Despite the immense success, the popular anime and manga series Jujutsu Kaisen has been a center of controversy for almost the entirety of 2023. This year has seen a lot of controversy surrounding Jujutsu Kaisen and MAPPA in particular, from fans signing petitions to postpone the anime to animators openly complaining about unfavorable working conditions on X (Twitter).
It also became the focus of another controversy before the year was through. Due to his animation of the character Todo, who is a fan favorite in the second season of the popular anime series Jujutsu Kaisen, the lead animator has been the target of harsh criticism and harassment from some fans.
The animator was forced to issue an apology to the fans for the scene, which was only included in the anime, following the harassment. The animator took to X and tweeted a formal apology that explained how he found out that cross-dressing is a sin in religion and he apologized for it.
Jujutsu Kaisen Animator Was Harassed For Dressing Aoi Todo as a Schoolgirl
A scene featuring Aoi Todo fighting Mahito while dressed like a schoolgirl was exclusive to the anime version of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 21. Todo essentially did this so he could fight with all of his strength unlocked, and it helped him feel better to picture his idol, Takada-chan, fighting alongside him.
While most of the audience enjoyed the scene, some fans were furious that Todo was dressing like a girl and threatened to kill the animator, Sota Shigetsugu. Shigetsugu is well-known in the animation industry for giving scenes humorous twists, as shown by the scene that wasn’t in the original manga.
However, cultural differences prevented some fans from Arab countries from accepting the cross-dressing scene. Shigetsugu went on to X to apologize for the scene which hurt the emotions of Jujutsu Kaisen fans. He issued a formal apology from his official account which was later deleted by the animator.
Jujutsu Kaisen Animator Apologizes For Aoi Todo’s Scene
Shocked by the unfavorable reaction, Shigetsugu went onto X(Twitter) and expressed regret for any inconvenience he may have given to certain viewers. He clarified that he was ignorant of the theological ramifications of cross-dressing. His tweet read:
“I had wondered why so much criticism came from the Islamic world when it was so well received in Japan, but I was convinced when I learned that cross-dressing is a sin in religion and therefore there is a strong sense of rejection of such things. I apologize for any discomfort this may cause you.”
More people came out in favor of the animator’s work despite the criticism of some. As soon as they realized there was no need to apologize for the scene, fans started expressing their gratitude to the animator. The whole point of the segment was to lighten up the action scene.
Nevertheless, the episode was one of the best episodes of season 2 that were animated by Shigetsugu, and other than the controversy, the episode was loved by the majority of the Jujutsu Kaisen fans.
