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“Jujutsu Kaisen” was released on March 5, 2018 under the author/mangaka Gege Akutami. The series is typically sold in a 30 volume collection with the prequel, “Jujutsu Kaisen Zero” attached. It ended in December of 2024, to the great disappointment of fans everywhere, with an ending that left most conflicted.
This article will not spoil the ending, but touch on the main plot and some important aspects of the characters that make the manga worth reading and the anime worth a watch. The anime currently has three seasons out as of Jan. 2026.
To viewers who are caught up with the anime or are generally interested in reading the manga, I implore you to take the time to read it. If you plan on picking up the manga after the Shibuya incident, start around chapter 137 (“Hard and White”) or 138 (“Premonition”) for Yuta Okkostu’s introduction. It starts roughly before season three and the Culling Games arc.
The series follows protagonist Yuji Itadori through a world of curses and evil set in the year 2018. He has his first brush with curses after running into Megumi Fushiguro, a Jujutsu Sorcerer in training in the search for a cursed object, Sukuna’s finger. Itadori informs him that the occult club has it and plans to take the ancient seal off of it, much to Megumi’s horror.
Itadori goes on to follow him to save the occult club along with Megumi and ends up swallowing the ancient curse, Sukuna’s finger, and on a one-in-a-million chance, gains the curse’s consciousness.
Because his body is able to handle Sukuna’s power, the academy for Jujutsu Kaisen sorcerers decided that he will devour the rest of the curse’s fingers, which would allow for his execution once and for all.
There are several characters that make this series worth a read, such as Yuji Itadori, Maki Zenin and Yuta Okkotsu. Itadori is a key character; with his struggle as Sukuna’s vessel, he is constantly faced with fighting against the ancient curse’s power in an attempt to not hurt anyone.
He is constantly at odds with himself as he attempts to control the curse and protect the people that he loves against himself, while also annihilating other curses. He is a lovable protagonist with a deep personal struggle throughout the series, making him more relatable in the long run.
Maki is more of a minor character until the Culling Games arc when she serves her part in wiping her own clan off the face of the Earth. She is cool to follow if you want a strong female character to root for.
Overall, the manga is really good with likeable characters and an interesting plot worth following. If you have the time, pick up this manga either in the stores (Books-A-Million), online or read online for free, but I will warn that there are plenty of ads that you have to dodge.
