One of the most popular and acclaimed works currently serialized in Shonen Jump, the dark fantasy Jujutsu Kaisen took the shonen community by storm. The series’ fast-paced, thrilling storytelling, incredible cast of characters, and mind-blowing action earned JJK a place among the genre’s modern classics. Despite only debuting in 2018, JJK has reached astonishing levels of popularity, which in no small part can be attributed to the series’ stellar anime adaptation. Produced by studio MAPPA, the Jujutsu Kaisen anime premiered in 2020 and currently consists of two seasons, with the third in the works, and a prequel movie.
While staying admirably close to the manga, the anime elevated its source material through brilliant animation and impeccable sound design, introducing an entirely new community of fans to the captivating world of Jujutsu Kaisen. The second season of the anime ended on one of the series’ highest notes - the eminent Shibuya Incident arc. Seventh, in the total of eleven story arcs JJK currently consists of, the Shibuya plot wraps up what many consider the first major act of the series. With the manga rapidly approaching its conclusion and the anime preparing to enter the new chapter of the JJK plot - the Culling Game - there’s no better time to look back on all the prominent storylines already covered by the adaptation and compare them to the source material.
7 The Cursed Child Arc Excels At Adding More Depth To the Main Story
Known to the anime-only fans as Jujutsu Kaisen 0, the prequel story to the main JJK series, the Cursed Child arc shifts focus to Yuji’s future upperclassman, Yuta Okkotsu, and his introduction to the world of sorcery. However, JJK0 wasn’t originally designed as a prequel. The Cursed Child arc, then titled Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School, was Gege Akutami’s prototype for what would later become Jujutsu Kaisen, published in Jump Giga in April 2017. The manga was a hit, leading to Jujutsu Kaisen appearing on the pages of Shonen Jump a year later.
As the anime adaptation of JJK0 came out after the main series, its framing changed from a prologue to a prequel. The movie introduces fans to a new protagonist whose journey from a timid teenager unable to control his special grade powers to a capable, righteous sorcerer is exhilarating to watch. At the same time, JJK0 fleshes out the expansive world of Jujutsu Kaisen, showcasing previously unknown depths of characters anime fans have already grown to love.
6 The Fearsome Womb Arc Is an Incredible Introduction To the World of Curses
The first arc of Jujutsu Kaisen’s main storyline, the Fearsome Womb does wonders at captivating fans with the unfamiliar, exciting world of jujutsu sorcery. JJK’s opener doesn’t bore fans with useless exposition, jumping straight to the action from the first episodes. At the same time, it handles introducing the main concepts of the series, like curses and cursed techniques, excellently by showcasing them in motion during Sukuna’s awakening. All of the elements of JJK fans grew to adore, such as over-the-top action, memorable heroes, and a world seeping with hidden threats, are already present in the first arc.
Yet, compared to the later storylines, the Fearsome Womb is where the anime makes the most changes to the source material. Namely, the context in which Yuji eats Sukuna’s finger is altered. While in the manga, Yuji makes a spontaneous decision to consume the object to knowingly gain cursed energy, the anime sees him eat the finger in a moment of desperation as he is about to be swallowed by a curse himself.
5 The Vs. Mahito Arc Highlights Jujutsu Kaisen’s Emotional Depth
The arc that really sets Jujutsu Kaisen’s plot in motion, Vs. Mahito follows the strife between Yuji and his newly appointed mentor, Nanami Kento, and an emerging threat that will haunt the protagonist for many arcs to come, the disaster curse Mahito. The anime’s second arc also establishes one of the series’ notorious merits - the poignancy of JJK’s emotional storytelling - through the tragedy of Junpei, a lone boy Yuji befriends before promptly losing to Mahito’s corruption.
While Vs. Mahito might be one of JJK’s most mysterious arcs, as a lot of it revolves around figuring out the new antagonist’s powers and affiliations, it also has plenty of incredible, explosive action. Here, the anime truly begins improving on the manga, expanding such iconic fight scenes as Nanami’s first battle against Mahito and adding dynamic camera movements to make combat more lively.
