Gege Akutami says Yuji can make Jujutsu Kaisen “bland”

Jujutsu Kaisen protagonist Yuji Itadori is well-loved among fans, but creator Gege Akutami believes he can make the story “bland.”

Jujutsu Kaisen is unlike a conventional Shonen series. Gege Akutami ensures all the characters, including Yuji, have opportunities to shine. In the ongoing fight against Sukuna, Yuji fights alongside everyone.

The franchise is currently holding an exhibition at Shibuya Hikarie shopping center in Tokyo, showcasing how the franchise’s stories, characters, and illustrations are created and refined.

It also includes storyboards and sketches before they were submitted as final manuscripts, along with questions and answers from Gege Akutami.

Popular JJK translator shared some of the questions and answers. In his interview, Gege said he wanted Yuji to be a flexible character. He further explained: “Itadori’s versatility is in the sense that he’s easy to fit into shounen-type stories. But this can also make the stories a bit bland.

“When Itadori does something straightforward, like saving someone, there’s no real need for a reason behind it, so the story is easy to move forward. However, this can also lead to the reader not feeling much or not getting a good taste of his actions.

“Another aspect of his versatility is being able to react to things in the story alongside the reader’s perspective. When Itadori encounters something new, his reaction and that of the reader are generally the same.”

“For example, the Culling Game setup may not have been completely understandable to the reader, but if Itadori says, ‘I don’t really get it,’ the reader will think, ‘Oh, it’s okay if I don’t totally understand,’ which is useful.”

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 will feature Yuji struggling in the Culling Games Arc as Kenjaku begins a battle royale with strict rules where participants kill each other. 

For more dark sorcery, check out the list of all Jujutsu Kaisen character deaths, the iconic scenes Gege Akutami recreated, and the 10 strongest characters Sukuna defeated.