Jujutsu Kaisen’s Best Part Is Still Its Earliest Arcs

Despite feeling like it just started yesterday, the Jujutsu Kaisen is nearing its end. In fact, the manga might already be over by the time you read this if you wait until September 2024. Without a doubt, it is one of the most extraordinary shonen manga series in a long time. But I still feel the best part and arc of Jujutsu Kaisen is the beginning, consisting of arcs like Cursed Child, Fearsome Womb, and Vs. Mahito, that kicks things off..

In hindsight, the beginning of Jujutsu Kaisen feels so different from the rest of the series. It initially kicks off in an almost horrific way. The weakness of Yuji Itadori against the curses he suddenly discovers is so fascinating. In addition, the gore felt so surprising and in stark contrast to the other, similar shonen series running at the time.

While elements of this introduction carried on throughout the rest of the series, such as the gory action, things eventually change. Gege Akutami pursues such a different vibe from the Kyoto Arc forward in Jujutsu Kaisen. Perhaps the greatest example of this is the more personal and focused nature of the early arcs of the series. It isn’t all about citywide destruction and unlocking new powers.

Instead, the beginning of Jujutsu Kaisen that starts with the Cursed Child arc is simply about surviving excruciating missions against curses. The main characters, especially Yuji, have genuine character development due to their new circumstances. My personal favorite part of the entire series happens during the Vs. Mahito Arc. It’s when the villain really appears for the first time. The initial impression is incredible, and only builds from there.

Mahito’s unhinged, terrifying nature is on full display here in a way that stings even more than his appearances later in the series. He feels like one of the most horrifying anime villains in a long time. We witness a man that is willing to massacre anyone and anything in his path. Worse still, he feels unstoppable at this point.

To make it even better, my favorite character in the series, Junpei, gets his moment here. Junpei is by far one of the most complex characters in Jujutsu Kaisen. His relationship with Yuji still feels like the most emotional for the protagonist, even as we near the end. It is here that Yuji is pushed to his limits and grows as a character in a much more natural way.

This isn’t to say there is no development for Yuji later on. In fact, it’s quite the contrary. My only issue with Jujutsu Kaisen is sometimes the character development and deaths Akutami used feel too forced or there just for shock value. Don’t get me wrong, I adore the onslaught of twists and turns.

But I also prefer the centralized nature of these early arcs. The twists in the beginning of Jujutsu Kaisen are fewer and far between. This allows them breathing room to have enough attention and development. As such, they are still the most effective surprises and tragic character deaths, in my opinion.

This idea extends to Jujutsu Kaisen 0 as well. Yuta and Rika’s tale is a heartbreaking one that has the same level of focus and emotional resonance as the early parts of the main series. It isn’t to say that I don’t love Jujutsu Kaisen. In fact, it is quite the opposite. It took time but I adore this series.

Jujutsu Kaisen is by far the best in its category of new gen shonen series by a long shot. It just took time for me to realize that the crux of the series is over-the-top bombastic fights and shock after shock. Once I accepted this, I found this series has the best action out of any other similar series.

In fact, Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the only series of the more mature, gory side of shonen manga to not lose itself in the latter half. I find this to be a huge issue with other similar series like Attack on Titan and Chainsaw Man that almost lost me entirely.

Honestly, I don’t look forward to the end of Jujutsu Kaisen because I’ve enjoyed it so much as a whole. I just still prefer the earlier parts of the manga. This is where Yuji Itadori captivated me as the most compelling shonen protagonist in a long time. He isn’t the typical savior of the world or guy rising from nothing.

Instead, almost everyone hates him and wants him dead. This only made me root for him more in these earlier story arcs. As we near the end of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, I can’t help but reminiscence fondly about this time. After all, it still feels like the best part of the series for me.

The Jujutsu Kaisen manga is available to read on Viz Media and Manga Plus. The anime adaptation is streaming on Crunchyroll.