4 The Kyoto Goodwill Event Arc Brings the Series Back To Its Shonen Roots
As Yuji rejoins his friends at Jujutsu High, a new chapter in his adventures begins with the start of the Kyoto Goodwill Event, a highly regarded arc that introduces many new characters and unexpected opponents. By the time of the third arc, the anime has already started to follow the manga almost exactly, with the only changes to the source material coming in the form of elevated fight scenes. A tournament-like arc with an added dangerous twist of the disaster curses imposing on the competition between Tokyo Jujutsu High and its Kyoto counterpart, the Kyoto Goodwill Event is celebrated as the highlight of the anime’s first season.
A relatively lighthearted arc by JJK’s standards, it gives plenty of time for the character development to shine. From the remarkable introduction of the fan-favorite Aoi Todo to the mind-blowing showcasing of Satoru Gojo’s strongest move, Hollow Purple, the Kyoto Goodwill Event arc has tons of unforgettable moments that the anime made even more spectacular than the original manga.
3 The Death Painting Arc Sets the Scene Up for the Second Season Perfectly
Considered by many a rather forgettable storyline, the Death Painting arc is short yet packed with valuable information. Following the main trio on an investigation into a series of disappearances occurring at Megumi’s old school, JJK’s fourth arc introduces the heroes to an entirely new kind of foe - the enigmatic Death Painting Wombs. Anime watchers mostly remember this arc thanks to the iconic fight scene between the Death Paintings and Yuji and Nobara.
However, for manga readers, the Death Painting storyline also included the last moment of peace the main characters got before the devastating events of the Shibuya Incident. The cutesy episode that sees Nobara and Megumi attempt to reconnect Yuji with Yuko, his old classmate who had a crush on the hero, is a part of the Death Painting arc in the manga. Yet, the anime’s choice to move this story to the start of the Shibuya Incident gave fans a nice opportunity to enjoy their favorite characters in a carefree environment before things got too heated.
2 The Hidden Inventory / Premature Death Arc Is One of The Best Flashback Arcs in Modern Shonen
An unexpected yet welcomed deviation from the main story, the Hidden Inventory / Premature Death arc takes the viewers back to Satoru Gojo’s youth. In the manga, the arc is simply titled Gojo’s Past. Framed within a plot of Gojo and his former best friend, Suguru Geto, undertaking a mission to escort the new Star Plasma Vessel, Riko Amanai, to Jujutsu High, the arc provides much-needed context into Gojo’s path to becoming the strongest and his complicated relationship with Suguru.
The first arc of the anime’s second season sets the bar high, featuring some of the most emotionally tense moments in the entire series. Through the experimental use of sound and brilliant, high-quality animation, iconic scenes like Gojo’s awakening and Riko’s murder were elevated to new peaks. Highlighting all the improvements the anime made with its second installment, including more creative direction and updated character designs, Hidden Inventory prepares the viewers for the considerably darker tone of the following Shibuya Incident arc.
1 The Shibuya Incident Arc Showcases Jujutsu Kaisen at Its Best
The famed Shibuya Incident arc is rightfully considered one of the best storylines in Jujutsu Kaisen, if not in all of modern shonen, by both manga readers and anime watchers. A hectic, devastating unraveling of a mission gone terribly wrong, the Shibuya Incident sees its heroes fall victim to Kenjaku’s master plan, leading to catastrophic circumstances. The anime’s treatment of the source material proves to be particularly stellar during this cathartic arc.
One of the most visually breathtaking events in shonen history, the Shibuya Incident transforms the manga’s somewhat rough combat scenes into masterful feats of animation, with the Sukuna vs. Mahoraga fight standing out as particularly well-executed. Moreover, the anime took some welcome creative liberties by adding new scenes, like Todo’s ridiculous yet terrific magical girl attack, and expanding existing sequences, such as Yuji’s final hunt for Mahito. The Shibuya Incident arc will go down in history as an exhilarating ride from start to finish, and one of the shonen anime’s most impactful storylines.
