With the upcoming Jujutsu Kaisen film getting ready to debut in December 2021 and the second anime season close on its heels, fans need a Season 1 review. Of course, the best review is always found by diving back into the source material, but not everybody has time to binge through JJK's first season again.
For those who have too many new anime series piling up on their watch-list, making time for a JJK rerun before Yuta Okkatsu appears in Volume 0 is not an option. Luckily, the 24 episodes that make up Jujutsu Kaisen's introductory season can be broken down into a few big takeaways.
10 Yuji Is Here To Stay (For Now)
In following suit with other popular anime series that use decoy protagonists to misdirect their viewers, Jujutsu Kaisen shows Yuji losing his life to Sukuna in its fifth episode. Of course, because Gege Akutami doesn't play by anyone's rules but his own, Yuji's role as a decoy protagonist was actually a misdirection hidden within a misdirection.
After Sukuna rips out Yuji's heart, he repairs his body and brings him back to life after the two make a binding vow. This layered misdirection is entertaining but it leaves viewers with mixed feelings about Yuji's role as the series' protagonist. Perhaps Gege Akutami intended for viewers to be open-minded about his protagonist so that he could slide other characters into this role in the future.
9 Satoru Gojo Is Not Only The Strongest, But He Is also Incredibly Overpowered
Satoru Gojo's insurmountable power level is one thing Season 1 of Jujutsu Kaisen makes abundantly clear. During his debut, Satoru manages to defeat the show's primary antagonist without breaking a sweat.
A few episodes later, Satoru takes down a special grade cursed spirit while simultaneously giving Yuji a crash course in jujutsu combat. By the end of the season, it is clear that Gojo is not only the most powerful, but so overpowered that the world around him is very literally forced to bend at his will.
8 Megumi & The Ten Shadows Cursed Technique Are Extremely Reliable
Although Satoru Gojo currently works on his own to stop cursed energy from destroying humanity, Megumi's personality makes him much more suited for Satoru's role. The only thing that makes Satoru more reliable than Megumi is his strength. Outside of this, the strongest jujutsu sorcerer is little more than a disrespectful man whose only mission was handed down to him from the people he claims to hate.
Megumi proves on many occasions that he is both reliable and trustworthy. If Satoru ever falls, fans can rest assured knowing that Megumi is there to pick up Gojo's slack.
7 Nobara Is An Incredibly Strong Willed & Resilient Jujutsu Sorcerer
Nobara Kugisaki is one of the most resilient jujutsu sorcerers in the world of JJK thanks to her strong will and potent cursed technique. Though she makes a grand display of her will throughout the anime's first 21 episodes, her resilience shines in the final 3 episodes when she and Yuji are faced down by Eso and Kechizu.
These two cursed wombs are labeled as special grade and wield the Kamo families' signature blood manipulation cursed techniques. During this exchange, Nobara managed to keep up with Yuji's supernatural durability through sheer strength of will and physical stamina.
6 Maki Plus Cursed Weaponry Is A Dangerous Combination
Although she was born without a single ounce of cursed energy, Maki possess unmatched physical strength. The only peer that matches Maki's raw physical strength is Yuji Itadori, but the ignorant MC knows so little about combat and jujutsu that he pales in comparison with Maki.
The Kyoto Goodwill Exchange Event allows Maki to put her combat skills on display. Despite the fact that she cannot enhance her weapons with cursed energy or complicate her martial arts with a cursed technique, Maki still stands her own against her peers. With a cursed weapon in her hands, Maki is potentially as powerful as the strongest jujutsu sorcerers of her generation.
5 Pseudo-Geto Is Playing Chess Behind The Scenes Of Jujutsu Kaisen
The mastermind behind Mahito's actions is still operating so far behind the scenes that anime fans don't even know what to call him. Manga readers can help with this by offering up a name to the face of Suguru Geto.
Though his master plan has only just begun, Pseudo-Geto's ability to manipulate three of the most powerful cursed spirits in the entire world of Jujutsu Kaisen is worth marveling over. This sorcerer is very clearly a brilliant tactician and fans should keep an eye out for him in the future of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime.
4 The Line Between Cursed Spirit & Humanity Is A Blurry One
When Satoru Gojo explains the legend of Ryomen Sukuna to Yuji, he mentions that the cursed spirit known as Sukuna was once a real man. In the golden age of jujutsu, Sukuna managed to bridge the gap between cursed spirit and human in ways that the modern era has yet to experience.
There have been a few hints of this blurred line in the modern era. Season 1 introduces Panda as an abrupt mutated cursed corpse with the free will common of humankind. Fans also get the chance to meet Choso, Eso, and Kechizu who are each part human and part curse.
3 Yuji Itadori Still Has A Lot To Learn About The World Of Jujutsu
As the newest member of the jujutsu world and a human born without a cursed technique, Yuji knows very little about cursed energy. The anime's first season serves as a crash course on jujutsu for both Yuji and the viewers, but there is still a ton of information that still needs to be unpacked.
Throughout the anime's Season 1, Yuji learns to enhance his attacks with cursed energy and sense residual cursed energy. He also witnesses a few different domain expansions and cursed techniques. If Season 2 follows the manga faithfully, Yuji will soon bear witness to Maximum Uzumaki techniques and some impressive barrier tech.
2 The Older Generation Of Jujutsu Sorcerers Cannot Be Trusted, Not Even Satoru Gojo
Gojo makes it very clear that he does not agree with the higher-ups that rule over the world of jujutsu. After watching what happened to Yuji Itadori due to the higher-ups meddling, Gojo's distrust is validated.
Still, despite his disapproval, Satoru goes along with the higher-ups' plan of keeping jujutsu hidden from humanity by dispelling cursed spirits on a daily basis.
1 The King Of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, Is Not To Be Trifled With
Ryomen Sukuna may have taken a big loss to Yuji Itadori and Satoru Gojo on his first day back in the world of jujutsu, but he used the rest of the season to prove that he is not to be trifled with.
Sukuna's first big move literally tore a special grade into pieces and allowed him to bind Yuji with a vow that gives him free control of the boy's body whenever he pleases. After this, Sukuna sliced up Mahito for daring to touch his soul during the debut of the special grade cursed spirit's domain expansion. Sukuna spends the rest of the season buying time on his throne while Yuji expands his connection with cursed energy. Though he may seem harmless while trapped inside Yuji, fans would be wise to remember that Sukuna is a constant threat to the world of jujutsu.