The Jujutsu Kaisen creator is a known Bleach fanboy. Here’s how he makes this obvious.
The creator of Jujutsu Kaisen, Gege Akutami, has never made a secret of his love for the manga Bleach and its author, Tite Kubo. The two mangakas even met up for an interview back in 2021 to discuss their artistry and gush over each other’s work. And indeed, if you compare the two series, you will notice a lot of similarities.
Characters
For starters, the two main heroes, Ichigo Kurosaki and Yuji Itadori, are extremely alike.
The two spikey-haired teenage boys are kind, noble, and extremely protective. Both have been profoundly affected by the death of a loved one, building their ideology around helping other people at the expense of their own needs. Both have an evil spirit trapped inside their psyche and struggle for dominance with said entity.
The most popular Jujutsu Kaisen character, Satoru Gojo, was clearly created with another Bleach character in mind: Kisuke Urahara. These two men of mystery act as mentors to the protagonists, helping them unleash and tame their newfound power.
Artistic Style
Bleach is a manga celebrated for its realistic, elegant depiction of human beings. We know they are cartoons, but they don’t feel cartoonish at all. Gege took a similar approach to the design of his characters, from their facial features to their outfits, and they wouldn’t feel that out of place in a random Bleach episode.
Worldbuilding
Curses and Hollows, Cursed Energy and Reishi, Domain Expansion and Bankai… We could go on. The sorcerers in JJK are essentially just human Shinigami performing a function similar to the Soul Reapers: protecting people from the evil created by despair, fear, and other strong human emotions.
Naturally, there are some obvious differences between the two works. Jujutsu Kaisen is far from being a run-of-the-mill copycat. With its darker, grittier atmosphere and a unique, well-developed plot, the manga has earned its own place in the pantheon of the greatest shonen works of the recent decade.
Gege must have been beyond elated to learn that the new season of his show would air at the same time as Bleach. Both shows have been reaching new heights of popularity lately and both deserve a watch, if you haven’t explored them already.