Akutami's ingenious fix in Jujutsu Kaisen avoided a major missed opportunity moment from My Hero Academia

Jujutsu Kaisen did a number of things right which is why it stands as one of the most popular animanga series of the modern day. A dark fantasy Shonen series, the story featured a vast and memorable character roster, exhilarating fight sequences, a mind-boggling power system, detailed world-building, and an intricately written plot.

Given its modern-day status, comparisons to other series were inevitable. One such series being pitted against Jujutsu Kaisen is Kohei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia. While each of them is quite different from the others, a single aspect saved Akutami's series from an opportunity that the superhero tale seemingly missed out on - including non-Japanese characters.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinion.

---

Akutami cleverly handled Jujutsu Kaisen to avoid what My Hero Academia missed out on

Star and Stripe (Image via Studio Bones)

The missed opportunity being mentioned is Horikoshi's decision not to expand on the Heroes outside of Japan. True enough, My Hero Academia treated fans to America's No. 1 Hero in Star and Stripe. However, fans felt that her arc was underwhelming, considering what she represented and her impact.

But Star and Stripe aside, the series seems to have missed out on further diversifying its character roster and Quirks. As per the series, other countries did have Heroes and Villains, but hardly any of them were expanded upon. When the prospect of foreign Heroes was introduced, expectations were high. However, it was never explored, leaving these expectations with no follow-up actions.

The series' spin-offs were also set in Japan, with little mention of foreign nations. While these nations existed, they did not play a role in the overall storyline, although the world was at stake. Such a lack of global focus may have been a missed opportunity to explore broader cultural perspectives and creative Quirk applications.

Miguel (Image via MAPPA)

On the flip side, Jujutsu Kaisen avoided this by intentionally restricting the plot to Japan. Curses and Jujutsu Sorcerers were mainly found in Japan and operated in the country itself. Only a brief snippet of Kenjaku visiting the White House to strike a deal with the American President was presented. Apart from that, foreign countries were kept out.

This was woven together well, thanks to Miguel's introduction in the story. He was an example of a non-Japanese sorcerer, which was very rare. Even Yuta Okkotsu's training with him was kept off-screen. A reason for this whole set-up was that Tengen-series lore presents that Tengen's barriers were summoned to contain Cursed Energy within Japan, which is why sorcerers abroad were extremely rare.

Thus, unlike My Hero Academia, Akutami managed audience expectations by firmly grounding his series' narrative within Japan and providing an in-universe explanation for the same. Tengen’s barrier was an effective justification as to why Cursed Energy and Jujutsu remained unique to Japan. Thus, the story didn't feel incomplete in this aspect.

Such limitations were set early, lore-supported, and complete with character examples (Miguel) to maintain narrative focus.

---

Final thoughts

Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via MAPPA)

Jujutsu Kaisen stands out in the Shonen genre thanks to its rich storytelling, expansive character roster, and detailed world-building. My Hero Academia teased global Hero activity but didn't explore it meaningfully, which Akutami expertly avoided. The mangaka intentionally wove the narrative within Japan's borders and supported it with lore (Tengen’s barriers confining Cursed Energy).

Further supplemented by characters like Miguel, such in-universe logic presented clear boundaries and established expectations early on. My Hero Academia did bring in foreign heroes (Star and Stripe), but her arc felt rushed and underwhelming, prompting broader world-building to feel underdeveloped. All in all, Akutami retained the story's focus; avoiding gaps would lead to a feeling of incompleteness and/or narrative disconnection.

---