Jujutsu Kaisen volume 23 reveals Akutami's original plans for Maki (& it's better than anyone expected)

Jujutsu Kaisen creator, Gege Akutami, recently revealed the original plans he had for Maki Zenin in the leaks for volume 23 of the series, which suggest that the mangaka initially wanted Maki to blend in with the American army and do the surveillance of the Culling Game.

According to fans, original plans that Akutami had for Maki are more intriguing than the current storyline, causing them to question why he didn't he go with this idea in the first place. This would have given Maki's character a broader and more unique storyline, helping her have better character development and depth.

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Jujutsu Kaisen volume 23 leaks reveals Gege Akutami's original plan for Maki Zenin

The recent Jujutsu Kaisen volume 23 leaks have revealed several fascinating new details about the manga, with one of them being Gege's Akutami's revelation of his plans for the fan-favorite character, Maki Zenin. One of the strongest characters in the series, Maki is a second year Jujutsu sorcerer born in the Zenin family.

She was born with a heavenly restriction that reduced her cursed energy to that of a non-sorcerer making her an outcast in her family. However, what energy she did have limited her from reaching her true potential. Sacrifice of her sister Mai helped Maki to get rid of all her cursed energy, granting her a body of steel with unrivaled physical abilities.

She is currently one of the most strongest and most versatile forces working within the Culling Game. The Sakurajima Colony arc sees Maki go toe to toe with Naoya Zenin who it would appear to have been turned into a Cursed Spirit after his death. Despite her role in the Culling Game, Akutami has recently revealed that he had a different plan for Maki in the beginning.

Jujutsu Kaisen volume 23 leaks have revealed that Akutami initially wanted Maki to blend in with the military and carry out surveillance of the Culling Game. In chapter 209, the American military invaded Japan in order to harvest the cursed energy of sorcerers taking part in the Culling Game. This is where Akutami envisioned Maki to be initially.

Due to her lack of cursed energy, Maki can never truly become a player in the Culling Game. This absence of cursed energy enables her to enter and exit the colonies at will without suffering the consequences faced by other players. However, it also renders her incapable of affecting the game in any way since she is not recognized as a player.

Fans believe Akutami should have stuck to his original plan and had Maki work with the military. This would have granted her more freedom to bring about effective changes or delay Kenjaku's plan. It would have also added depth to her character, allowing her to interact with normal humans and present her own point of view.

While some fans think this would've been better for the Jujutsu Kaisen storyline, others are skeptical as to how a Japanese teenager with scars all over her body would have blended in with the American military in the first place. Her fight with Naoya's Cursed Spirit is also something fans don't want to forgo for this original plan that Gege had.

Thus it is safe to say that the Jujutsu Kaisen fandom is currently divided on how they want Akutami to have proceeded with Maki's storyline. However, they are all very intrigued to see what the mangaka does next with Maki's character and what new challenges he puts in front of her.