From blood and gore to violence and death, Gege Akutami’s manga Jujutsu Kaisen perfectly captures the essence of a dark Shonen manga through its visuals and storytelling. Apart from bagging the Best Anime of the Year at the 2024 Crunchyroll Awards, the manga won the Tsutaya Comic Award in 2019.
Apart from that, the author’s use of mythology and urban legends in the series has captivated a huge fanbase. In addition to that, the anime has garnered popularity through its outstanding animation and visuals.
However, the manga was not supposed to turn out the way it eventually did, as the author’s original draft differed completely from its original concept. This also included his initial plan of placing Megumi as the protagonist which was eventually dropped off.
Gege Akutami’s initial character conception
Jujutsu Kaisen, written by Gege Akutami highlights the journey of Yuji Itadori, a jujutsu sorcerer who trains under Satoru Gojo to harbor his strength and become more powerful. After consuming a cursed talisman, i.e. The Demon King Sukuna’s finger, he becomes afflicted by the cursed energy.
However, the author had a completely different idea while working on the initial character conception, which eventually led to the rejection of their first draft. In a Q&A session with Akutami at the Jujutsu Kaisen Exhibition held in July 2024, they revealed the changes they made to the protagonist’s character. They quoted:
What defines Itadori’s character and self haven’t changed. I think having such a straightforward guy like Itadori as the main character was a big change for the story. My idea was to use other characters to pave a defined path and portray a universal protagonist. I wanted Itadori to be a flexible character.
They changed the character configuration and placed Megumi as the main character along with Kugisaki and Itadori as side characters. A Reddit user @r/Jujutsufolk shared the images of the author’s first draft with the initial character designs that were ultimately rejected.
The first chapter draft of JJK that was rejected + Yuji, Gojo, and Megukuna’s designs in “Sousen”
byu/AwakenedDivinePower inJujutsufolk
From toning down the elements of darkness and gore to changing character concepts, the author tweaked these elements to make their work more palatable to the readers. This isn’t surprising considering how the original story and ideas of the manga were so dark that the editors rejected it.
Apart from dropping Megumi as the main character and changing the character configuration, the author also tweaked Itadori’s personality. This had a huge impact on the story as opposed to his original draft.
Yuji Itadori’s flexibility as a character in the series
While working on the character concepts, Akutami wished for the protagonist’s persona to be more flexible rather than being versatile. Yuji’s character represents the perfect blend and balance of goofiness, and liveliness coupled with his selfless nature. To add to that, he’s able to withstand Sukuna as his vessel through strong will.
Although his versatility lies in being a selfless and determined protagonist, it would make him a bland protagonist as the author pointed out. By that logic, Itadori can easily fit into any Shonen manga, making him an ideal, albeit a generic, hero for the series.
Itadori does get a lot of hate for projecting a side-character energy throughout the series despite being the protagonist. However, his character development throughout the series along with his flexibility to adapt and grow as a character make him stand out.
Jujutsu Kaisen is available for streaming on Crunchyroll.
