Will Shadow Eliminators replace Jujutsu Kaisen?
Weekly Shonen JumpNew manga series Shadow Eliminators has all the hallmarks of a hit manga. But could it really take Jujutsu Kaisen’s place in fans hearts?
The latest manga to debut in Weekly Shonen Jump is the supernatural high school action thriller Shadow Eliminators.
Written by one-shot Shikigami author Kento Amemiya, the manga officially made its debut on December 3, and it’s already got fans talking that it could fill Jujutsu Kaisen’s giant shoes. After all, it’s got a similar premise, promising characters and paranormal elements.
With speculation swirling that Gege Akutami’s shonen giant Jujutsu Kaisen could end in 2024, and some fans turning away from the series due to significant disappointment with the dark plot, could Shadow Eliminators take its place in fans hearts? Let’s take a look.
What is Shadow Eliminators about?
Shonen Jump Magazine’s Twitter page provides a quick synopsis for anyone interested in reading the series.
Shadow Eliminators has only just begun. So, of course, we can’t know the full plot or even the intricate details of this new supernatural world.
However, we do have a basic premise: set in a high school, the story follows a student with a strong sense of justice that’s put to the test when otherworldly beings break his understanding of everything he knows. Over the course of the story, the student and his friends fight the paranormal when shadows of the heart manifest as monstrous beings.
Shadow Eliminators similarities to Jujutsu Kaisen
Shadow Eliminators is predicted to be the next big thing after Jujutsu Kaisen. With a similar premise and fans frustration with Gege Akutami growing, it’s easy to see why. But let’s take a closer look.
Just like Jujutsu Kaisen’s curses, Shadow Eliminators has malicious spirits of its own. But these malicious spirits are called Threads instead.
Possibly taken straight from Jujutsu Kaisen lore, the malicious threads are born out of strong negative emotions and take a physical form in the human world as creatures called the Kasane.
While possessions don’t typically happen in Jujutsu Kaisen (apart from with Geto and Kenjaku, and Yuta and Rika), the Kasane in Shadow Eliminators are more likely to have a direct effect on the people around them.
Yuji Itadori, with his bubbly personality and determination, is one of the characters which first drew fans into the Jujutsu Kaisen universe. And Shadow Eliminators has a Yuji-type character of its own, seen in the form of main protagonist Yayoi Asakaze.
In Jujutsu Kaisen, Itadori gained his strong desire to protect others due to his dying grandfather’s wishes. Yayoi Asakaze is also influenced by his grandfather. Yayoi’s grandfather is a former cop whose influenced his desire to protect others from injustice.
As well as this, just like how Itadori was a seemingly normal guy who stumbled into the world of sorcerers, Yayoi also initially lacks any powers – although this could change as the series develops. While he doesn’t have powers, he still decides to confront a terrifying Kasane and help a powerful sorcerer to defeat it. (Is the plot ringing any bells yet?).
Shadow Eliminators fan reactions
Only one chapter of Shadow Eliminators has been released, so we can’t exactly say it’s a carbon copy of Jujutsu Kaisen yet. Although, if the similarities continue, we can only hope that mangaka Kento Amemiya decides to kill less characters.
Of course fans are already pointing out the similarities between this new series and Jujutsu Kaisen. As well as questioning the English translation of the name, which has been accused of being “generic”.
However, it has also attracted quite a bit of positive attention. With one fan even going so far as questioning whether Shadow Eliminators could be a top 10 manga of all time.
Why don’t you check it out for yourself on Shonen Jump? With the sheer number of titles that are getting axed every month (is Shonen Jump falling prey to the Netflix Original series curse?), who knows if it’ll be around for long. But at present, many Jujutsu Kaisen fans are hopeful that they’ve found the next big thing.
While you’re here, why not see some of our Jujutsu Kaisen coverage? Or take a look at our anime coverage below: