Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gege Akutami. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from March 2018 to September 2024, with its chapters collected in 30 volumes. The story follows high school student Yuji Itadori as he joins a secret organization of Jujutsu Sorcerers to eliminate a powerful Curse named Ryomen Sukuna, of whom Yuji becomes the host. Jujutsu Kaisen is a sequel to Akutami's Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School, serialized in Shueisha's Jump Giga from April to July 2017, later collected in a single volume, retroactively titled as Jujutsu Kaisen 0, in December 2018.
Jujutsu Kaisen is licensed for English-language release in North America by Viz Media, which has published the manga in print since December 2019. Shueisha has published the series digitally in English on its Manga Plus platform. Two novels, written by, were published in May 2019 and January 2020, respectively. An anime television series adaptation, produced by MAPPA, aired its first season on MBS from October 2020 to March 2021; a second season aired from July to December 2023. A third season covering the "Culling Game" arc is set to premiere in January 2026.
By December 2025, the Jujutsu Kaisen manga had over 150 million copies in circulation, including related novels, digital versions, and Jujutsu Kaisen 0, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time.
In September 2025, Akutami and manga artist Yūji Iwasaki started the short-term manga series Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo. The story takes place 68 years after the main series' Culling Game.
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Synopsis
Setting
In Jujutsu Kaisen, all living beings emanate a power source known as Cursed Energy, which arises from negative emotions that naturally flow throughout the body. Most people cannot control this energy, and as a result, continually release it. The accumulation of uncontrolled Cursed Energy gives rise to Curses, malevolent spiritual entities driven to harm humanity. These Curses often manifest as grotesque monsters, drawing on traditional Japanese folklore, such as,, and.Jujutsu Sorcerers are individuals capable of controlling the flow of Cursed Energy within themselves, allowing them to use it, thus granting them inhuman abilities and minimizing its passive release. High-ranking Sorcerers and powerful Curses can refine this energy to perform Cursed Techniques, specialized abilities that are often unique to the individual or inherited through familial bloodlines. An advanced form of these abilities is known as a Domain Expansion, in which the user conjures a pocket dimension that traps their target inside. Within the Domain, the user's techniques are significantly enhanced and guaranteed to hit.
Sorcerers are governed by the Jujutsu Society, a secretive and hierarchical organization tasked with protecting non-sorcerers from Curses and managing the battles against them within Japan. Its central governing body, the Jujutsu Headquarters, is led by the Jujutsu Commander, appointed by the Prime Minister upon nomination by the three major sorcerer families: the Gojo, Zen'in, and Kamo clans. It operates educational institutions such as the Tokyo and Kyoto Jujutsu High Schools, which train new generations of sorcerers. These schools are directly controlled by the Jujutsu Headquarters, and their principals are appointed based on recommendations from the major clans. Despite its noble mission, the Jujutsu Society faces criticism for its strict adherence to tradition and the disproportionate influence of elite sorcerer clans, leading to several internal conflicts and controversial decisions.
Plot
Yuji Itadori is a high school student with unnatural physical strength and athletic ability. One day at school, his friends attract Curses by unsealing a rotten finger talisman. Yuji swallows the finger to protect Jujutsu Sorcerer student Megumi Fushiguro, tasked with retrieving the finger, unwittingly becoming host to the powerful ancient sorcerer Ryomen Sukuna. The leaders of the Jujutsu Society intend to exorcise Sukuna, and Yuji by extension. However, noticing Yuji's capability to retain control over his body, Satoru Gojo—Megumi's teacher and the strongest sorcerer in the modern Jujutsu world—brings him to the Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School for training. Gojo has Yuji's execution postponed until he consumes all twenty of Sukuna's fingers, thereby enabling Sukuna's complete destruction through his death.Meanwhile, a group of intelligent Cursed Spirits plot an elaborate attack to reform Jujutsu according to their ideals, beginning with sealing away Gojo, whose power and influence maintain order within the Jujutsu world. The group is led by Suguru Geto, a mysterious sorcerer and Curse User believed to have been killed by Gojo a year earlier, whose entourage includes the sadistic Curse Mahito, fire Curse Jogo, and nature Curse Hanami. Gojo's class of first-years—Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara Kugisaki—train by taking on missions to exorcise low-level Curses; during these, Sukuna becomes interested in Megumi's Cursed Technique and potential. Yuji is devastated after Mahito kills his friend Junpei Yoshino, confronting him with the harsh reality of the Jujutsu world he has entered. During an inter-school competition between the Tokyo and Kyoto branches, Mahito infiltrates Tokyo Jujutsu High and steals three "Death Paintings"—dormant half-human half-Curses—before summoning them to their full form. Yuji and Nobara exorcise two of them during a mission, leaving Choso as the sole surviving Death Painting.
