. There are so many deceased characters that you just expect more to die at any second. Higuruma’s possible death didn’t have much impact on manga readers, and they are upset that they are not feeling it anymore.
Fans say that Gege keeps killing off likable characters with the sole purpose of a shock factor. He wants to subvert readers’ expectations and make them really surprised. But character deaths shouldn’t be like that — they have to bear importance to the story, which Jujutsu Kaisen’s deaths often don’t.
On top of that, readers feel like deaths have become unsatisfying in the series. Gojo was practically killed off-screen after several chapters of battling Sukuna. And he is a very significant (not to mention, loved) character. That’s just disappointing!
Chainsaw Man and deaths
Chainsaw Man, on the other hand, deals with deaths in a different way. Two of the main trio have said their goodbyes, and we will never forget Power and Aki, but their deaths had meaning and were connected to the story.
The Gun Devil used Aki’s corpse to trick Denji, and we know it was important to choose one of the two people closest to him to make this plan work. It also added a new level of drama because Denji was forced to fight someone who looked like one of his best friends.
And the same goes for Power. Denji had to see Power brutally murdered by Makima in order to be able to defeat the Control Devil in the future. It was cruel and unfair, since Power was always a fan favorite, just like JJK’s Gojo, but it served a greater purpose and just had to happen.
It doesn’t mean that Fujimoto is not a fan of shock factors. Of course he is, just read at least one of his manga! But there is more intention put into certain characters’ deaths in Chainsaw Man.
However, Jujutsu Kaisen’s deaths are not entirely meaningless, either. We know that Gojo had to die for his students to overcome him and become stronger, but fans see JJK’s deaths as a means to get the audience’s attention first, and only then as a way to promote the series’ narrative.
Still, fans want something else from these deaths, since there will come a moment when Yuji will follow the readers and become more immune to all the horrors happening around him. And when this moment comes, the series will have to find another way of entertaining everyone, while keeping the story engaging and surprising.
