# Jujutsu Kaisen

Jujutsu Kaisen (呪術廻戦, rgh. "Sorcery Battle") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gege Akutami. It was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from March 2018 to September 2024, with its chapters collected in 30 tankōbon volumes. The story follows high school student Yuji Itadori as he joins a secret organization of Jujutsu Sorcerers to eliminate a powerful Curse named Ryomen Sukuna, of whom Yuji becomes the host. Jujutsu Kaisen is a sequel to Akutami's Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School, serialized in Shueisha's Jump Giga from April to July 2017, later collected in a tankōbon volume, retroactively titled as Jujutsu Kaisen 0, in December 2018.
Jujutsu Kaisen is licensed for English-language release in North America by Viz Media, which has published the manga in print since December 2019. Shueisha publishes the series in English on the Manga Plus online platform. Two novels, written by Ballad Kitaguni, were published in May 2019 and January 2020, respectively. An anime television series adaptation produced by MAPPA aired its first season on MBS from October 2020 to March 2021; a second season aired from July to December 2023. A sequel covering the "Culling Game" arc has been announced.
By September 2024, the Jujutsu Kaisen manga had over 100 million copies in circulation, including related novels, digital versions, and Jujutsu Kaisen 0, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time.

## Synopsis
### Setting

In Jujutsu Kaisen, all living beings emanate energy called Cursed Energy (呪力, Juryoku), which arises from negative emotions that naturally flow throughout the body. Ordinary people cannot control this flow in their bodies. As a result, they continually lose Cursed Energy, resulting in the birth of Curses (呪い, Noroi), a race of spiritual beings whose primary desire is to bring harm to humanity. These Curses are shown as gruesome monsters: onryō (vengeful spirit), yūrei (ghosts), and yōkai.
Jujutsu Sorcerers (呪術師, Jujutsushi, lit. "Cursed Technique Masters" or "Shamans") are people who have the ability to control the flow of Cursed Energy in their bodies, allowing them to use it as they please and reduce its release. High-ranking Sorcerers and Curses can refine this energy and use it to perform Cursed Techniques (呪術式, Jujutsushiki), which tend to be unique to the user or their family. An advanced form of Cursed Technique is Domain Expansion (領域展開, Ryōiki Tenkai), which the users build a pocket dimension of variable size. Inside the Domain, all of their attacks are guaranteed to hit and will grow in strength.

