From the pages of Gege Akutami’s manga to being one of MAPPA Studios' gems, Jujutsu Kaisen became one of the most popular anime in history in just a short span of time. Considered one of the new-gen “Big Three,” Jujutsu Kaisen brought about a revolution in the way shonen stories are told and adapted. The anime is a modern-day masterpiece that perfectly captures the excitement of an action anime and blends it with stellar animation and impeccable storytelling. However, when it comes to adaptations, MAPPA has proved its superiority every time the studio takes up the challenge of bringing a critically acclaimed story to the big screen.
Looking at Akutami’s work and art style, it was no easy feat bringing the JJK world to life. Understandably, MAPPA is in the habit of sticking as closely to source material as possible. However, a few subtle changes to the JJK anime by the studio have positively impacted the story on a fundamental level and elevated it to a higher standard for the better.
10 The Jujutsu Kaisen Animation and Art Style Are Far Superior
The Anime Has Been Recently Nominated For Best Character Design
It’s safe to say that Gege Akutami’s art style is in a league of its own, especially with the amount of linework and detailing the mangaka put in the story. However, when it comes to blowing away the audience simply by animation, MAPPA almost always takes points for that. Jujutsu Kaisen’s animation is breathtaking, insanely sharp, and downright spectacular. Compared to the manga, the anime is far more carefully detailed, giving the viewers a completely different and immersive experience than reading the manga.
The quality of Jujutsu Kaisen's anime impressively translates the manga but also adds those extra touches to make the story feel more alive. For instance, fans might have missed this little detail in JJK Season 2: when Gojo wakes up from his sleep at the end of his Past Arc, his eyes look sore with bags under them. This tiny detail suggests that Gojo might have been crying, remembering the happy memories of his high school days with his best friend.
9 The Jujutsu Kaisen Anime-Only Scenes Are Golden
The Anime-Only Scenes Are One of the Highlights of the Anime
It’s a classic MAPPA signature move to add special anime-only scenes to better tie a certain scene or sequence. Fans can find the anime littered with several of these additional scenes that the viewers couldn’t stop talking about. The most recent of these scenes appeared during the nail-biting showdown between Itadori, Todo, and Mahito in the final hours of the Shibuya Incident arc. When things became too hard for the fans to bear with Todo losing his arm and the power to use his jujutsu technique for good, the studio decided to “lighten up” the mood a little. A 40-second colorful sequence after Todo’s locket hits the ground is both hilarious and eye-popping because it's so “out there” and entertaining at the same time.
What almost feels like a “Magical Girl” moment with Todo having a short sequence with his imagined favorite idol, Takada is a scene that one can either completely love or hate. Similarly, there’s a small anime-only scene in Season One when Junpei is shown standing up for himself against the bullies before his moral compass goes haywire after meeting Mahito. However, this exact scene testifies to the bravery and potential of Junpei’s character, which could’ve been great to see if he wasn’t brutally killed off.
8 The Inclusion of “Juju Strolls” Is Welcoming
The Funny Skits At The End of Episodes Have Brought Fans Closer To The Characters
Jujutsu Kaisen isn’t exactly a happy-go-lucky anime. Sure, there are comedic moments now and then to lighten up the mood, but at its core, JJK is dark, and characters don’t get a happily ever after. What's more, the anime is in the habit of killing fan-favorite characters without breaking a sweat. That’s why it was a welcoming trend when the anime included the Juju Strolls. These are short comedy skits that mostly appeared at the end of Season One’s episodes.
The Jujutsu Kaisen anime gave additional touches to these skits, which Gege drew himself, which adds something light and laughable to an otherwise intense story. JJK, being as short as it is, doesn’t necessarily have the space for filler content or exploring the lives of jujutsu sorcerers. These scenes allow the fans to have a short laugh with these lovable characters, most of whom are in danger of biting the dust at any second.
7 More Time Spent on the Supporting Cast
Supporting Characters Like Maki Get Their Due Time in the Limelight
Despite the manga having considerable character development, several supporting characters don’t get their due share in the limelight as much as the fans would like. Fortunately, Jujutsu Kaisenbreaks the usual shonen tropes of focusing on the chosen one or making the story all about the leading trio. The anime takes its time to show the supporting cast’s perspective and impact on the story.
For instance, Season One did a fantastic job of exploring the personal struggles of several characters, like the rift between the Zenin sisters or the delicate relationship between Mechamaru and Miwa. Despite Nobara and Megumi being Itadori’s closest allies, the impact of Aoi Todo’s teachings and influence on his growth as a jujutsu sorcerer has been wonderfully explored with sufficient detail in the anime.
6 The Jujutsu Kaisen Anime Modified the Facial Features of a Few Characters
Slight Changes To Designs "Prettied" Up Many Characters
When color and retouches are added to black-and-white drawings, the end result is obviously slightly different and better than the original. Although the manga does justice to each character, the anime takes it one step further and makes it phenomenal. Manga readers can easily catch these subtle changes, especially in Gojo Satoru’s character design. Not that his godly figure and handsome face needed any improvement; the anime simply added those small details to make him more visually stunning.
