Jujutsu Kaisen Breaks Masashi Kishimoto’s Protagonist Rule — Here’s How Gege Akutami Makes It Work

Shonen usually lives or dies by its lead. If the main character hits, the audience sticks. Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto has literally said as much. But every rule has an exception, and Jujutsu Kaisen might be the cleanest example of a mega-hit that got huge while its protagonist, Yuji Itadori, struggled to be the reason why.

'In the end, whatever the manga's like, if readers fall in love with the main character, they're gonna read it.'

The rule, the exception, and why it matters

Kishimoto is not wrong. Most long-running shonen series live on the bond between reader and hero. Jujutsu Kaisen is the odd twist: it exploded worldwide in just a few years, yet a big chunk of the fandom will tell you Yuji is not what made them fans. The series became a juggernaut anyway.

Why Yuji didn’t quite click for a lot of fans

• On paper, Yuji checks the standard shonen boxes and he does grow, but compared to the rest of the cast, his arc never had that spark that makes people plant a flag and say: that’s my guy.
• His story is compelling, sure, but Jujutsu Kaisen is stacked with characters who are darker, stranger, and more emotionally layered, which fits the series’ mood. Every time they show up, they steal the oxygen.
• By the time Yuji starts catching up to that tonal depth, the audience has already picked favorites.
• Case in point: side characters like Toji Fushiguro and Yuta Okkotsu routinely outshine him, which is not the usual shonen balance of power.

The Gojo effect

And then there is Gojo Satoru. Yuji’s mentor, the strongest sorcerer, and the guy who turned into the franchise’s unofficial mascot whether creator Gege Akutami wanted that or not. Gojo’s mix of playful arrogance, razor wit, and basically broken power levels made fans fall hard, fast.

When Akutami killed him off in the story, the internet went loud trying to will him back. There have even been recurring rumors that Akutami doesn’t like Gojo as a character, which only adds to the weird meta-drama. Regardless, his popularity is undeniable. He became the face of Jujutsu Kaisen and, frankly, kept carrying mindshare even after his death. Very few anime or manga characters rocket to that level of fame that quickly.

What fans are waiting for now

Even now, fans are hoping Akutami resurrects Gojo in the sequel spin-off, Jujutsu Kaisen: Modulo, and lets him resume his role as the de facto center of gravity. Intended or not, Gojo is the brand. It feels like he will be for a long time.

Do you think Akutami will ever introduce someone who can genuinely replace Gojo? I’m not betting on it, but I’d love to be wrong.

Jujutsu Kaisen is streaming on Crunchyroll.