Yuta Okkotsu from Jujutsu Kaisen is the protagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen 0, the prequel to the main series. Of course, he makes a comeback later on in the series. Fans have drawn several parallels between Yuta and the series' protagonist, Yuji Itadori. However, Yuta is unique in his own right.

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When he first appeared, Yuta's goal was to feel like he truly deserved to be alive. A special grade vengeful cursed spirit named Rika haunted him, causing Yuta to lose confidence in himself. Yuta has proven to be a much stronger, confident jujutsu sorcerer upon his return to the story.

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for Jujutsu Kaisen and its prequel, Jujutsu Kaisen 0!

10 Yuta Is Empathetic & Seeks To Understand Those Around Him

Yuta and his curse Rika in the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie

Throughout Yuta's time in the story, he's proved that he's a very empathetic person- especially after learning how to form meaningful relationships.

Firstly, he was quick to understand Toge Inumaki. Before they were sent on a mission, Yuta was apprehensive of Toge. Quickly, Yuta began to understand Toge. The two worked together to exorcise the cursed spirit. Then, he sought to understand Maki's motivations to become a sorcerer. Recently in the story, Yuta met Yuji Itadori —who he was quick to empathize with because their situations were so similar. Yuta reassured Yuji that Sukuna's actions weren't his fault.

9 Yuta Is Naturally Friendly, But He's Become More Confident In Himself

Yuta ready for battle in Jujutsu Kaisen 0.

Yuta was initially introduced as a faint-hearted, socially anxious boy. He was afraid of his own shadow. Yuta couldn't quite connect with others the way he wanted to because he was easily frightened by others. He lacked confidence entirely. However, Yuta has always been naturally friendly — he just had difficulty expressing himself.

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However, this changed after his time at Jujutsu High and in Africa. Socializing became less foreign to him, and he became significantly more confident. During his time in Africa, Satoru visited him and was shocked to see Yuta cracking jokes like an average teenager.

8 Yuta Looks Out For His Underclassmen

Yuta Okkutsu and his curse Rikka in the new poster for Jujutsu Kaisen 0

Since his return to the story, Yuta's proven to be a reliable senpai to his underclassmen. Despite having never met Yuji, he went out of his way to pull the wool over the higher-ups' eyes to protect him. He also swore to Yuji that he would put an end to Sukuna if he were ever to take over Yuji's body for a prolonged period again.

Yuta also volunteered to help Megumi rescue his sister from the Culling Game. Additionally, Yuta is the only upperclassman who earned Megumi's respect — and if that's not a testament to his character, then nothing is.

7 Yuta Has Indomitable Resolve

yuta okkotsu

It's a given that jujutsu sorcery is not for the faint of heart. One would have to be pretty brave to go into the profession. However, Yuta has undoubtedly endured some unusual circumstances, even in the world of jujutsu.

Being afflicted by a vengeful cursed spirit is challenging on its own. As Satoru said, there's no curse more twisted than love. Despite losing confidence, Yuta regained faith in himself and found the resolve to become a jujutsu sorcerer who can keep other people out of harm's way.

6 Yuta Is Determined & Persistent

Yuta in Uniqlo's new Jujutsu Kaisen shirts

After his conversation with Maki during Jujutsu Kaisen 0, several things were put into perspective for Yuta. Maki became his mentor, but she also called him out for isolating himself and never having a goal to achieve. His conversation with Maki lit a fire inside of him.

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After that, he worked and trained for months to become better. Yuta didn't want to be physically or mentally weak anymore. Yuta took everybody's words and advice to heart. He used them to push himself through training. Yuta remains determined and persistent in his desire to continue improving.

5 Yuta Is An Expert At Strategizing & Deception

Yuta explains his true plans to Yuji.

One of the most intense scenes in the manga was when Yuta made his comeback. He made a binding vow with the higher-ups to kill Sukuna's vessel, but he was actually acting on behalf of Satoru the whole time.

Yuta crafted a genius plan to make it look like he killed Yuji, but then he quickly revived him using his reversed curse technique. Yuta wore the facade of a cold-blooded, apathetic murderer, even though this couldn't be further from the truth of his personality. Yuji quickly found this out when he woke up with Yuta by his side, laughing and saying that it's a relief that he's alright.

4 Yuta Has A Heart Of Gold

Yuta Okkotsu from Jujutsu Kaisen 0.

Throughout his time in the story, Yuta has only expressed wanting to do the right thing for those he cares about. The only time the audience ever saw a true "dark side" was when Yuta was enraged enough to harness Rika's power, by his own will, because of Suguru's actions. Even then, it was all to protect the people he cared about. In recent manga chapters, Yuta has offered to help the first-year students out in significant ways, though he only just met them.

From the beginning, he's only wanted to feel like he deserves to be alive and keep others out of harm's way. Yuta's heart is always in the right place, even if he has to put up a facade that would lead one to believe otherwise.

3 Yuta Is Loyal To His Friends

Yuta and Inumaki high-five each other.

Since Yuta grew up very lonely after becoming haunted by Rika, he truly appreciates having friends around. As a result, he's fiercely protective of them. It also seems like he genuinely tries to find common ground with the people he encounters. When Suguru gravely injured his only friends during the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, Yuta was enraged. He was fully intent on killing Suguru to avenge his friends.

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When he returned to Jujutsu High, he was willing to protect Yuji from the higher-ups even though he had never met him. Though he did it at the request of Satoru, Yuta learned just how much he has in common with Yuji. He even vowed to protect him and stop Sukuna if he ever retook control.

2 Yuta Has Seriously Improved His Combat Ability

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 teasers

Though Yuta was frail and physically weak initially, he trained tirelessly to become a better combatant. He's become one of the best in the series with skills involving weaponry and direct, hand-to-hand combat. He's also observant during battle and can quickly take advantage of his opponent's weakness — as shown when he fought Yuji.

During this fight, he used Yuji's primary focus on the katana as a way to throw him off balance and ultimately win. Even without weapons, Yuta has become strong enough that he was able to knock out one of the Death Paintings with one punch.

1 Yuta Has Immeasurable Potential As A Sorcerer

Yuta and Rika on the cover of Jujutsu Kaisen 0.

While Satoru is regarded as the strongest jujutsu sorcerer on the planet, Yuta holds far more cursed energy than him. He is one of four special grade sorcerers to get recognized by Jujutsu High, primarily because of the immense strength Rika holds. Though Satoru is the strongest, it's only because Yuta hasn't yet reached his full potential as a sorcerer.

Yuta has immeasurable cursed energy. As soon as Yuta enters a room, other jujutsu sorcerers feel the amount of power he holds. It's why Maki, Panda, and Toge were ready to attack him on their first encounter. Yuta also has several techniques to go along with this amount of cursed energy. He has advanced cursed energy control, making it hard for enemies to predict his next move. He can also mimic other abilities, such as Toge's cursed speech. Yuta has mastered reverse cursed energy to the point where he can perform it repeatedly — a feat that even other, more experienced sorcerers can't quite achieve.

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