### Plot

Yuji Itadori is a high school student with unnatural physical strength. One day at school, his friends attract Curses by unsealing a rotten finger talisman. Yuji swallows the finger to protect Jujutsu Sorcerer student Megumi Fushiguro—on site to retrieve the finger—unwittingly becoming host to the powerful ancient sorcerer Ryomen Sukuna. All sorcerers must exorcise Sukuna, and Yuji by extension. However, noticing his capability to retain control over his body, Satoru Gojo—Megumi's teacher and the strongest sorcerer in the modern Jujutsu world—brings him to the Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School to train him. Gojo has Yuji's execution postponed until he consumes all twenty of Sukuna's fingers, so the Curse can be eliminated permanently with his death.
Meanwhile, a group of intelligent Cursed Spirits plot an elaborate attack to reform the Jujutsu world as they see fit, starting with sealing Gojo away, as he is too strong to kill and his presence maintains order in the Jujutsu world. The group is led by mysterious sorcerer and Curse User Suguru Geto, supposedly killed by Gojo a year prior. His entourage includes the sadistic Curse Mahito, fire Curse Jogo, and nature Curse Hanami. Gojo's class of first-years—Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara Kugisaki—are trained by going on missions to exorcise low-level Curses; during these, Sukuna takes an interest in Megumi, due to his power and potential. Yuji is devastated after Mahito kills his friend Junpei Yoshino, experiencing first-hand the harsh reality of the Jujutsu world he has become part of. During a competition between the Tokyo and Kyoto Jujutsu schools, Mahito steals three "Death Paintings"—half-human half-Curses—from the Tokyo school, summoning them to their full form. Yuji and Nobara kill two of them during a mission, leaving Choso as the sole surviving Death Painting.
Geto and his group begin their ultimate plan on Halloween night in Shibuya. Gojo manages to kill Hanami, but is successfully sealed away in a special artifact by Geto. It is revealed that the Curse User is not actually Geto, but rather his corpse possessed by ancient evil sorcerer Kenjaku. With Gojo gone, the Curses do not hold back, causing casualties and chaos. Yuji is defeated by Choso, but his life is spared after Choso receives a strange vision revealing that he and Yuji are in fact brothers related by blood. Jogo force-feeds an unconscious Yuji ten of Sukuna's fingers at once, powering Sukuna enough to temporarily take over his body. Sukuna kills Jogo and battles Megumi's uncontrollable shikigami Mahoraga, causing Shibuya's near-destruction in the process. After regaining consciousness, Yuji witnesses Mahito killing his mentor and Gojo's colleague Kento Nanami and severely wounding Nobara, breaking him emotionally. With the help of Kyoto student, Aoi Todo, he is able to defeat Mahito, but Kenjaku absorbs the Curse and awakens countless new sorcerers throughout Japan that he had been planting for thousands of years to usher in a new world of Cursed Spirits.
In the aftermath, the Jujutsu higher-ups reinstate Yuji's immediate execution, appointing second-year Yuta Okkotsu his executioner. Yuta, whose loyalty lies with Gojo, helps Yuji fake his death, and teams up with him to meet Master Tengen—an immortal, part-Curse part-human sorcerer. Tengen reveals Kenjaku's plan to merge the former's consciousness with Japan's human population through the "Culling Games"—a battle royale between all the awakened sorcerers to accumulate a massive amount of Cursed Energy. Yuji and his allies seek out a mysterious woman known as "Angel", who can free Gojo and help rescue Megumi's stepsister, Tsumiki, from participating in the Culling Games. Kenjaku captures Tengen, and, after finding Angel, Yuji and Megumi learn that Tsumiki's body has been taken over by an ancient sorcerer, Yorozu. Sukuna takes over Yuji's body, tearing off a finger and forcing Megumi to swallow it, thus leaving Yuji's body and incarnating into Megumi's. Sukuna kills Yorozu—and therefore Tsumiki—weakening Megumi's resolve so that his soul will neglect to fight Sukuna's possession.
The main group unseals Gojo. A few days later, Gojo battles Sukuna, nearly winning, but is killed, though not before significantly weakening him. Kenjaku is confronted by Fumihiko Takaba, a sorcerer that proves to be an effective distraction, allowing Yuta to catch him off-guard and behead him. Before dying, Kenjaku makes Sukuna the Culling Games' master. The Jujutsu Sorcerers attempt to fight Sukuna in Gojo's place, but all are overpowered as Sukuna revives to his true form. In a flashback, it is revealed that Sukuna ate his twin brother in the womb a thousand years ago. The twin's soul reincarnated in the current era as Jin Itadori, Yuji's father, who mated with his wife Kaori—whose body was possessed by Kenjaku—to conceive him, which explains Yuji's unusual strength and capability to have contained Sukuna within him.
With the help of his allies, Yuji is able to overpower Sukuna, although Choso sacrifices himself in the process. Sukuna is surprised by Gojo's reappearance, who is actually Yuta inside Gojo's corpse by means of copying Kenjaku's Cursed Technique to switch bodies. Yuji activates his Domain Expansion; within it, he takes Sukuna on a journey through his hometown, fruitlessly attempting to reason with him. Yuji converses with Megumi's soul, inspiring him to fight back. Sukuna notices that Yuji is missing another finger besides the one he tore off to possess Megumi; said finger was used to allow Yuta to activate the Cursed Technique, and Sukuna was bluffed into believing that his own last finger was used instead. Nobara arrives where Gojo hid Sukuna's real last finger, using her Cursed Technique to strike it, simultaneously attacking Sukuna's soul, and Yuji takes the opportunity to give him a final blow. Megumi frees himself from Sukuna, who disintegrates away after refusing a final chance from Yuji.
After the battle, Yuta is able to return to his own body again. Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara undertake another mission, and Yuji remembers Gojo expressing his hopes and trust in him. Sukuna's last finger is shown, but having been defeated, his return is unlikely.

