In a Q&A displayed at the Jujutsu Kaisen Exhibition, series creator Gege Akutami noted that Yuji Itadori was the kind of protagonist who made the story bland. While acknowledging Itadori’s adaptability as a strength, Akutami also revealed potential drawbacks associated with the character’s straightforward nature.
“Itadori’s versatility is in the sense that he’s easy to fit into shounen-type stories,” Akutami stated. However, the author cautioned that this very quality could lead to a bland narrative. Akutami explained that Itadori’s straightforward nature, such as saving people even without any motivation, removes the need for complex reasons behind his actions.
While this allows the story to progress smoothly, it might leave readers feeling unengaged or lacking a deeper understanding of Itadori’s choices.
“But this can also make the stories a bit bland. When Itadori does something straightforward, like saving someone, there’s no real need for a reason behind it, so the story is easy to move forward but it also can lead to the reader not feeling much or not getting a good taste of his actions.“
Akutami discusses Itadori’s function as a relatable protagonist and changes in character focus.
Akutami further elaborated on Itadori’s role as a bridge between the reader and the world of Jujutsu Kaisen. According to Akutami, when Itadori encounters something new, his reaction mirrors the reader’s perspective. For instance, if Itadori expresses confusion about a complex plot point like the Culling Game, it allows readers to feel comfortable not fully grasping the concept at that moment.
It was also revealed that in the original draft of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, Megumi was supposed to be the main character while Itadori played a supporting role. When the original draft was rejected Akutami decided to use Itadori, who was more adaptable, as the main character for the series.
According to Akutami, having a straightforward guy like Itadori as the main character was a big change for the story. However, his core personality remained the same from the original draft.
“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.“
The Q&As from the exhibition have proven to be a treasure trove of information for fans, as Akutami has revealed a lot of behind-the-scenes details from his manga. An important piece of information revealed at the exhibition includes the confirmation of Shinjuku Showdown as the final arc of the JJK manga.