If put side-by-side, fans can notice that Gojo’s anime version has a sleeker body with more delicate and elongated features. Another example of character improvisation is Maki Zenin, who looks more beefed up and “larger” in the manga compared to her more feminine and delicate physique in the anime. All in all, whether subtle or prominent, the character designs in the anime are top-notch, and this deviation from the source material isn’t unwelcoming.
5 Subtle Yet Impactful Changes Were Made To Jujutsu Kaisen's First Episode
The Anime Made Several Small Changes to Yuji's Character Introduction
First impressions are everything, and fortunately, JJK ensured that the audience was hooked almost immediately. Several changes and details were added in the first episode for better character development and plot buildup. For instance, Yuji’s grandfather’s death was an impactful event in his life, and it pretty much shaped his decision to swallow Sukuna’s finger to protect those who needed saving. The manga doesn’t really reflect the whole affair in detail, nor is it elaborated enough to come off as a significant event. Yuji doesn’t even mourn his grandfather’s death as much as he does in the anime, especially how he lingers over his last words.
Similarly, Yuji’s method of eating Sukuna’s finger is also slightly different in the anime. The manga talks more about the logical side of the action, while the anime depicts the urgency and weight of the situation Yuji was in. The anime inclines more towards adding the human element of making instinctive decisions for survival, and that’s something the anime has done tremendously well throughout the series.
4 Jujutsu Kaisen's Anime Villains Are More Violent and Scarier
Villains Like Mahito Are Exceptionally Vile and Brutal in the Anime
One of the most astounding things about JJK is that the anime manages to implicate several disturbing and grave things without making them too obvious. Villains like Mahito and Jogo are depicted as more violent and notorious than in the manga. For instance, to characterize how far the Curses involved with Geto are willing to go to achieve their goals, the anime depicts a disturbing scene that isn’t specifically as it is in the manga. Jogo has a flashback in Season 2 where he remembers going through with Pseudo Geto about the Shibuya attack and the sealing of Satoru Gojo.
While talking, the camera uncomfortably pans towards a group of children playing in a park with Mahito and other Curses in their vicinity, also gleefully messing around the kids unnoticed. The same scene is in the manga but without the kids, which points towards a disturbing reality that it doesn’t matter to the Curses that these are children. Their hate for humanity is indisputable and without bounds, and the scene portrays the grim reality of what will happen to the children once Mahito is done playing with them.
3 Change of Angles For Better Impact
The Anime Uses Better Angles For Implicating Important Aspects of the Story
The anime outdoes itself, especially when it comes to adding those minor details with heavy implications. There’s almost always a deep meaning or idea behind certain actions or moves the characters do in the anime. This is something that can’t be captured with as much intricacy in the manga as it can be in the anime, and JJK pulls this off simply by using different angles for the same scene. For instance, in Gojo’s Past Arc, when Gojo returns from his initial defeat against Toji, he’s in a drunken state.
He’s almost entirely consumed by the fact that he has unlocked a great power and that, from now on, no one can stand against the great Satoru Gojo. The angle in the manga of Gojo’s “awakening” is sideways, whereas in the anime, Gojo is levitating with his face towards the sky, depicting his status as the strongest. Similar changes can be seen in the “final moves” of many characters, where the camera angles are more dynamic to exaggerate fight scenes.
2 Volume 0 Was Supposed to be The Original Pilot
Volume 0 Was Later Adaptated As A Feature-Length Prequel Movie
Originally titled Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School, Volume 0 was published before the main series and was supposed to serve as the starting point for the now ongoing series. However, the manga’s success, Volume 0, was retitled as Jujutsu Kaisen 0 and made to serve as the main story’s prologue. Instead of incorporating the story with Yuta Okkotsu in the anime series, JJK 0 was turned into a prequel movie that introduced the audience to Maki, Panda, and Inumaki.
Manga readers might question why the anime didn’t choose to start with Volume 0 as its initial arc, but this change doesn’t really affect the overall story. The mention of Yuta in the series would obviously confuse viewers, but the chronological order of things would be better understood if the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie is watched first.
1 The Fights Are Lengthier and More Detailed
Jujutsu Kaisen Has Some of the Best Anime Fights
It’s a magnanimous task for a manga artist to draw high-octane action sequences compared to animating them. Undoubtedly, Akutami did a spectacular job with JJK’s fight scenes, but the anime simply takes it up a notch. One of the best things about Jujutsu Kaisen’s fights is that the anime takes its sweet time in building up the tension when the characters are going head-to-head in a high-stakes battle. The fights in the anime are more detailed, long, and intense compared to the manga and the fans are definitely not complaining.
The studio greatly improvises on the direction, moves, and build-up of almost all major fights in both seasons. There’s more excitement and impact in battles that stretch over multiple episodes and aren’t abruptly concluded to match the manga’s pace. Whether it was Itadori and Aoi Todo against Hanami or Itadori against Choso, the action was hands down mind-blowing.
