From death and gore, to decay and violence, dark fantasy Shonen mangas often reflect and highlight the core of depravity in their storylines. When it comes to this genre, Gege Akutami, author of Jujutsu Kaisen, and Tite Kubo, author of Bleach, are some of the most seasoned mangakas who managed to carve their niche through their storytelling.
Needless to say, both mangakas have authored some of the finest mangas in the Shonen category and won several accolades. While Akutami san’s work is inspired by Kubo sensei, the latter seemed to sense a darkness within the former work and also raised the author’s purpose of using gender-neutral pronouns.
Gege Akutami as a genderfluid mangaka
Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the most popular shonen anime written by Gege Akutami that won the Crunchyroll Anime of the Year award along with 8 other awards at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards held in March 2024. Apart from the Crunchyroll Awards, the anime also won Most In-Demand TV Series at the 6th Global Demand Awards.
Apart from winning accolades as a mangaka, the author’s identity remains a mystery to their fans. While their real identity is unknown, Tite Kubo questioned the author’s use of gender-neutral pronouns in an interview that was later published in the Jujutsu Kaisen Official Fanbook (2021)
They replied that their use of ‘Watashi’ is a more gender-fluid and respectable way of communicating with others. Kubo sensei’s response to the author was :
Fascinating… Although you’re certainly careful with your words, I feel a darkness emanating from your series.
Watashi is a gender-neutral term that translates to me in Japanese as opposed to “Ore” which is a masculine way to refer to oneself. In any case, Akutami sensei’s decision to go anonymous and discreet regarding their gender identity makes sense considering how harsh the manga industry is along with toxic fanbases.
Darkness and gore in Jujutsu Kaisen
Darkness, gore, violence, and blood are the central themes of Jujutsu Kaisen. Citing his inspiration from Bleach, the author’s work explores Japanese mythology and blends it perfectly with modern settings. However, this wasn’t how things were supposed to be originally as the author had other plans regarding the concept and storyline of the series.
The original idea of the series was so dark that it was rejected by the manga editor. While it may not have turned out according to the author’s expectations, the manga retained some of its core elements that managed to trigger spine-chilling emotions within the readers.
From Sukuna’s possession of Megumi to Satoru Gojo’s gruesome death, there have been several horrifying moments. Above all, Gojo’s death is by far, one of the most frightening moments in anime. To add to that, the series also highlighted the core themes of death and depravity depicted in the manga.
To say the least, Akutami sensei managed to wring out their dark side despite the challenges faced throughout the drafting process of the manga. The process of blending modern storytelling along with traditional folklore, horror elements, and mythology into anime makes Jujutsu Kaisen different from other dark Shonen anime.
Nevertheless, the series reflected the author’s potential prowess as a horror manga artist. It was also revealed that their interest in the horror genre stemmed from Hollywood movies, particularly Get Out (2017) featuring Daniel Kaluuya, and Hereditary (2018), featuring Toni Colette, which inspired them to take up horror as a manga genre.
Jujutsu Kaisen is available for streaming on Crunchyroll
