Jujutsu Kaisen has certainly made a splash in the anime world since it debuted in October 2020. This shonen anime follows Yuji Itadori, who becomes a vessel for the King of Curses, Sukuna, after Yuji eats his cursed finger. The story follows Yuji as he's accepted to the Tokyo Jujutsu High School, where he connects with new classmates, trains to become stronger, and most importantly, learns how to exorcise other curses.
The anime is filled with dark themes and storylines, though these are well-balanced with humor throughout. Still, from unexpected betrayals to deep connections to tragic deaths, there have been plenty of times when the series has melted even the coldest of hearts.
10 An Innocent But Tragic Promise Between Sisters
The backstory of Maki and Mai Zenin is nothing less than endearing. The most important moment they shared as children was when Maki helped her sister past a cursed spirit when they were children. When Mai was scared of a cursed spirit along their pathway, Maki told her to close her eyes before grabbing her hand to lead her past it.
Mai asked her sister to never leave her behind, which Maki promised since they're sisters. This moment was heartfelt and showed a new emotional side to both girls, though it ends up a bitter memory given the relationship between the sisters in the future.
9 A Cursed Spirit Makes A Difficult Decision
The Death Painting Womb brothers have a clear advantage once they're able to use their cursed technique on Yuji and Nobara. The Decay technique, once activated, will quickly rot the students' bodies, and the brother Eso estimates that they have less than 15 minutes before they die.
While Eso acknowledges that Nobara will certainly die before they can kill him, he realizes that he can't save his brother, Kechizu, so long as he's using Decay. The moment Kechizu calls out to him in pain, Eso releases the curse without even thinking about it since he 'lives for his brothers'. It's an emotional, human gesture to try and save his brother, even if that decision ends up leading to the worst outcome for the two of them.
8 Junpei Laughs As He Bonds With Yuji
Since his introduction, it was clear that Junpei hadn't had an easy life. He faced horrible bullying in school, which left him with both physical and emotional scars. Though he did seem to have friends, they appeared to leave him behind at the first sign of trouble, making it clear that Junpei was probably fairly lonely.
Then Yuji entered his life. They immediately bonded over movies soon after they meet, and watching Junpei laugh as Yuji cracked jokes made fans relieved to see Junpei so happy. It was such an important moment as the two boys quickly formed a deep friendship, and it seemed like Yuji would be able to stop Junpei from going down a dark path.
7 Toudou Declares Yuji His Brother
The friendship that develops between Yuji and Toudou is fast, surprising, and strange - but also genuine. What starts as a friendship when Toudou discovers they share the same taste in women escalates as they fight both against and alongside each other, and Toudou helps Yuji grow stronger.
It's not until after Yuji manages to land a Black Flash attack that Toudou takes their friendship to the next level, praising Yuji's strength and success and calling Yuji his brother. This moment is touching and sweet, as well as an important development in the two friends' relationship as they work together to take on Hanami.
6 Megumi's Friends Follow Him Despite The Risk
In the last arc of the series, Megumi learns that his sister's life is in danger due to a spirit, so he decides to exorcise the curse immediately before it kills her. However, since the mission is considered to be too dangerous for the students, Megumi sends Yuji and Nobara back to the school. Or so he thinks.
As Megumi approaches the bridge, he discovers that both Yuji and Nobara have followed him anyway. They say that he doesn't have to tell them everything, but they still want to help him since they're friends, and Megumi smiles as they continue forward with him. It's an unusual but not unwelcome sight for the usually stoic boy and warms hearts at the strong friendship between the three of them.
5 Yuji's Grandpa's Devastating Last Words
In the very first episode, fans are immediately confronted by death when Yuji's Grandpa dies. It's his death that spurs Yuji's desire to try and save as many people as possible, which guides his actions for the rest of the series. And even though fans barely know his Grandpa, his death is difficult to watch given his last words.
Yuji's Grandpa encourages Yuji to save as many people as he can, no matter how many people or who they are, so that when Yuji dies he's surrounded by people, unlike his Grandpa. He specifically tells Yuji, "Don't end up like me," before he dies, which left its mark on both Yuji and fans alike.
4 Megumi Proves He's Yuji's Friend By Comforting Him
Megumi, who is more often than not moody and annoyed towards Yuji, shares a heartfelt moment with Yuji that softened everyone's hearts. While Yuji is determined to participate in the School Exchange Event, it's clear that he's still hurt and upset by the incident that led to Junpei's death.
Before they begin the event, Megumi pulls Yuji aside to ask if he's doing okay. It's clear Megumi doesn't know exactly what happened, but that he knows something happened to Yuji while he was gone. Yuji admits that something did happen, but that he's okay before they both passionately agree that they don't want to lose the event that day. It's a touching moment where Megumi reveals a softer side of himself that hadn't really been seen previously, showing that he cares about his classmate and friend.
3 Panda Agrees To Visit Mechamaru
The School Exchange Event introduced fans better to a variety of characters from both participating schools. Of these, the heart-wrenching conversation between Panda and Mechamaru left quite the impression.
During their fight, Panda and Mechamaru reveal a significant amount of personal information about themselves. After learning the truth about Mechamaru, the latter is surprised when Panda still treats him as an equal and doesn't judge him. Beyond that, Panda expresses an interest in the human behind Mechamaru, offering to help him if he wants it and to come to visit him next time instead.
2 Yuji Makes The Ultimate Sacrifice
Towards the beginning of the series, Sukuna forces Yuji into a difficult decision when he holds his body hostage. The King of Curses removes Yuji's heart from his chest, meaning that if Yuji tries to regain control of his body, he will die. Sukuna incorrectly assumes this would be enough of a deterrent for Yuji.
Instead, Yuji chooses to return after Megumi makes a confession that melted everyone's hearts: even though he saves people unequally, he's never regretted saving Yuji. This reveal is enough to bring Yuji back despite the consequences. As Yuji dies, he simply requests that Megumi lives a long life.
1 Junpei and Yuji Share A Final Moment
Right before Junpei's tragic death, he and Yuji deepen their connection when Yuji realizes how much pain Junpei is in. When Junpei launches his final attack, Yuji doesn't try to dodge it and allows it to hit him.
Yuji apologizes for his prior behavior before sincerely asking Junpei about what happened and comforting him. He encourages Junpei to try and join Jujutsu High so that they can fight together in a moment that had fans optimistic for a warm and bright future for Junpei - which, unfortunately, comes to a devastating end minutes later.