Jujutsu Kaisen was originally rejected because of a completely different main character

Gege Akutami was originally supposed to have another main character but he decided Yuji should be the one for Jujutsu Kaisen.

Jujutsu Kaisen isn’t a conventional main character-centric shonen series. Gege Akutami ensures the protagonist as well as the side characters have opportunities to shine. Yuji doesn’t have his own powers, but he’s constantly evolving and developing as the story goes on. He starts out as an ordinary high school kid before his life turns upside down.

However, initially, Gege Akutami wanted to create a different main character in Jujutsu Kaisen. He made a lot of changes before finally deciding on Yuji as the main character and changing the title as well.

Jujutsu Kaisen is currently holding an exhibition at the Shibuya Hikarie shopping center in Tokyo, showcasing how the franchise’s stories, characters, and illustrations are created. It also includes storyboards and sketches before they were submitted as final manuscripts.

Yuji: My grandfather passed away.

Yuji: Yes, please.

Megumi: I'm home.

Tsumiki Sugisawa: Welcome back, Meg. Dinner is ready.

Megumi: Don't use fire when you're alone.

Tsumiki: But then, what's the point of switching to IH?

Tsumiki: What’s wrong?

Megumi: Nothing.

1/2 pic.twitter.com/gAQVqm32dB

— Myth (@f9x00) July 16, 2024

During the exhibition, a popular JJK leaker is sharing the drafts with Megumi Fushiguro as the main character, and his interactions with Tsumiki Fushiguro. In the drafts, Yuji is a side character who tells Megumi his grandfather passed way.

Meanwhile, at home, Tsumiki prepares dinner for Megumi and he tells her how he met a “weird” person while referring to Yuji. This version was rejected. Jujutsu Kaisen rarely saw interactions between Megumi and Tsumiki. Even now, Gege thinks not giving Tsukimi any depth is a failure on his part.

Tsumiki was the most important person in Megumi’s life, and she’s the reason he even became a sorcerer. However, fans know very little about her, which restricts them from understanding Megumi’s goals and actions. Still, Gege went in another direction and focused on the entirely different story we know today.

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.