On Halloween night in Shibuya, Geto's group launches their plan. Gojo destroys Hanami but is ultimately sealed by Geto, revealed to be the ancient sorcerer, Kenjaku, inhabiting Geto's corpse. With Gojo removed, chaos erupts. Choso defeats Yuji but spares him after a vision reveals they are brothers. Jogo force-feeds Yuji ten Sukuna fingers, allowing Sukuna to briefly take control. Sukuna kills Jogo and battles Megumi's uncontrollable Mahoraga, nearly destroying all of Shibuya in the process. Yuji witnesses Mahito killing his mentor and Gojo's colleague, Kento Nanami, and severely wounding Nobara, breaking him emotionally. With help from Kyoto student Aoi Todo, Yuji defeats Mahito, but Kenjaku absorbs the Curse and awakens countless sorcerers, advancing his millennia-old plan for a new era of Cursed Spirits.
In the aftermath, the Jujutsu higher-ups reinstate Yuji's immediate execution and appoint second-year student Yuta Okkotsu as his executioner. Loyal to Gojo, Yuta helps Yuji fake his death and joins him in seeking Master Tengen—an immortal, part-Curse part-human sorcerer. Tengen reveals Kenjaku's plan to merge the former's consciousness with the entire Japanese population through the "Culling Games"—a battle royale among the awakened sorcerers designed to accumulate vast amounts of Cursed Energy. Yuji and his allies search for a mysterious woman known as "Angel", who can unseal Gojo and help rescue Megumi's stepsister, Tsumiki, from being forced into the Culling Games. Kenjaku captures Tengen, and after finding Angel, Yuji and Megumi discover that Tsumiki's body has been overtaken by the ancient sorcerer Yorozu. Sukuna takes over, removes one of his own fingers, and forces Megumi to swallow it, transferring himself into Megumi's body. Sukuna kills Yorozu, resulting in Tsumiki's death, and crushes Megumi's will to resist his possession.
The group successfully unseals Gojo. Days later, Gojo battles Sukuna. Gojo nearly wins but drops his guard, causing a weakened Sukuna to fatally bisect him. Kenjaku is confronted by Fumihiko Takaba, a sorcerer who proves to be an effective distraction for Yuta to catch him off-guard and behead him. Before dying, Kenjaku makes Sukuna the Culling Games' master. The remaining Jujutsu Sorcerers attempt to fight Sukuna in Gojo's place but are overpowered as Sukuna regains his true form. In a flashback, it is revealed that Sukuna ate his twin brother in the womb a thousand years ago. The twin's soul reincarnated into Yuji's lineage, and Kenjaku's possession of Yuji's mother during conception combined to forge his unique physique and his capacity to host Sukuna.
With help from his allies, Yuji manages to overpower Sukuna, although Choso sacrifices himself in the process. Sukuna is stunned when Gojo reappears, only to be revealed as Yuta using Kenjaku's copied Cursed Technique to switch bodies. Yuji activates his Domain Expansion, dragging Sukuna through a vision of his hometown in a futile attempt to sway him. During this, he reaches Megumi's soul and inspires him to resist Sukuna's control. Sukuna realizes Yuji is missing one finger—used by Yuta to activate the Cursed Technique. Nobara then locates Sukuna's last finger, hidden by Gojo, and uses her Cursed Technique to strike it, simultaneously damaging Sukuna's soul and allowing Yuji to deliver a final blow. Megumi successfully frees himself from Sukuna, who disintegrates away after refusing a final chance from Yuji.
After the battle, Yuta returns to his original body. Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara undertake another mission, and Yuji reflects on Gojo's hopes and trust in him. Although Sukuna's last finger is shown, his defeat makes his return unlikely.
Production
Development
Manga author Gege Akutami first published Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School, a four-chapter series that ran in Jump Giga from April 28 to July 28, 2017. The series would later serve as a prologue to Jujutsu Kaisen and was retitled as Jujutsu Kaisen 0. According to Hiroyuki Nakano, the chief editor of Weekly Shōnen Jump, Jujutsu Kaisen received unanimous approval from the serialization committee. It debuted in Weekly Shōnen Jump on March 5, 2018.Akutami stated that Neon Genesis Evangelion influenced the mythological aspects of the series, and was also influenced by horror and found footage films. Akutami is particularly a fan of Yoshihiro Togashi, author of YuYu Hakusho and Hunter × Hunter, expressing intentions to have an art style as close as possible to his. The author is also a fan of Tite Kubo, author of Bleach, and discussed in an interview with him the similarities between their works. Other manga artists who influenced Akutami include Masashi Kishimoto and Yusuke Murata.
The magic system of Jujutsu Kaisen is largely inspired by Hunter × Hunter, whose fights, in Akutami's words, "rejects emotional arguments", stating however, that like, World Triggers author, whose magic system is also similar to Togashi's series, Akutami was trying to find and develop an own style. Akutami described the first chapter as a blend of Bleach and Naruto, and expressed regret over certain elements, such as the minimal role given to Yuji's grandfather.
