Summary
Very few modern anime/manga series have had the same cultural impact asJujutsu Kaisen. With its stellar world-building, amazing cast of characters, and incredible action sequences, this series quickly shot up the ranks of popularity, with most people considering it a worthy inclusion within the ‘Big 3’ of modern anime. After a legendary run of 271 chapters, theJujutsu Kaisenmanga finally came to an end.
However, as much as people loved and followed this series, there is an almost unanimous sentiment about the ending of this franchise being rushed. Whether this was through genuine criticism or some fans only complaining because it didn’t end the way that they wanted it, the discourse largely revolves around theconclusion ofJujutsu Kaisenbeing a disappointment. So, let’s take a look at whether this claim is true or not.
Last Chapter
Jujutsu Kaisen, Chapter 271, “From Now On”
To be fair to the detractors of the series, there are quite a few reasons to think why the series' conclusion was rushed. There are many reasons for this, such as Yuji’s Domain for one. Since the beginning of the series,Domain Expansions have been known as the strongest attackwithin the repertoire of a sorcerer, and Yuji was always built up to eventually have his own. However, when fans finally got to see it, not only did they never get a name for it, but its unique abilities were also kept a mystery.
A common complaint that many fans have is that Megumi had virtually no character development from the start of the series since his journey ended the same way it started. For the last arc and a half, Megumi was gone from the story, but even before that, his character arc saw virtually no change. Moreover, Megumi’s potential was something that even Gojo stated was limitless, but fans never got to see Megumi at the zenith of his strength, which is further hammered home since his Domain was never completed either.
Also, although he played the most important part in the eventual defeat of Sukuna, the rest of Jujutsu High seemed toforget about Gojo quite quickly. There was no burial or remembrance for him at the end of the series, which rubbed many fans the wrong way considering how loved he was by them.
Furthermore, it also seemed that there were quite a few plot lines introduced in the series that seemed like they were building up to something, but eventually fell short of making any meaningful change, such asYuta taking over Gojo’s bodyor the military invasion of Japan. The biggest example of this could be Nobara, whose return definitely had the shock factor, but ultimately, her character was wasted for the majority of the series.
I can’t be the only one going back when those two are out there fighting!
One of the strangest plot lines for the series to completely gloss over was the dilemma of how best to deal with Cursed Energy, which was thecentral conflict between Kenjaku and Yuki. To further the evolution of humans, it remains unclear whether the best way to do this is through the optimization or the total elimination of Cursed Energy, which is a question fans had been waiting for for years.
One of the biggest things that fans have been eagerly waiting to see since the start of the franchise was Sukuna’s backstory, since it was always hinted at. Everyone wanted to see the journey that led Sukuna to become the most evil and powerful character in the entireJujutsu Kaisenuniverse. However, it was a massive letdown that his backstory was never shown, which is incredibly uncharacteristic of a Shonen series that has been hinting toward it for ages. Though there are many other reasons that disgruntled fans state, these are the biggest ones!
How It May Not Be A Disappointment
Reasons Why This Ending is Fine
Although all the plot holes and storylines that have been previously mentioned still stand, the reason why many fans are disappointed with this finale, just as how it is for any series, is that it didn’t end the way they wanted it to.The biggest example of this is Gojo’s return, which fans had been anticipating at every turn but was something that was never delivered, which caused them to vent their frustration by calling the ending rushed and disappointing.
For this point alone, Gojo’s return after his death would have been nonsensical because he was someone who served his role in the series and lived by his ideology. Bringing him back would have ruined his character arc. Other than this, it’s only natural for fans to get upset if the story doesn’t go in the way they wanted or expected, so people venting their frustrations is completely justified. However, it should be understood that this was the story that Gege Akutami wanted to tell and, while the criticisms about its ending still stand,Jujutsu Kaisenhas ended and should be celebrated as one of the greatest modern Shonen series!
Jujutsu Kaisencan be streamed onAmazon PrimeandNetflix.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Based on Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen manga, Mappa’s battle shonen anime envisions a world where Jujutsu Sorcerers battle against entities born out of Cursed Energy. One day, a teenager named Yuji Itadori is dragged into this conflict when he eats a possessed finger.
