While there's no denying that Jujutsu Kaisen and Naruto are two different franchises with completely different storylines and characters, both titles quickly rose to fame right after their debut. A good shonen anime can be identified with the first episode only, and these two series' premieres were more than enough to let viewers know they were in for something really great. Naruto can be considered a shonen classic and is part of the Big Three in shonen anime.
Though it's much more recent, Jujutsu Kaisen has a massive fan base and is on its way to becoming one of the best new-generation anime. However, ever since it began, fans have been pointing out some key similarities between the two anime that are too difficult to ignore. In fact, creator Geke Akutami once revealed that Naruto was one of the major influences in creating Jujutsu Kaisen. Here are the similar concepts that make fans compare the two shonen heavyweights.
Both Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen Have Legendary Mentors
There are many similarities between Jujutsu Kaisen's Satoru Gojo and Naruto's Kakashi Hatake. Both are considered legends in their fields and are known among everyone for their talent. Kakashi was revered as a worthy foe even among distant shinobi nations. On the other hand, Gojo is the strongest jujutsu sorcerer in the world. They both have white hair and special powers in their eyes, and also wear masks to hide those eyes.
Not to mention that Gojo and Kakashi are equally cool, talented, fearless and relentless. Even in terms of laziness, fans can definitely see the similarities between those characters. Kakashi is always late to his lessons, whereas Gojo pushes his responsibilities onto his students. Of course, these details are only for comedic relief and don't mean any harm to come toward their students. Despite their aloof behavior, they care deeply for their students.
Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen Have the Same Team of Four
The team dynamic in Jujutsu Kaisen certainly reminds fans of Naruto's famous Team 7. Not only do both teams have similar mentors, but they both comprise two boys and one girl. Their personalities also parallel in a lot of ways. Megumi Fushiguro is distant and irritable like Sasuke, but cares about his team and comes through when they really need him. Nobara Kugisaki is headstrong like Sakura Haruno and is very proud of her femininity. Lastly, Yuji Itadori is a naive yet lovable protagonist like Naruto, with a strong sense of justice.
In Konoha, every new genin will be assigned to a team of three under the mentorship of a jonin. As such, the four ninjas will work together as a team and carry out missions assigned to them. Though in Jujutsu Kaisen, it was simply a coincidence that Gojo's class ended up with the same dynamic. There were only two first-years to start with, but some unavoidable circumstances led to Yuji joining the class as well. Not many people in the world have the power to become a jujutsu sorcerer, hence why there were so few students.
Both Protagonists Are Hosts of Powerful Ancient Entities
Both Yuji and Naruto have powerful legendary entities inside their bodies, which were shown in the first episode of their respective series. Naruto had the Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama sealed inside his body shortly after his birth. Kurama was one of the most powerful beings in the world, born from the powers of the ten-tailed beast over a millennium ago. Naruto was unaware of Kurama residing in his body for a long time.
However, in Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuji swallowed Sukuna's finger voluntarily to save Megumi and ended up sharing the same body as him. Like Kurama, Sukuna was also one of the world's most powerful sorcerers born over a thousand years ago. During the golden age of jujutsu sorcery, Sukuna was the strongest -- so much so that all the sorcerers at that time had to come together to defeat him. After Yuji took his powers, Sukuna was reincarnated as a curse. Since then, Yuji joined Jujutsu Tech High School in order to become a full-fledged jujutsu sorcerer and consume as many of Sukuna's fingers as possible.
JJK's Jujutsu and Naruto's Taijutsu
There are three major types of jutsu in Naruto: ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu. Among these, taijutsu is executed by directly accessing the user's physical and mental energies. It relies on the stamina and strength gained through training. Taijutsu is a synonym for jujutsu, a fighting method unarmed or with minor weapons. Shinobi who can use ninjutsu or genjutsu usually train in taijutsu as well since it is the most important technique required to fight in close combat.
In Jujutsu Kaisen, jujutsu refers to all skills and forms of sorcery that sorcerers and cursed spirits can access through the manipulation of their own cursed energy. Though the main functions of taijutsu and jujutsu in both series are different, the base concept remains the same. The sorcerers and curses usually engage in close combats unarmed. Though there are exceptions such as Maki, that is only because she is unable to use any innate techniques.
Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen Have Similar Summoning Techniques
In Naruto, a Kuchiyose Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu) allows the ninja to summon animals, objects and even the dead to fight on their behalf. It is one of the most popular Jutsu in the series, especially because of the iconic scene of Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura in the Fourth Great Shinobi War where they used similar summons as their masters, the legendary sanins.
In Jujutsu Kaisen, Megumi Fushiguro and a few others possess a somewhat similar ability. What's more, both skills require hand signs as well. The only difference is that they summon shikigami (familiar curses conjured and controlled by jujutsu users) they have made a contract with and let them fight on their behalf. Regardless, the summoning techniques are considered exceptionally strong and useful in both Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen.