Anime

Jujutsu Kaisen Has a Major Problem with Its Power System

Jujutsu Kaisen Has a Major Problem with Its Power System

Seriously, it feels like hard work doesn’t even matter.

Summary:

  • Some fans feel that hard work is irrelevant in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.
  • Many characters are abnormal or overpowered simply because they are like that.
  • This is actually an issue in many battle shounen series.

Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the biggest — if not the biggest — anime and manga right now. Its popularity is easy to explain. A lot of memorable characters, fun fights, insane plot twists and a lot of room for fan theories — what not to love?

That said, the series definitely has some issues. Some fans complained that the anime kills off too many of its characters. We don’t disagree, but sometimes, people complain that there’s a much more fundamental problem.

More specifically, the power system in the series is very much skewed towards the innately talented people — and this seems to be the opposite of the usual battle shounen idea of “hard work pays off.”

Many characters don’t deserve their powers

 - image 1

The strongest fighters in the series have all acquired their powers through unnatural ways — that is, not through rigorous training. Characters like Maki and Hakari are just capable of wielding insane techniques that let them overpower more normal opponents.

Even Yuji, the protagonist, got his power purely by chance — and while it took some time for him to actually learn how to control it, he didn’t actually work for it. In the manga, his power is actually revealed to be even stronger.

The biggest offender in this regard is definitely Yuta, who’s so overpowered he basically breaks the power system. Many fans feel that he’s Gege’s favorite character, and that he is only writing JJK to bring him back — the original manga with him as a protagonist was canceled (but later expanded and adapted as Jujutsu Kaisen 0).

Which Jujutsu Kaisen protagonist do you like more?

This is more than just a JJK issue

 - image 2

All these overpowered characters outshine people who start from zero and have to work for their powers. It’s almost like the world of Jujutsu Kaisen is biased toward those with innate strength. Yes, it makes sense and paints a grim picture — something that the author definitely intends — but for some, it’s just not very fun to watch.

Many people compare Jujutsu Kaisen to other series like Naruto. After all, the message of Naruto is supposedly about how hard work beats talent. People bring up examples of characters like Rock Lee and Naruto himself to prove their point.

The problem is actually widespread in battle shounen — it’s not just a JJK issue. Even Naruto doesn’t exactly work as a “hard work > talent” series — Rock Lee is irrelevant past part 1, and Naruto was born with huge chakra reserves.

Series like My Hero Academia (Boku no Hero Academia) also give their main characters powers. Seems that while hard work is definitely important in the shounen world, in order to succeed, you need talent in addition to it.

Seriously, it feels like hard work doesn’t even matter.

Summary:

  • Some fans feel that hard work is irrelevant in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.
  • Many characters are abnormal or overpowered simply because they are like that.
  • This is actually an issue in many battle shounen series.

Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the biggest — if not the biggest — anime and manga right now. Its popularity is easy to explain. A lot of memorable characters, fun fights, insane plot twists and a lot of room for fan theories — what not to love?

That said, the series definitely has some issues. Some fans complained that the anime kills off too many of its characters. We don’t disagree, but sometimes, people complain that there’s a much more fundamental problem.

More specifically, the power system in the series is very much skewed towards the innately talented people — and this seems to be the opposite of the usual battle shounen idea of “hard work pays off.”

Many characters don’t deserve their powers

Jujutsu Kaisen Has a Major Problem with Its Power System - image 1

The strongest fighters in the series have all acquired their powers through unnatural ways — that is, not through rigorous training. Characters like Maki and Hakari are just capable of wielding insane techniques that let them overpower more normal opponents.

Even Yuji, the protagonist, got his power purely by chance — and while it took some time for him to actually learn how to control it, he didn’t actually work for it. In the manga, his power is actually revealed to be even stronger.

The biggest offender in this regard is definitely Yuta, who’s so overpowered he basically breaks the power system. Many fans feel that he’s Gege’s favorite character, and that he is only writing JJK to bring him back — the original manga with him as a protagonist was canceled (but later expanded and adapted as Jujutsu Kaisen 0).

Which Jujutsu Kaisen protagonist do you like more?

This is more than just a JJK issue

Jujutsu Kaisen Has a Major Problem with Its Power System - image 2

All these overpowered characters outshine people who start from zero and have to work for their powers. It’s almost like the world of Jujutsu Kaisen is biased toward those with innate strength. Yes, it makes sense and paints a grim picture — something that the author definitely intends — but for some, it’s just not very fun to watch.

Many people compare Jujutsu Kaisen to other series like Naruto. After all, the message of Naruto is supposedly about how hard work beats talent. People bring up examples of characters like Rock Lee and Naruto himself to prove their point.

The problem is actually widespread in battle shounen — it’s not just a JJK issue. Even Naruto doesn’t exactly work as a “hard work > talent” series — Rock Lee is irrelevant past part 1, and Naruto was born with huge chakra reserves.

Series like My Hero Academia (Boku no Hero Academia) also give their main characters powers. Seems that while hard work is definitely important in the shounen world, in order to succeed, you need talent in addition to it.