Jujutsu Kaisen has been making waves in the anime community. The amazing storyline, enigmatic characters, high-intensity fights, dark comedy, and high-quality animation have captivated fans and critics alike. However, there’s one thing that concerns the fandom, which is Yuji’s overall role in the story. Yuji’s journey in the series so far has been underwhelming, especially when you compare him with the might of other characters like Gojo and Yuta. The boy has been overshadowed by side characters so often that it makes us wonder: Is he the weakest or the most sidelined protagonist in anime history?
This is an opinion article written based on the author’s perspective mainly around the Anime and less around what’s happening in the Manga so far.
Lack of Unique Abilities
The Shonen genre has always been famous for its outlier anime protagonists and powers system, which makes them special from other characters. For instance, Naruto possesses Nine Tail Fox, the strongest-tailed beast; Ichigo Kurosaki possesses the power of both a Soul Reaper and a Hollow; and Tanjiro from Demon Slayer, despite not being the most robust character, can use various breathing styles. All these characters have something utterly unique from their peers, which makes them the “protagonists.” On the other hand, we have Yuji, who has no special abilities.
Jujutsu Kaisen has numerous techniques, Domain Expansions, Cursed Tools, Reverse Cursed Techniques, and Cursed Energy Traits, but our protagonist, Yuji, doesn’t have even any one of these. The only power he ever received was Black Flash, which cannot be used consciously, and the one he learned from Todo. Other characters like Megumi Fushiguro, Satoru Gojo, Yuta Okketsu, and Maki Zenin have their own unique powers or abilities. Without Sukuna, the only thing that sets Yuji apart from normal humans is his exceptional physical prowess and his high battle acumen.
Reliance on Ryomen Sukuna
What makes Yuji relevant is being the vessel of Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses. However, unlike Naruto, who had passive benefits from possessing Kurama, Yuji has no such benefits; he has little to no control over Sukuna’s powers. Later in the Manga, Sukuna leaves Yuji’s body and possesses Megumi, who has more potential and talent, according to the King of Curses. At this stage, without Sukuna, Yuji can only use the most basic techniques in the JJK universe.
Limited Training and Experience
All Shonen series have arcs dedicated to showing the main protagonist’s growth, training, and gaining experiences before being thrust into some major battles. However, the protagonist of JJK had no such privileges.
After eating Sukuna’s finger, Yuji was abruptly thrust into the world of sorcerers without much training or learning anything about the sorcerers’ world. He had to fend off all the dangers with basic combat skills that Gojo and Nanami had taught him or by borrowing Sukuna’s powers. Meanwhile, his peers Megumi, Nobara, Todo, Maki, and Toge have all been trained since birth, and they have received constant power-ups in the Manga. Maki has grown so strong that even Sukuna is taking her seriously.
Shonen series are enjoyable because of their power systems, protagonists, and battles between good and evil. Jujutsu Kaisen has notable villains and side characters, but the main character himself just falls short. Jujutsu Kaisen’s power system has a lot to offer to this character, from powerful cursed techniques to powerful cursed tools, but Yuji has none of these.
We don’t know what Gege Akutami has in mind for Yuji. Whether he intends to create the weakest protagonist who is not even able to defend his views or the ones he cares for or if he has something big for Yuji in store. He has lost his teacher, friends, and the people he cares for but has still not been able to gain any power-ups.
One thing is clear: Yuji, as a protagonist of a Shonen series, has been severely lacking. It would have been better if characters like Megumi or Yuta were the main protagonists. Their background stories and their consistent growth throughout the whole series make them a better option than Yuji. If Gege really wants to go with Yuji, then he’ll have to give Yuji some overpowered abilities. Well, Gege never fails to surprise us, so there’s hope that the Mangaka will knock our socks off by bringing Yuji into the limelight once and for all.
