In fact, the pacing is one hundred percent intended to be like that.
Summary:
- Some fans think the manga for Jujutsu Kaisen is rushed, with too many events happening in quick succession.
- That was also a complaint some fans had about the anime, but really, the whole manga is like that.
- That kind of pacing is actually why we like the series so much.
Jujutsu Kaisen has a lot of fans — and, of course, not all of them are happy with everything it does. The manga has actually got quite a lot of heat recently — from being called "just a fight after another fight" to some fans feeling like Gege Akutami, the mangaka, actually hates the characters.
One thing that some fans complained about recently is how rushed — according to them — the manga is. So many events happen, so many characters appear (and die) that it's simply hard to catch a break. Is that true, or are people just used to different ways of storytelling?
Shibuya Incident Arc was where the fast pacing is seen the best
It's undeniable that the Jujutsu Kaisen manga is very fast-paced. Perhaps the best example is actually the recently-adapted Shibuya Incident Arc, which had almost 20 separate fights across it — all over the span of just under 60 chapters.
Arguably, it's even more noticeable in the anime: everything happens within less than 2 cours of the anime (S2 covered more than just that arc). No wonder that some viewers got confused over the sheer amount of characters and powers in the series.
The entire manga is like that — since its first chapters
After the Shibuya Incident Arc, the pace doesn't slow down, either. Even more characters get killed off — which makes fans wonder who is even going to remain alive at the end — events continue happening at lightning speed.
Some readers just feel that Gege just wants to end the story as soon as possible, killing off many cast members to focus on the remaining ones.
That said, it's not like this actually started at the Shibuya Incident Arc — the manga always had a fast pace. Even in the first episodes, many characters and worldbuilding elements were introduced, and every arc was incredibly eventful, with many separate moments that impacted the story.
The fast pace is the selling point
Perhaps "rushed" is a wrong word. Jujutsu Kaisen is a manga we like for its fast-paced action and the high density of memorable moments. If you're used to more leisurely-paced anime and manga, it might feel rushed — but criticizing it for that is a little bit silly, considering that's exactly what it intends to do.
Granted, we still want characters to be more fleshed out — some of them die too fast for us to start caring about them.
If you're going into Jujutsu Kaisen expecting an old-style, classic battle shounen of epic-scale proportions, you don't have the right mindset for it. It's not a series that provides you with breather arcs and slow but steady progress — the world of jujutsu sorcerers is ruthless, and you have to adapt to it very quickly.