## Production
### Development

Manga author Gege Akutami first published Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School, a four-chapter series that ran in Jump Giga from April 28 to July 28, 2017. The series would later serve as a prologue to Jujutsu Kaisen and was retitled as Jujutsu Kaisen 0. According to Hiroyuki Nakano, the chief editor of Weekly Shōnen Jump, Jujutsu Kaisen received unanimous approval in the serialization committee. It debuted in Weekly Shōnen Jump on March 5, 2018.
Akutami stated that Neon Genesis Evangelion influenced the mythological aspects of the series, being also influenced by horror and found footage films. Akutami is particularly a fan of Yoshihiro Togashi, author of YuYu Hakusho and Hunter × Hunter, expressing intentions to have an art style as close as possible to his. The author is also a fan of Tite Kubo, author of Bleach, and discussed in an interview with him the similarities between their works. Other manga artists who influenced Akutami include Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto) and Yusuke Murata (Eyeshield 21 and One-Punch Man illustrator).
The magic system of Jujutsu Kaisen is largely inspired by Hunter × Hunter, whose fights, in Akutami's words, "rejects emotional arguments", stating however, that like Daisuke Ashihara [ja], World Trigger's author, whose magic system is also similar to Togashi's series, Akutami was trying to find and develop an own style. In particular, Akutami commented that the first chapter was a mix of Bleach and Naruto. Akutami regretted some decisions made for the first chapter, such as the short appearance of Yuji's grandfather.

### Conclusion

In October 2020, Akutami stated that the story's ending and main stages were planned, but that the path between the two remained "fairly free." In February 2021, Akutami stated that the series would probably be finished within two years, declaring, however, no confidence in that statement. Akutami knew how the story for Megumi Fushiguro would end, but not for Sukuna. On June 9, 2021, it was announced that the manga would enter on hiatus due to the author's health issues; it resumed publication on August 2 of the same year. In December 2022, Akutami hinted that the manga would end within a year, stating during the Jump Festa '23 event: "If you accompany me for up to one more year (probably), I will be very happy." In December 2023, at the Jump Festa '24 event, Akutami stated in a handwritten comment that it would probably be the last Jump Festa in which the series would continue in serialization, hinting that it would end within 2024; the series concluded on September 30 of said year.

## Media
### Manga

Written and illustrated by Gege Akutami, Jujutsu Kaisen was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from March 5, 2018, to September 30, 2024. Its chapters were collected and published by Shueisha into 30 individual tankōbon volumes, released from July 4, 2018, to December 25, 2024; the final volume includes 16 pages of four epilogues newly drawn for the manga, focused on characters Yūko Ozawa, Uraume, Nobara Kugisaki, and Panda.
Shueisha began to simulpublish the series in English on the app and website Manga Plus in January 2019. Viz Media published the first three chapters for its "Jump Start" initiative. In March 2019, Viz Media announced the print release of the series in North America. The first volume was published on December 3, 2019. As of December 10, 2024, 24 volumes have been released.

### Novels

Two novels written by Ballad Kitaguni have been released under the Jump J-Books imprint. The first, Jujutsu Kaisen: Summer of Ashes, Autumn of Dust (呪術廻戦　逝く夏と還る秋, Jujutsu Kaisen Iku Natsu to Kaeru Aki), was released on May 1, 2019. The second novel, Jujutsu Kaisen: Thorny Road at Dawn (呪術廻戦　夜明けのいばら道, Jujutsu Kaisen: Yoake no Ibara Michi), was released on January 4, 2020. In February 2022, Viz Media announced it had licensed the novels for English publication. Jujutsu Kaisen: Summer of Ashes, Autumn of Dust was released on December 27, 2022, and Jujutsu Kaisen: Thorny Road at Dawn was released on April 25, 2023.

