Itadori Yuji, the main character in the popular anime series Jujutsu Kaisen, has endured immense suffering and trauma even in the early stages of the show.
Having witnessed the deaths of close friends and family, and becoming the unwilling host of the evil spirit Sukuna, Itadori carries a tremendous burden of pain and anguish. This quickly elicits sympathy from viewers.
As the series progresses into its second season, Itadori continues on his desperate mission to gain strength and defeat dangerous curse beings like Sukuna.
His goal is to avenge lost loved ones and fulfill a promise he made to his late grandfather. However, recent story developments suggest that Itadori’s path forward will only grow more arduous.
There are fan theories that Itadori’s tragic backstory and the vow he holds to his grandfather’s memory will make Jujutsu Kaisen one of the darkest, most serious shonen anime yet created.
Itadori’s past may come to define his entire struggle in profound and unsettling ways still to be revealed.
Wherever the narrative leads, Itadori’s central role means viewers are deeply invested in his welfare and the outcome of his journey.
Itadori’s Dark Origins and the Shadow of Kenjaku in Jujutsu Kaisen
In a dream sequence, Itadori witnesses meaningful moments from his early childhood for the first time in the series. He sees his father Jin Itadori, holding a young Itadori while arguing with his grandfather.
Jin receives a cryptic warning from Itadori’s grandfather about “that woman,” soon revealed to be Itadori’s mother, Kaori.
Kaori Itadori shockingly appears with distinct scars on her head that perfectly match those later found on the body of the villain Suguru Geto.
This provides the first concrete evidence that Yuji’s mother was used as a vessel by the evil sorcerer Kenjaku to conceive Itadori, likely without her consent.
Up until now, Itadori’s backstory has centered around his grandfather. But this dream reveals the roles of both his parents in bringing Itadori into the world under tragic circumstances.
It also directly connects Itadori’s origins to the main antagonists of the series, making his eventual clashes with them far more personal and morally complex.
Many fans feel this dark twist cements Jujutsu Kaisen as perhaps the most serious and unsettling shonen anime in recent memory.
Where Itadori’s story goes from here remains unclear, but his life’s purpose seems forever intertwined with the shadowy figures who created him.
The Tragic Destiny of Yuji Itadori in Jujutsu Kaisen
A compelling Reddit theory proposes that Itadori’s grandfather may have unintentionally placed a tragic curse on Yuji with his final words.
As he died, Itadori’s grandfather told Yuji to “save all the people you can and die surrounded by people, not alone like me.”
Fans speculate this could have cursed Itadori, so that every time one of his friends dies, his own cursed energy grows, bringing him one step closer to his fated death.
This would explain why Itadori gained power after tragic losses.
The theory also suggests Itadori’s mother, Kaori, possessed innate strong cursed energy, which is why Kenjaku chose her as a vessel to conceive Yuji.
Additionally, Sukuna once hinted Yuji resembles someone from Japan’s ancient Heian era, implying his ancestors might have been powerful sorcerers themselves.
If accurate, this means Itadori is essentially doomed by his lineage and upbringing to continually gain might by losing those close to him, until he eventually dies alone.
By that point, he may have grown strong enough to challenge even Sukuna as the strongest being, but with no one left to share that victory with.
It’s a grim and ironic fate for the selfless and kindhearted Itadori that further cements Jujutsu Kaisen as a remarkably dark shonen saga.
More About Jujutsu Kaisen
Yuji Itadori begins as an extraordinarily athletic high school student in Sendai who loses his grandfather in June 2018. On his deathbed, Yuji’s grandfather imparts two pivotal messages – “always help people” and “die surrounded by others.”
Soon after, Yuji’s Occult Club friends unintentionally attract dangerous Cursed Spirits to their school.
To protect a young Jujutsu Sorcerer named Megumi Fushiguro, Yuji swallows a sealed demonic finger talisman, becoming the host of the incredibly powerful Curse Ryomen Sukuna.
All Jujutsu sorcerers would normally exorcise Sukuna (and Yuji) immediately due to the threat.
However, Megumi’s mentor Satoru Gojo sees Yuji retain control over his body and convinces his superiors to spare Yuji in order to train him to consume all of Sukuna’s 20 fingers, eliminating the Curse for good.
Meanwhile, an alliance of Cursed Spirits led by Mahito and the resurrected dark sorcerer Suguru Geto secretly plot catastrophic attacks on Jujutsu society itself.
Gojo partners Yuji with Megumi and fellow first-year Nobara Kugisaki, training them in Jujutsu, but Sukuna eventually wrests full control of Yuji.
To stop him, Yuji allows them both to die, only for Sukuna to revive Yuji out of his interest in Megumi’s potential.
