The big 3 (Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece) are animes that set very high standards for everything that came after. Everybody thought that there will be nothing like these shows and that no anime can come even close. 

However, in 2020, MAPPA Studios released a new anime called Jujutsu Kaisen that gained popularity very quickly, and people even started comparing it to Naruto calling the show “a darker version of Naruto”. 

With its many resemblances like the teams containing two boys and a girl, the sensei (who also covered his eyes), and the protagonist being possessed by a monster (demon, cursed spirit) this comparison is by no means accidental. 

The Story

The story starts with Yuji Itadori, a boy who I instantly liked. He was a very modest boy who really cared about his grandma and despite not being the strongest and the smartest around, he always stays confident (just like Naruto). 

That was Yuji in the first few episodes though. Later in the series, his character developed enormously and he grew both stronger, and as a person. This growth started when he first interacted with the cursed spirits. 

I really liked this scene where he didn’t really need much time to think and in order to protect himself and his friend, Yuji ate Sukuna’s finger like a chicken nugget. After he ate the finger, he gained a lot of supernatural strength but with the cost of being possessed by the strongest cursed spirit, the mighty Sukuna. 

Jujutsu Kaisen Side Characters, Villains, and Fights

This marked the beginning of everything Jujutsu Kaisen is and will be about. After this scene, the show introduced us to some of the best side characters in anime. Yuji got recruited by Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical High where he got two new badass teammates - Nobara Kugisaki and Megumi Fushiguro. 

Compared to Team 7 from Naruto, this team has also trained and fought together using one of the best techniques in all anime. While we are talking about the techniques, one must mention the fan-favorite, Gojo Satoru. He is the sensei (mentor) of the team and is probably the strongest character in the show. 

The fights in this anime are fantastic and there are many reasons for that. They were strategically based, tense, amazingly choreographed, and beautifully animated. The fight between Itadori and Choso, or the one when Yuji and his friend Todo fought Mahito are some of the best fights I’ve seen in anime in a long time. 

Final Words

The last thing I want to give this anime credit for is the modern and new take on the shonen series. We are used to the classic shonen stories that are more kid-friendly, but this anime takes that same system (of training to become stronger and defeat the worst enemies), to another level.

Yuji and all the other protagonists, side characters, and villains are fresh air in the anime world. This show has the potential of reaching the highest, or as many people call them, “the peak”  levels in anime. Is this the leading show in forming a new “Big 3”, a show that will set new standards and be watched for generations to come? Only time will tell.

Be sure to watch the first season and the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie and get ready for one of the most anticipated anime releases of the next year because it’s confirmed that Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 will release sometime in 2023.