Tite Kubo has very openly been a fan of Jujutsu Kaisen from the moment its serialization began, so much so that he found himself going through the chapters on a weekly basis. He had a lot of criticism that he offered which was laced with praise he could not leave out. Gege Akutami was inspired by Bleach when creating the series and in many ways that show.
The series gathered a lot of popularity, one that is still growing. It isn’t just through the story of the protagonist but also the characters who surround him. Although sometimes this can overshadow Itadori’s own journey, oftentimes it contributes to his ups and downs. One such moment also gave the fans a brief idea of just how horrid things can become in the series and Kubo found himself just as captivated by it.
Jujutsu Kaisen’s Most Impactful Moment for Tite Kubo
The Jujutsu Kaisen Official Fanbook was full of surprises when it first came out and fans were ready to take in any new and astounding information Gege Akutami would put forward of their favorite series. The book also featured an interview between them and the Bleach mangaka, Tite Kubo, (via Edomonogatari). He expressed just how much of an impact the series had left on him but one storyline in particular hit the mark.
Since the Jujutsu Kaisen manga is still ongoing, I believe its best scenes are yet to come. But if I had to choose from the existing material, I’d say Junpei Yoshino’s “Don’t you think that whoever first said, ‘The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference’ must be rotting in hell?” It’s the quote that left the deepest impression on me.
Junpei’s storyline was something that came as a surprise to every fan, including Tite Kubo. While everyone expected him to change his alliances and join the rest of the Jujutsu Sorcerers, his tragic end was a glimpse of the horror Gege Akutami had planned. There have been various quotes pertaining to love as an emotion and a feeling, one of which is also said by Gojo. However, the one to leave the biggest impression on Kubo was Junpei’s line.
Love and its complexity may be something that no matter how much is researched on it and with the many thesis papers written about it, won’t be enough. Its subjective nature makes it just as much of a variable as it is a constant.
Junpei’s Maturity
As Junpei’s character gets introduced, he is shown to hate humanity and his reasons aren’t unjust either. The hardships that he had been forced to endure created a grim outlook on life for him. As a result, Mahito acts as this knight who understands him when no one else can. At the same time, Itadori’s introduction to his life became an obstruction to his initial beliefs.
Some of the references you make, and the ways you make them, are familiar; I feel a certain affinity for Jujutsu Kaisen when I read it every week.
He found himself changing in ways he could not control and that brewed the complexities in the nature of love and hate in ways he hadn’t thought before. By the end when things finally start getting clearer for him, it is already too late. Junpei had to survive in a world that could not see him for his true potential.
A man so polluted was the first to offer his hand and he took it. The betrayal he felt by it was unimaginable. Love and hatred have always shared a coexisting relationship and by the way things went forward, indifference almost felt too little to subject to what people feel when love becomes the worst emotion to exude.
Jujutsu Kaisen is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