### Anime

A 24-episode anime television series adaptation produced by MAPPA was broadcast on MBS's Super Animeism block and TBS from October 3, 2020, to March 27, 2021.
A second 23-episode season aired from July 6 to December 28, 2023.
After the second season's finale, a sequel covering the "Culling Game" arc was announced. The format was not specified.

### Video games

In June 2021, a free-to-play role-playing mobile game, titled Jujutsu Kaisen: Phantom Parade, developed by Sumzap, was announced. The game was set to be released in 2022; however, it was delayed to November 21, 2023. The game was released internationally on November 7, 2024.
A collaboration with PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG Mobile) was announced in August 2021. The collaboration was made available globally, except in Japan and Mainland China, from February 15 to March 15, 2022.
A fighting video game, titled Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash, developed by Byking and Gemdrops, and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, was announced in July 2023. It was released on February 2, 2024, on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows (via Steam), Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
The outfits from Yuji Itadori, Satoru Gojo, Megumi Fushiguro, and Nobara Kugisaki were released as cosmetic items in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang on February 18, 2023, and Fortnite on August 8 of that same year. In a limited-time collaboration with Honor of Kings, Yuji and Satoru outfits became available on November 1, 2024, alongside other thematic elements based on the series, such as a new enchanted battlefield, login screen, ranking list, and loading screens.

### Stage plays

A stage play adaptation of the manga was announced at the Jump Festa '22 event in December 2021. It ran at The Galaxy Theatre in Tokyo's Tennōzu from July 15–31, and scheduled to run at the Mielparque Hall Osaka from August 4–14, 2022; however, due to an actor's injury, the stage play in Osaka was delayed and started on August 7. The play was directed by Kensaku Kobayashi and written by Kōhei Kiyasu. The cast included Ryūji Satō as Yuji Itadori, Kazuaki Yasue as Megumi Fushiguro, Erika Toyohara as Nobara Kugisaki, Sara Takatsuki as Maki Zen'in, Fūma Sadamoto as Toge Inumaki, and Takeshi Terayama as Panda.
A second stage play based on the manga's "Kyoto Goodwill Event" and "The Origin of Blind Obedience" story arcs, ran at The Galaxy Theater in Tokyo from December 15–31, 2023, and at AiiA 2.5 Theater Kobe in Hyogo from January 6–14, 2024. The cast and staff returned to reprise their roles, with Nonoka Yamaguchi replacing Erika Toyohara as Nobara Kugisaki.

### Other media

A fanbook, titled Jujutsu Kaisen: The Official Character Guide (呪術廻戦 公式ファンブック, Jujutsu Kaisen Kōshiki Fanbukku, lit. 'Jujutsu Kaisen Official Fanbook'), was published by Shueisha on March 4, 2021. It features exclusive information about the series, character profiles, author commentaries, an interview and a special dialogue between Akutami and Bleach author Tite Kubo. In June 2023, Viz Media announced its acquisition, and released it on April 23, 2024.
From September 16, 2022, to July 2, 2023, Universal Studios Japan hosted attractions based on Jujutsu Kaisen. "Jujutsu Kaisen the Real 4-D" attraction uses 4D cinema effects (such as sprays of water and moving seats) for an entirely original animation in about 20 minutes long. Other attraction is a roller coaster called "Jujutsu Kaisen × Hollywood Dream – The Ride (Kaikai Kitan)" which ran until January 18, 2023. It features an inbuilt sound system that allows each individual rider to pick from a selection of songs to ride to. From April 25 to May 18, 2025, Universal Studios Hollywood will open the Jujutsu Kaisen: Hunger of the Cursed attraction based on the series, as part of the Fan Fest Nights event.
In October 2022, Crunchyroll and BoxLunch announced their merchandise collaboration for the series' photo experience spots alongside My Hero Academia, in select stores in the United States. Fans could take pictures through select locations, featuring an additional installation with characters of the series. The BoxLunch stores were also hosted a lottery with an exclusive meet-and-greet event with the Jujutsu Kaisen voice actors as the prize.
An art exhibition, to celebrate the series' sixth anniversary, ran at the Hikarie Hall in Shibuya from July 6 to August 27, 2024. The exhibition is set to be held at the Grand Front Osaka in Osaka from April 19 to June 8, 2025, and is set to be held in Fukuoka as well in the same year.
On July 9, 2024, McDonald's released a limited-edition Special Grade Garlic Sauce, available exclusively through its mobile app, in collaboration with the Jujutsu Kaisen franchise, and eight different characters from the series were printed on the lid of each dipping sauce container, including Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki, Satoru Gojo, Kento Nanami, Suguru Geto, Mahito, and Ryomen Sukuna. Each purchase of the dipping sauce also came with a 30-day free trial to Crunchyroll.

