Anime and manga fans have often compared Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen and Tite Kubo’s Bleach because of the parallels that the two series have with each other. These parallels and similarities are the result of Akutami looking up to Kubo for inspiration and using references from Bleach to create the narrative of Jujutsu Kaisen and its characters.
These inspirations in Jujutsu Kaisen certainly helped the series make a grand name for itself. However, the one thing that Akutami could not get inspired from was Kubo’s way of drawing female characters that majorly catered to male readers and viewers. These female characters from Bleach have often been part of controversies and in a way earned fame for the series.
Akutami once admitted that they do not have the talent to draw good female characters which is why they consciously focus on only one kind of female character. They even pointed out that the Jujutsu Kaisen fanbase won’t prefer the female characters that share similarities to Bleach.
Gege Akutami Admits That They Suck At Drawing Female Characters
A special interview between Akutami and Kubo which was featured in the Jujutsu Kaisen official fanbook and was translated by Edomonogatari revealed that Akutami preferred steering away from female characters. The reason behind this was that the mangaka could not draw female characters as well as other manga creators.
Akutami stated:
No, that’s just me dodging the issue… I’m aware I suck at drawing women. Therefore, I’ve put the brakes on creating so-called “ladylike” characters.
Although Jujutsu Kaisen features a decent array of female characters, they do not fall into the traditional shonen trope and are generally part of the same category. They are more involved in the violent elements of the series compared to the female characters from other series.
The biggest example of this is Tite Kubo who used the female characters in Bleach for alleged fanservice and portrayed different kinds of female characters for different narratives. This has also dragged Bleach and Kubo into multiple controversies especially focusing on the women in the narrative.
Gege Akutami Cannot Name Their Favorite Female Character
Considering the fanbase of the female characters in Jujutsu Kaisen, it can be deemed that Akutami did a decent job of portraying them. However, the mangaka never thought about picking one of them as their favorite. They are more focused on the major characters and also try to draw the viewer’s attention towards the narrative, rather than these things.
Akutami stated:
Well, it’s not as if I prefer any archetypes in particular. If you were to ask me about my favorite female characters, I’d freeze up. Besides, I don’t know if the readers even want to see any ladylike or seductive female characters from me.
Gege Akutami has always focused more on the storylines and plots of Jujutsu Kaisen. They have tried to make it interesting and complex and maybe it is one of the reasons why they do not want viewers to get distracted with such aspects.
But this doesn’t change the fact that Akutami could have given more storyline to the female characters in Jujutsu Kaisen, especially Nobara who died before the final battle could even start.
As of 17th August 2024, you can watch Jujutsu Kaisen on Crunchyroll and Bleach on Hulu.
