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Jujutsu Kaisen is the top Shounen action anime right now, especially with Jujutsu Kaisen the Movie coming out soon. But as with any Shounen action anime, Jujutsu Kaisen is often compared to iconic Shounen classics, specifically the Naruto series.
Because Jujutsu Kaisen shares a lot of tropes with Naruto, the comparison is not unjustified, but it is unfair. Here are seven reasons why Jujutsu Kaisen is not another Naruto.
7 key reasons why Jujutsu Kaisen is not a modern Naruto
1) Itadori Yuuji is darker than Uzumaki Naruto
Uzumaki Naruto is cheerful, optimistic, and despite his crippling loneliness and his desperate desire to be included, Naruto is a layered but simple and bright character. Itadori Yuuji on the other hand is a complex, darker protagonist whose issues come from not being neglected but from his need to justify his right to live.
Spurred on by the dying words of his grandfather, he believes that saving people can make his existence worthwhile. His obsession with saving people and his slow descent into despair is the antithesis of the upward journey of Naruto towards his goal of being loved and acknowledged.
2) Fushiguro Megumi isn’t Uchiha Sasuke
As a character, Uchiha Sasuke is inconsistent and much less layered than even Naruto. While some of his reasons can be understood, Sasuke’s actions can hardly be justified. Fushiguro Megumi, on the other hand, is as complex as Yuuji, with a ridiculous lack of self-worth that leads to his self-sacrificial tendencies.
Unlike Naruto and Sasuke’s antagonistic but co-dependent bond that forms the crux of Naruto, Megumi and Yuuji maintain a steady friendship of trust and understanding.
Megumi’s ideal of saving those who deserve to be saved clashing with Yuuji’s ideal of saving as many people as possible, forms one of the central questions of Jujutsu Kaisen: What does it mean to save people.
3) Kugisaki Nobara and Haruno Sakura, and the portrayal of female characters
There can hardly be any comparison between the female characters of the two series. Naruto is infamous for its underdeveloped female cast, while Jujutsu Kaisen has one of the most well-utilized female casts among popular Shounen-action mangas.
The character of Haruno Sakura is criticized for lack of depth and direction to the point that she is one of the most hated Naruto characters. Akutami Gege is far ahead of Kishimoto Masashi in this aspect, and Kugisaki Nobara is not only competent and assertive but one of the most practical and justifiably loved characters in Jujutsu Kaisen.
4) Sukuna vs Kurama
For being demonic beings who are trapped inside their respective protagonists, the Kyuubi Kurama and Ryomen Sukuna are almost complete opposites. Unlike Kurama, who is portrayed as a misunderstood ally and source of power for Naruto, Sukuna is arrogant, cunning, hedonistic, with no concern for Yuuji at all.
Sukuna is created as a foil to Gojo Satoru, and continues to be one of the chief antagonists in Jujutsu Kaisen.
5) Plot structure
In keeping with the older Shounen-battle manga structure, Naruto has a branching storyline. Every arc is separate, with its own villain, loosely connected by the evolutions that the main characters go through. Jujutsu Kaisen is linear, every arc is interconnected, moving cohesively towards one resolution.
While many arcs have a prominent antagonist, they are all connected to the main plot, and no arc is concluded completely in itself. Naruto’s size also allows for a more idyllic storytelling, like the first arcs of Hunter x Hunter, while Jujutsu Kaisen is fast-paced and cramped, with barely any room to process things.
6) Themes
Naruto has a much lighter theme, focusing on perseverance and inspiration, and the importance of interpersonal relationships, with little to no deeper philosophical questions other than in the Pain Arc.
Compared to Naruto’s straightforward journey towards becoming the Hokage, Yuuji’s need to save as many people as he can before his execution, to live a good life so that he can have a good death, is far more complex and ambiguous.
Jujutsu Kaisen is driven by the philosophy of life and death, and its central question is what is a good life, and what is a good death. There are many heavier, darker questions throughout Jujutsu Kaisen, and most of them do not have an answer.
7) Morality
Naruto is mostly morally black and white, with a thin veil of gray in the background. The right and wrong are clearly highlighted, the heroes and villains are clearly defined. This is why Naruto’s role as a beacon of light is so absolute, and why Sasuke’s journey from light to dark and back to light was possible.
Jujutsu Kaisen is more ambiguous, filled end to end with morally gray characters. Every character, protagonist or antagonist, has a different moral code, and no code is completely right or completely wrong, except perhaps Mahito who is just purely evil. Instead of a broad line, multiple thin lines define the right or wrong in this universe, making Jujutsu Kaisen a much more realistic story, relatable to the older section of the audience.
By mangaka Gege Akutami’s own admission, Jujutsu Kaisen is inspired by a lot of older mangas, including Hunter x Hunter, Naruto, One Piece, and others. The series often adapts a popular trope and perfects or subverts it, but Jujutsu Kaisen is not a successor to any of the classics, especially Naruto, and makes a place of its own.
Note: The article reflects the writer's personal opinion.