## Reception
### Popularity

Jujutsu Kaisen ranked first on the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics" by the Honya Club website in 2019. The series ranked 31st on the 2020 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine; it ranked fourth on the 2021 list; sixth on the 2022 list; fourteenth on the 2023 list; and it topped the 2024 list. On TV Asahi's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150,000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, Jujutsu Kaisen ranked nineteenth. On a 2021 survey conducted by Line Research asking Japanese high school students what manga series they are currently into, Jujutsu Kaisen topped the rankings for both girls and boys. Along with Akuta no Shinigiwa and Shitsugai-ki Shitsu Chome Tanpenshū, Jujutsu Kaisen ranked thirteenth on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2025 for male readers.
On Tumblr's 2021 Year in Review, which highlights the largest communities, fandoms, and trends on the platform throughout the year, Jujutsu Kaisen ranked second behind My Hero Academia on the Top Anime & Manga Shows while Satoru Gojo was fifth on the Top Anime & Manga Characters category. It placed nineteenth on the annual Twitter Japan's Trend Awards in 2021, based on the social network's top trending topics of the year.

### Sales

The Jujutsu Kaisen manga had 600,000 copies in circulation by December 2018; 770,000 copies in circulation by February 1, 2019; 1.1 million copies in circulation by February 2019; 2 million copies in circulation by June 2019; 2.5 million copies in circulation by November 2019; 4.5 million copies in circulation by May 2020; 6.8 million copies in circulation by September 2020; and over 10 million copies in circulation by October 2020, having grown 400% in one year, and about 230% in a half year. By December 2020, the series had 15 million copies in circulation. By January 13, 2021, the series had over 20 million copies in circulation, and increased to 25 million copies in circulation by January 26. By February 2021, the manga had over 30 million copies in circulation. By the start of March 2021, the series had over 36 million copies in circulation, and by the end of the month, the manga recorded over 40 million copies in circulation. By April 2021, the manga had over 45 million copies in circulation. By May 2021, the manga had over 50 million copies in circulation. By October 2021, the manga had over 55 million copies in circulation. By December 2021, the manga had over 60 million copies in circulation. By April 2022, the manga had over 65 million copies in circulation. By August 2022, the manga had over 70 million copies in circulation. By July 2023, the manga had over 80 million copies in circulation. By January 2024, the manga had over 90 million copies in circulation. By September 2024, the manga had over 100 million copies in circulation.
Jujutsu Kaisen was the fifth best-selling manga series in 2020 (from the period between November 2019 and November 2020), with 6,702,736 copies sold. In January 2021, Jujutsu Kaisen's first fifteen volumes at the time (including volume 0) took 15 of top 16 spots of Oricon's weekly manga ranking (week of January 11–17), being only surpassed by Attack on Titan's 33rd volume, which topped the list. Jujutsu Kaisen was the second best-selling manga series in the first half of 2021 (period between November 2020 and May 2021), behind Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, with over 23 million copies sold, while its 16 volumes at the time (including volume 0), were among the 25 best-selling manga volumes. It was the best-selling manga series in 2021, with over 30 million copies sold; its eighteen volumes at the time (including volume 0) were among the top 25 best-selling volumes. It was the best-selling manga series for second consecutive year in 2022, with over 12.2 million copies sold; volume 18 was the best-selling manga volume of the year, while volumes 17, 19 and 20 were among the 30 best-selling manga volumes of the year. It was the fourth best-selling manga series in the first half of 2023 (period between November 2022 and May 2023), with over 3.7 million copies sold, while volumes 21 and 22 were the second and third, respectively, best-selling manga volumes from the same period. Volumes 21–24 were among the best-selling manga volumes of 2023. Volume 23 was Shueisha's second highest first print run manga volume of 2023–2024 (period from April 2023 – March 2024), with 1.75 million copies printed.
In North America, the volumes of Jujutsu Kaisen were ranked on Circana (formerly NPD) BookScan's monthly top 20 adult graphic novels list since January 2021. They were also ranked on The New York Times' Graphic Books and Manga bestseller monthly list since February 2021. According to ICv2, Jujutsu Kaisen was the seventh best-selling manga franchise for Q4 2021 (September–December) in the United States, and it was also the sixth "most efficient manga franchise" for retailer bookshelves, based on the website's calculations of which manga franchises had the highest sales per volume. According to NPD BookScan, the first volume of Jujutsu Kaisen (including volume 0) was ranked among the top 20 highest-selling manga volumes in 2022; four volumes (including volume 0) were among the top 20 highest-selling manga volumes in 2023.

