Why does Gojo hate the higher ups in Jujutsu Kaisen? Explained

Jujutsu Kaisen often explores different philosophies, and the way Satoru Gojo wants to change the Jujutsu world could be one of the most underrated aspects of the series. A lot of critics often say that Gojo is just an overpowered character who is there for the fanservice, but he actually has a strong motivation to improve the world, and his passion for teaching is often rooted in past trauma he went through.

In that regard, perhaps Satoru Gojo's biggest foil in Jujutsu Kaisen is the higher-ups of the sorcerer world. They are the ones running the different schools and giving orders and missions to Jujutsu sorcerers, which is something that has led to a lot of tragedy, and Gojo has often clashed with them, leading to some interesting analysis of why he hates them and how that is rooted in his own life experiences.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen series.

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Jujutsu Kaisen and Satoru Gojo's disdain for the higher-ups

Despite the fact that the higher-ups run the Jujutsu world, Satoru Gojo, at least in theory, wouldn't have a lot of problems taking care of them. There is even a point earlier in the manga where he states that killing them would be the easy choice and would only lead to more chaos, which is why he decided to teach: to create a generation that could change the world for the better.

One major theme that author Gege Akutami has shown in the series is that the younger characters are often sent on missions and die in the process, which Gojo has witnessed firsthand. Riko Amanai, while not a sorcerer, died simply because she ended up involved in the Jujutsu world, and her life was nothing but a game to those people.

Another good example was what happened with Satoru Gojo's lifelong friend, Suguru Geto, and his mental decline as a sorcerer. The more time Geto spent ending Curses and eating them because of his Cursed Technique, the more he struggled with the idea of protecting humans and became a genocidal maniac, which led Gojo to kill him and Kenjaku to take over his body, which is why Satoru doesn't want that to happen with his students.

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The nature of Jujutsu society and the higher-ups

Gege Akutami has made a lot of efforts to show that the world in Jujutsu Kaisen is rotten and morally broken, which is shown through the higher-ups' unwillingness to change and other elements. Whether it's Mei Mei working as a sorcerer despite having no moral codes or the abuse non-sorcerers such as Maki or Toji had to go through in the Zen'in clan, the people in charge never bothered to change the system.

Another character who shared a similar view as Gojo but acted differently was Nanami Kento. Nanami tried to separate himself from the rest of the Jujutsu world, trying to focus on making money and retiring early, only to be brought back into the fold when necessary. This eventually led to him dying against Mahito in the Shibuya Incident, which was another example of these people being forced to serve despite wanting something different in life.

Gojo has said several times in Jujutsu Kaisen that his students should be allowed to enjoy their youth, and it is hard to deny that his experiences with Geto in his teenage years are the motivation for that reasoning. His disdain for the higher-ups is rooted in how they view Jujutsu sorcerers as mere tools for their goals, whether those are right or wrong, which has caused a lot of damage along the way.

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Final thoughts

Jujutsu Kaisen has a ton of interesting elements, and Gojo's hatred of the higher-ups could be one of the most fascinating because of the philosophical clash these characters have. It's a concept that Akutami should have explored in the series and one of the key elements that define Gojo's character and his motivations in the series.