Every year there are new and popular manga and anime that sweep up audiences, but Jujutsu Kaisen looks like is going to be the big manga hit for at least the next few years. The anime has become extremely popular and it’s benefitted from how it combines comforting archetypes from the shonen genre with some surprisingly grisly dynamics that skew more towards horror.
Jujutsu Kaisen features a strong and eclectic cast of characters, with the series’ protagonist being chief among them. All of these elements have helped Jujutsu Kaisen become one of the biggest manga from 2020. Jujutsu Kaisen’s manga is still running, but there are lots of other great series out there for those that are hungry for more comparable content.
10 Chainsaw Man Creates A Dangerous, Bloody World With A Trapped Protagonist
Chainsaw Man is a fantastic manga series that balances the shonen genre with heavy horror and gore. It's found a large audience and it's set to become even bigger once its anime adaptation happens. Chainsaw Man deals with Devils rather than Cursed Spirits, but the manga's protagonist, Denji, inadvertently gets swept up into a supernatural war just like Yuji.
Denji becomes a Devil slayer for the Yakuza, but a drastic betrayal transforms Denji and solidifies his status as a demonic weapon. Denji and Yuji are cut from the same cloth and the art style of these works is often similar.
9 Kekkaishi Also Deals With Students Defending Their Ground From Spirits
It’s hard to not think of Jujutsu Kaisen when reading an issue of Kekkaishi. Both manga are set in high school and treat demonic spirits as their major threat. The overlooked Kekkaishi looks at two brash heroes, Yoshimori Sumimura and Tokine Yukimura, who have reputations as powerful magic users, albeit from rival families.
Once their territory is threatened by spirits, Yoshimori and Tokine must turn to surprising sources of support to survive this war. Yoshimori and Tokine are considerably more arrogant than Yuji, but they’re all viewed in similar lights by their peers.
8 Black Torch’s Afflicted Hero Bears A Similar Cross As Jujutsu Kaisen’s Yuji
Black Torch treads in the same dark, supernatural territory as Jujutsu Kaisen, but it leans more into ninja and shinobi aesthetics than the more traditional martial arts that are present in Jujutsu Kaisen.
Black Torch's protagonist, Jirou Azuma, bears a lot in common with Yuji Itadori considering that they're both unexpectedly afflicted by supernatural complications that greatly boost their powers in ways that might be dangerous. Jirou uses this new strength to protect animals and respect the world, and Yuji is similarly motivated by pure causes. Black Torch will definitely explode even more once the manga receives an anime adaptation.
7 Yu Yu Hakusho’s Yusuke Is Also A High School Delinquent Who Hunts Demonic Spirits
It’s an infinitely relatable premise when an underachieving everyman gets thrust into a position of supernatural authority in a shonen series. Yuji from Jujutsu Kaisen and Yusuke Urameshi from Yu Yu Hakusho begin as very similar disaffected characters who genuinely improve themselves once they’re given some responsibility of a supernatural nature.
Yusuke’s journey begins in the human world, but he slowly becomes more entrenched in the demon side of things and the anime embraces deadly tournaments. Even still, there is a lot of common ground for Jujutsu Kaisen fans to appreciate here.
6 Dorohedoro Is Set In A Wild World Of Frightening Creatures
Dorohedoro mashes together a lot of different genres, but at its core, it’s a mystery about an amnesiac individual who is desperate to recover his identity and change his grim fate where his face has been turned into a lizard.
Dorohedoro paints a picture of a dangerous world where monsters, magic, and crime run rampant. The strange monsters that act as threats in Dorohedoro feel very similar to the disturbing Cursed Spirits that frequent Jujutsu Kaisen. Both manga create an uneasy atmosphere where the hero sinks deeper into a dangerous world.
5 Arago Looks At A Pair Of Twins That Are Thrust Into Dangerous Territory
There are many manga and anime series that are centered around siblings that either need to work together or are torn apart by circumstance. Jujutsu Kaisen's Yuji is an only child, but Arago looks at two orphaned twins, Ewan and Arago, that are hungry for revenge against the supernatural criminal that killed their parents.
Arago and Ewan endure a lot of pain, but the end result is that Arago absorbs the power of the criminal that's plagued them. Arago's volatile transformation and the path that he's set on is very similar to Yuji's journey once he becomes infected.
4 Blue Exorcist & Jujutsu Kaisen Both Show The Dangerous Cost Of Power
Power is often a double-edged sword in manga and anime and some of the most compelling series are the ones that explore how power is a responsibility that shouldn't be abused.
Yuji in Jujutsu Kaisen gains access to unbelievable strength once he becomes the host for a Cursed Spirit and the same is true for Rin and Yuko, two brothers in Blue Exorcist that learn that they're the sons of Satan. Rin becomes obsessed with killing his corrupt father and balancing the scales, just like how Yuji wants to rebel against the very force that's given him power.
3 Mononogatari Swaps Cursed Spirits For Mysterious Tsukumogami
Jujutsu Kaisen's Yuji grows into a formidable hero, but it takes him some time to shape up and understand the responsibility of his role. Hyoma Kunato, the lead in Mononogatari, is a similar individual who'd rather turn his back on his power than become a prolific figure.
Mononogatari is a series that deals with tsukumogami, which are spirits that possess inanimate objects and give them a humanoid form. Hyoma is skeptical towards tsukumogami in the same way that Yuji despises Cursed Spirits and he's forced to reckon with his beliefs once tsukumogami become a regular fixture in his life.
2 Tokyo Ghoul Also Features A Tortured Protagonist Caught At A Crossroads
Tokyo Ghoul has a very mixed reputation with audiences and while it’s true that the anime got wildly off course, the manga maintains quality and is the right way to experience this gripping story. Tokyo Ghoul is set in a world where a war wages on between humans and ghouls, with Kaneki Ken playing a special role as a hybrid between the two.
Kaneki’s complicated position mirrors Yuji’s stance in Jujutsu Kaisen once Sukuna’s Cursed Spirit becomes a part of his body. The two manga cover comparable ideas that go to very different places.
1 Sakamoto Days Allows A Bloody Past To Confront A Mundane Present
Sakamoto Days is almost like if A History of Violence were a more comedic and exaggerated manga series. There's a similar level of dread and danger that's present in both Sakamoto Days and Jujutsu Kaisen, but the former adopts a much lighter tone that's able to appreciate the more comedic side of assassins and organized crime.
Taro Sakamoto is an out-of-shape, in love, convenience store worker, but in his youth, he was one of the most notorious assassins. Sakamoto's past catches up with him and his challenge to compare to this older version of himself is very satisfying.