### Critical reception

Leroy Douresseaux of Comic Book Bin gave the first volume a score of 8.5/10. Douresseaux praised the series for its characters, plots, settings, and internal mythology, and described it as a "combination battle manga and horror comic book". Shawn Hacaga of The Fandom Post, in his review of the first volume, compared the series to early Bleach and praised it for its world, lore, characters and artwork, concluding that it is a "solid first volume". Hannah Collins of CBR found parallels between Yuji and Sukuna and Marvel Comics characters Eddie Brock and Venom. She also noted similarities to Bleach, Blue Exorcist and Tokyo Ghoul. Collins commended the manga and, regarding its then recently announced anime adaptation, concluded that Jujutsu Kaisen is a "darkly enjoyable action series that's sure to be one to watch out for in 2020". Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network ranked the first volume as a C. Silverman praised the series' use of Japanese folklore and yōkai elements, comparing this and Akutami's art style to Shigeru Mizuki's GeGeGe no Kitarō, but criticized the story for being "very generic". She concluded, "It has the potential to be more as Akutami gets more comfortable with the serialization process and figures out precisely where the story is going, so it may be worth a second book to be certain. But as of this one, it's just okay, making it the kind of series that gets damned with faint praise". Azusa Takahashi of Real Sound praised its storytelling, setting and "surprising" story development, also noting similarities to other works like Bleach, Ushio & Tora or Neon Genesis Evangelion, stating, however, that the series is not only a homage to popular works centered on the battle development, but that it has a "clever composition that sublimates into originality".

### Accolades

Jujutsu Kaisen was sixth on the fifth Next Manga Awards in the Print category in 2018. It won the third annual Tsutaya Comic Award in 2019. In 2019, the manga was nominated for the 65th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category. Jujutsu Kaisen won the Mandō Kobayashi Manga Grand Prix 2020, created by comedian and manga enthusiast Kendo Kobayashi, in which each year's winner is decided based on his personal taste. The manga was nominated for the 25th annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2021.

### Novels

Jujutsu Kaisen: Iku Natsu to Kaeru Aki and Jujutsu Kaisen: Yoake no Ibara Michi were among the best-selling novel series in the first half of 2021 (period between November 2020 and May 2021), with 235,170 and 206,059 copies sold, respectively, and both novels were the best-selling-novel volumes in the first half of 2021. Both novels were the best-selling novels of 2021, collectively selling a total of 487,434 copies.