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One of the many strengths of Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen series is how well-written its characters are, from top-to-bottom and regardless of alignment. Both heroes and villains are exceptionally well-fleshed out, which, understandably, leads to some passionate feelings from fans regarding certain characters.
These universal sentiments toward Jujutsu Kaisen's key players are typically based on feelings of love and hatred, though not all go to such extremes. That being said, there are certainly controversial characters, both heroic and villainous, who elicit extreme reactions from fans.
Here are 4 Jujutsu Kaisen characters who are universally loved, and 4 more who are controversial.
Yuta Okkotsu, 4 other Jujutsu Kaisen characters whom fans love
1) Maki Zenin
Kicking off the list is a fan-favorite who recently burst back into the manga’s spotlight, Maki Zenin. Despite lacking any Cursed Energy or Cursed Technique, she’s one of the most beloved characters amongst fans for her unique style and characterization. Despite being the black sheep of a family that actively discourages her jujutsu career, she persists.
Some key moments which initially endeared fans to her primarily came from the Goodwill Event arc, where her fights versus Miwa and versus Hanami with Megumi let her shine. In the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, the characterization and progression she’s made since then as a fighter and person has only further won fans over.
2) Yuta Okkotsu
The events of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 have caused anime-only fans to absolutely fall in love with Yuta Okkotsu. While manga readers have plenty of events beyond those of the prequel story to appreciate him, many anime-only fans have claimed him to be one of, if not their, favorite characters after just one movie.
His journey of growth within the aforementioned prequel story is a major part of this, allowing him to be himself and grow as a person right in front of the audience’s eyes. Without a doubt, he’s one of the few universally loved characters in the series.
3) Megumi Fushiguro
Megumi Fushiguro is so universally loved by fans that many argue he should have been Jujutsu Kaisen’s protagonist instead of Yuji Itadori. While it is debatable if fans would feel the same way about him were the roles reversed, it nevertheless proves how universally loved he is by the series’ fanbase.
Nearly everything he’s done from his first appearance has only served to further enchant fans, resulting in him being one of the series’ most popular characters. Fans praise everything from his design and writing to fight scenes and abilities, finding nearly no faults with his character.
4) Nobara Kugisaki
Similarly, Nobara Kugisaki was also incredibly beloved by Jujutsu Kaisen fans upon her initial introduction and characterization. Her cocky attitude combined with an incredibly flashy Cursed Technique naturally captured the attention of viewers, in addition to providing great balance to the core trio of herself, Yuji, and Megumi.
While her absence in the manga as of late has been felt, it hasn’t resulted in fans raving about her any less than when she was constantly on screen. In fact, she’s one of the characters fans are most excited about the return of, despite no signs that it’ll happen soon. But when it does, her enduring popularity among fans will only be reinforced.
Satoru Gojo, 3 other Jujutsu Kaisen characters who are contentious
1) Yuji Itadori
Despite being the series’ protagonist, or possibly even due to this role, Yuji Itadori is one of Jujutsu Kaisen’s most controversial characters in terms of fan reception. Fans generally have strong feelings for or against him, and his recent absence from the manga has only served to draw a line in the sand between the two camps.
Nevertheless, his character is so divisive that fans feel it almost forces them to pick a side of the fence, especially when he’s surrounded by the beloved Nobara and Fushiguro. It’s a unique thing to see a somewhat typical shonen protagonist be so divisive, but Gege Akutami seems to have struck gold in that regard with Yuji.
2) Naoya Zenin
Naoya Zenin is yet another Jujutsu Kaisen character who consistently finds himself in hot water with fans. His sadistic attitude certainly plays a role in this, especially when his fangs are bared at Choso and Maki Zenin. This is especially true for the latter, in both their original fight and the latest one from the most recent manga issues.
Furthermore, fans have consistently cited his overall creepy demeanor and mannerisms as something that is a near-instantaneous turnoff to his character. It’s certainly not the best look, and many fans agree that it does far worse than alienate them from Naoya.
3) Satoru Gojo
While this entry may seem controversial to some fans, one of the main reasons for Gojo's inclusion on this list is that the creator of Jujutsu Kaisen has expressed dislike for him. While this may seem surprising to some, there are several veritable sources which see Akutami express this distaste for a monster which he created.
Beyond this, fans generally find his easygoing attitude to be excessively at odds with the almighty power he possesses in the jujutsu world. While he’s certainly a unique character, some fans argue that this juxtaposition simply doesn’t work, despite many fans also loving him for those exact reasons.
4) “Brain” Geto
Finally, "Brain" Geto (as he’s known to anime-only fans) is a character for whom fans have a very complicated set of emotions. On one hand, he is the body of Suguru Geto and appears to have the same ideals the original sorcerer once had before dying by Gojo’s hands. Conversely, there are clear enough distinctions between "Brain" and the original that fans are unable to get over.
One such distinction comes in the form of their cruelty, with "Brain" being much crueler to humanity and Cursed Spirits overall than the original Geto once was. While the shock value of such morals and actions is somewhat successful in drawing fans in, it has no lasting value in terms of emotional attachment to the character.
As a result, he’s become incredibly controversial as Jujutsu Kaisen has progressed, especially once his true identity was revealed.
