Summary
Jujutsu Kaisen breaks with glossy tradition by focusing on the comical battle between Takaba and Kenjaku, showcasing the author’s unique storytelling style. Interspersing a Japanese comic in the middle of the main storyline may seem random, but Akutami makes it worth reading. This unexpected approach is what made Jujutsu Kaisen so popular, revolutionizing the shonen genre while staying true to its most beloved tropes.
WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Jujutsu Kaisen #241A perfect follow-up to the biggest and most anticipated fight in Jujutsu Kaisen history, it’s not a bigger and more epic clash in the usual shonen manga fashion, but a battle pitting the saga’s more exotic characters against the real Takaba of the series. Evil – Kenjaku. Shifting the focus to this head-scratching subplot seems like a strange mistake, that is, unless one understands Accutamine’s uneven creative style and his penchant for abhorring the traditions of shonen manga.
One of the time-honored traditions of shonen superhero and fighting manga is the “big fight”. The biggest fight built up over weeks, months, or years is the rivalry fans have come to expect at any point in history. The struggle always results in a major change or disruption in the story.
Indeed, that’s the result as usual in big fights. Backstory can take many forms, but it almost always connects to or refers to the rhetoric of war. At the very least, it certainly doesn’t go off on seemingly unrelated tangents about Japanese stand-up comedy.
Jujutsu Kaisen’s next big fight is all about comedy.
Gege Akutami flips the script on that tradition in Chapter #241 of Jujutsu Kaisen. Of course, after the death of the story’s most popular character, Satoru Gojo, at the hands of Ryomen Tsukune, no one would expect Jujutsu Kaisen to focus on a battle between Takaba and Kenjaku, with Takaba promising to make Kenjaku laugh. This goes against the conventions manga fans are used to, but is nothing new to Jujutsu Kaizen.
Outside of the normal story flow, Akutami’s quirky side stories are well known to manga fans. The Kenjaku-Takaba interlude definitely departs from the main storyline, but it’s not a haphazard and random filler. Indeed, Akutami has a keen interest in Japanese comedy as he drops some informative details on the subject in his explanation of Takaba’s story. Moreover, Akutami has an uncannily creative way of weaving these interludes into the main story.
The creator of Jujutsu Kaisen’s unique yet annoying style made the series a success.
This style of storytelling often leaves fans of Jujutsu Kaizen feeling overwhelmed. Considering the apocalyptic battle between Gojo and Sukuna, it was unexpected that Kenjaku decided to fight Takaba and make it their comical battle point. This brand of innovation, however, is what made Jujutsu Kaizen so popular, allowing the series to subvert the iconic genre while staying true to its most iconic tropes.
Jujutsu Kaisen is available from Viz Media and Manga Plus.
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