This article contains spoilers from Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 269.
Summary
Jujutsu Kaisenis incredibly close to wrapping up, and fans know that the story essentially just has one more chapter left now. Next week,JJKwill finally conclude, which essentially means that this beloved story will enter the history books as one of the most popular mangas to ever come out of Jump. WhileJJKcertainly had a phenomenal run, it certainly has its downsides. Of course, no author has ever produced work that’s been free from criticism. That certainly doesn’t mean that the story itself is bad.
The same logic applies to Jujutsu Kaisen as well. The series certainly does some things brilliantly, but it failed greatly in some other aspects. When it comes to handling the main trio of the series properly,JJKdoesn’t do an adequate job, and leaves fans wanting for more. The progression of all the three main characters in the story, that is,Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi, was lackluster, and it certainly could have been much much better.
Megumi’s Role In Jujutsu Kaisen Was Cut Short Because Of Sukuna
Megumi Became A Vessel For Sukuna In The Culling Game
When it comes tothe role of Megumi Fushiguroin JJK, fans know that for most of the story, he was handled well. In fact, Megumi was getting involved in every major story arc in the series, and he was showing constant growth both in and outside of Battle. Megumi was certainly an incredible character who continued to better himself as a person, and, at the same time, as a sorcerer. Fans were deeply invested in his relationship with Yuji Itadori, and at the same time, his growing powers as well. Unfortunately, the culling game Arc is where Megumi’s character took a massive hit. Megumi was taken over by none other than Ryomen Sukuna, and ever since then, fans simply did not get to see him in action again. For a significant portion of the story, Megumi was in Sukuna ’s control, and essentially served as a vessel to allow the King of Curses to reincarnate and fight other sorcerers. Everything that Megumi was working towards was essentially stripped from him, and fans were left with nothing but a shell. Of course, at the end of the story, Megumi certainly did return, however, despite him wanting to grow more, he did not have much time to do that.
In the end, I wanna try living for someone else once again. – Megumi
Megumi was used as a means to further Yuji’s character, and everything else that he had set out to do for himself was essentially squashed by the author. Of course, that doesn’t take away from Megumi being a loved character. Fans will always hold him dear to their hearts, but, it absolutely cannot be denied that Megumi’s growth was stunted by Sukuna having taken over his body, and it certainly affected his character arc, both as a person, and as a strong sorcerer, tremendously.
The fix to this was quite easy. If JJK had continued beyond this Arc, then Megumi having been taken over would not have mattered as much. He could still have continued to progress his character arc, and this would have just been a bump along the road that he had to face. But, fans know that to not be the case.
Nobara’s Role In Jujutsu Kaisen Was Shambolic
When it comes to wasted potential in the main trio of Jujutsu Kaisen, it was Nobara who was dealt the worst cards. She was a force to be reckoned with, at least at the beginning of the series. Fans were absolutely amazed by how much attention Nobara had received at the beginning. In fact, she was a breath of fresh air for many, and even though her personality still felt hollow at the beginning, at least she was showing constant growth, and at the same time, was doing things that one wouldn’t expect from female characters in Jujutsu Kaisen. However, this did not last beyond the first arc or two.When the Shibuya Arc began, and Nobara’s story took a massive turn. She was essentially killed off in this arc. Now, having seen her return later down the line, fans know that she did not actually die. But, she was essentially cut out of the story in ways that left fans scratching their heads.
In the battle against Mahito, the curse dealt a dangerous blow and half her face was essentially blown off. Nobara was left dying in a pool of her own blood, and while it was confirmed that she wasn’t entirely dead at that point, fans did not hear from her until the very end of the series. Essentially, this felt like a cheap way for the author to take her out of the plot, because he did not have any idea of what to do with the character. Even if the author had any plans for this character, the fact that he essentially took her out of the story and brought her at the very end, only to deal one small attack that helped Yuji further his own character and take out the king of curses, meant that this was a massive failure on the part of Gege.
Nobara’s personal ambition, her character arc, her strength, and just about everything else about her was meaningless in the end. Sure, she did return in an emphatic way at the end, and fans absolutely loved this moment. But, that is not to say that this moment did any good to her character. Nobara was out of the story for over half of it, and that certainly does not bode well for the character. She had tremendous potential and had Gege continued focusing on her in the same way that he did at the beginning, she would certainly have gone on to become a generational character.
Yuji’s Role In Jujutsu Kaisen
Yuji Itadori Never Truly Grilled The Fans
Yuji Itadori is the protagonist of the series, and again, a character who, while often at the center of things, was lackluster. In fact, the author himself admits that Yuji is, in many ways, underwhelming and not interesting enough. In fact, Yuji has never even won his own character popularity polls, with him finishing second to Gojo in the previous one. Now, popularity polls are certainly not a good metric to measure how good a character is. However, what fans know for a fact is that Yuji’s growth throughoutJujutsu Kaisenhas felt underwhelming. The fact is that Yuji has never been an interesting character that would grip the fans, or, represent the very soul of the series.
That’s right! I can kill you, Sukuna! – Yuji
JJKis the kind of story where the side characters are much better than the protagonists, and are better suited to carrying the plot forward. For instance, the vast majorityof the fans consider Gojoto be the face of the franchise. Some others prefer Yuta to Yuji, and there is clearly a reason for this. While this might be confusing to many, Yuji simply has not been fleshed out as a character properly. That does not mean that fans need to know every bit about his past. This simply means that Yuji needs to represent certain themes and the author needs to execute them through him to perfection, which is something that he failed to do.
Jujutsu Kaisen is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and theManga Plusapp. The release date for the next chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen, Jujutsu Kaisen 270, is set to be June 02, 2025.
