Introduced in Season 2, Jujutsu Kaisen’s Shibuya Incident arc consists of a majority of manga-defining fights such as Toji Fushiguro versus Dagon and Kento Nanami’s schooling of Haruta. It is widely considered to be the best arc in a Shonen series. However, the series dropped the ball in one of the episodes such that it had to make up for the mistake in the latter scenes.
Jujutsu Kaisen has been faithfully adapted from Gege Akutami’s source material. A mangaka renowned for their writing style on supernatural things like curses and domains, Akutami also has a major flaw. A problem with depicting simultaneous fight sequences is that writers often struggle with attributing equal time factors to them.
This is where Jujutsu Kaisen faltered in the manga. Luckily, the animation by MAPPA Studios made up for it during the epic clash between Yuji Itadori and Choso.
Satoru Gojo Didn’t Get More Spotlight Compared To Yuji In a Certain Battle-Loaded Episode
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 8 is most noteworthy because there are three different action sequences occurring in separate places. Mei Mei battles with transfigured humans, Itadori is confronted by a monstrous Grasshopper Spirit, while the supreme sorcerer Gojo deals with the combined forces of Pseudo Getou (Kenjaku), Jogo, Mahito, and Choso.
One of the most disappointing moments of Episode 8 is the time attributed to Yuji and Gojo’s fight. Itadori gets the majority of the screen time even though he battles a Grasshopper Spirit while Satoru has special-grade sorcerers stacked against him. The latter should have been given more spotlight since he fought with more important foes and was subsequently written off in Episode 9 due to being trapped in the Prison Realm.
Moreover, Yuji’s first fight in the Shibya arc was a filler. The protagonist locked horns with a grasshopper curse that was flattened with a few punches and kicks rather than facing a strong opponent. A saving grace of the episode was that the animation quality and sound effects used by MAPPA were top-notch.
Gege Akutami may have faced a problem with depicting the fight scenes of the overly powerful Satoru Gojo. Given that the blue-eyed sorcerer was the strongest in Jujutsu Kaisen, each cursed technique would’ve had such power and precision that saving the villains would’ve been impossible. The mangaka kept Gojo off-screen in a clever ploy of biding time for his eventual imprisonment.
Also Read: The Different Gates of the Prison Realm – How Can Jujutsu Kaisen’s Satoru Gojo Escape his Cage?
Jujutsu Kaisen Redeemed Itself For The Mistake When Gojo Was Written Off
The moment Satoru Gojo was captured inside the Prison Realm, Yuji Itadori started to get more recognition as the main character. After the disappointing first fight with Grasshopper Curse, Yuji tag-teamed with Megumi Fushiguro in Episode 11 to defeat Jiro. It was a way from which Gege Akutami highlighted how teamwork and coordination can overcome even the strongest foes.
Yuji’s praiseworthy resilience was highlighted when he was severely outmatched by Choso in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 13. Choso had superior speed, better mastery over cursed energy, and several tricks up his sleeve. However, Itadori brought the fight to his opponent and even managed to strike a grievous blow with the help of Mechamaru.
Despite Gojo’s fight with Hanami and Jogo being the highlight of the Shibuya arc, the animation quality and several cuts featured in Yuji versus Choso made up for the lackluster fight the hero had at the beginning of the arc. MAPPA Studios has been racked with controversy lately but it has managed to dish out episodes to the liking of fans more often than not.
