Gege Akutami reveals motivation behind Jujutsu Kaisen’s only romance
Gege Akutami/MAPPAJujutsu Kaisen creator Gege Akutami has revealed why his manga doesn’t have any romances other than Mechamaru and Miwa.
In the bleak world of Jujutsu Kaisen, one seldom finds time for love. As a result, there’s almost no romantic plotlines in the series. However, even amid the darkness, two Kyoto Jujutsu High students have managed to fall in love.
Mechamaru and Miwa’s love story is tragic, with the former dying towards the beginning of the Shibuya Incident. Even before his death, Mechamaru never told Miwa his feelings, only confessing after his death. What’s more, he had no hope of reciprocation and never knew Miwa loved him back.
Despite the sad note it ends on, theirs is the only canon romance between two characters in Jujutsu Kaisen. And though there’s another prominent love story hinted at in the series – between Toji Fushiguro and Megumi’s mother – we never see it happen.
During the manga’s exhibition at Shibuya, an interviewer asked Gege Akutami why he included Mechamaru and Miwa’s romance.
“There are basically no romantic elements in Jujutsu Kaisen. Because there are no characters or storylines that would justify the introduction of a romantic relationship,” answered the author. “Of all the characters, only Miwa didn’t seem to be out of the picture if she had a love interest, so we settled on that development.”
It makes sense since Miwa is introduced as the most normal of the bunch. Others have a lot on their plates regarding murderous curses and ancient sorcerers to think about romance. Besides, as often as Jujutsu Kaisen kills its characters, it’d only end in more tragedies if there were more.
Other than Miwa and Mechamaru, we also see another love story between Yuta and Rika. However, theirs is twisted, tragic, and truthfully cannot be called real romantic love. And given the way Jujutsu Kaisen is going, it appears there won’t be any romance in the future, too.
For more, find out which Jujutsu Kaisen moment is inspired by Hunter x Hunter and how the anime can solve the manga’s pacing issue. You might also like to know why fans hate the new Gojo art.