Conclusion
In October 2020, Akutami stated that the story's ending and main stages were planned, but that the path between the two remained "fairly free." In February 2021, Akutami stated that the series would probably be finished within two years, declaring, however, no confidence in that statement. Akutami knew how the story for Megumi Fushiguro would end, but not for Sukuna. On June 9, 2021, it was announced that the manga would enter a hiatus due to the author's health issues; it resumed publication on August 2 of the same year. In December 2022, Akutami hinted that the manga would end within a year, stating during the Jump Festa '23 event: "If you accompany me for up to one more year, I will be very happy." In December 2023, at the Jump Festa '24 event, Akutami stated in a handwritten comment that it would probably be the last Jump Festa in which the series would continue in serialization, hinting that it would end within 2024; the series concluded on September 30 of said year.Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Gege Akutami, Jujutsu Kaisen was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from March 5, 2018, to September 30, 2024. Its chapters were collected and published by Shueisha into 30 individual volumes, released from July 4, 2018, to December 25, 2024; the final volume includes 16 pages of four epilogues newly drawn for the manga, focused on characters Yūko Ozawa, Uraume, Nobara Kugisaki, and Panda.Shueisha began to simulpublish the series in English on the app and website Manga Plus in January 2019. Viz Media published the first three chapters for its "Jump Start" initiative. In March 2019, Viz Media announced the print release of the series in North America. The first volume was published on December 3, 2019. As of November 4, 2025, 28 volumes have been released.
Akutami and manga artist Yūji Iwasaki started the short-term manga series Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo in Weekly Shōnen Jump on September 8, 2025.
Novels
Two novels written by have been released under the Jump J-Books imprint. The first, Jujutsu Kaisen: Summer of Ashes, Autumn of Dust, was released on May 1, 2019. The second novel, Jujutsu Kaisen: Thorny Road at Dawn, was released on January 4, 2020. In February 2022, Viz Media announced it had licensed the novels for English publication. Jujutsu Kaisen: Summer of Ashes, Autumn of Dust was released on December 27, 2022, and Jujutsu Kaisen: Thorny Road at Dawn was released on April 25, 2023. In September 2025, it was announced that writer will pen a spin-off novel for the franchise.Anime
A 24-episode first season of an anime television series adaptation produced by MAPPA was broadcast on MBS's Super Animeism block and TBS from October 3, 2020, to March 27, 2021. A prequel film, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, premiered in Japanese theaters on December 24, 2021.A second 23-episode season aired from July 6 to December 28, 2023.
A third season, covering the "Culling Game" arc, premiered its first part on January 9, 2026.
Video games
In June 2021, a free-to-play role-playing mobile game, titled Jujutsu Kaisen: Phantom Parade, developed by Sumzap, was announced. The game was set to be released in 2022; however, it was delayed to November 21, 2023. The game was released internationally on November 7, 2024.A collaboration with PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds was announced in August 2021. The collaboration was made available globally, except in Japan and mainland China, from February 15 to March 15, 2022.
A fighting video game, titled Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash, developed by Byking and Gemdrops, and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, was announced in July 2023. It was released on February 2, 2024, on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
The outfits from Yuji Itadori, Satoru Gojo, Megumi Fushiguro, and Nobara Kugisaki were released as cosmetic items in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang on February 18, 2023, and Fortnite on August 8 of that same year. In a limited-time collaboration with Honor of Kings, Yuji and Satoru outfits became available on November 1, 2024, alongside other thematic elements based on the series, such as a new enchanted battlefield, login screen, ranking list, and loading screens.
Stage plays
A stage play adaptation of the manga was announced at the Jump Festa '22 event in December 2021. It ran at The Galaxy Theatre in Tokyo's Tennōzu from July 15–31, and scheduled to run at the Mielparque Hall Osaka from August 4–14, 2022; however, due to an actor's injury, the stage play in Osaka was delayed and started on August 7. The play was directed by Kensaku Kobayashi and written by Kōhei Kiyasu. The cast included Ryūji Satō as Yuji Itadori, Kazuaki Yasue as Megumi Fushiguro, Erika Toyohara as Nobara Kugisaki, Sara Takatsuki as Maki Zen'in, Fūma Sadamoto as Toge Inumaki, and Takeshi Terayama as Panda.A second stage play based on the manga's "Kyoto Goodwill Event" and "The Origin of Blind Obedience" story arcs, ran at The Galaxy Theater in Tokyo from December 15–31, 2023, and at AiiA 2.5 Theater Kobe in Hyogo from January 6–14, 2024. The cast and staff returned to reprise their roles, with Nonoka Yamaguchi replacing Erika Toyohara as Nobara Kugisaki.
A stage play based on the manga's "Hidden Inventory/Premature Death" story arc, ran in Tokyo from August 22–31, and Osaka from September 5–7, 2025.
Other media
A fanbook, titled Jujutsu Kaisen: The Official Character Guide, was published by Shueisha on March 4, 2021. It features exclusive information about the series, character profiles, author commentaries, an interview and a special dialogue between Akutami and Bleach author Tite Kubo. In June 2023, Viz Media announced its acquisition, and released it on April 23, 2024.From September 16, 2022, to July 2, 2023, Universal Studios Japan hosted attractions based on Jujutsu Kaisen. These included "Jujutsu Kaisen the Real 4-D," an approximately 20-minute original animation enhanced with 4D effects like water sprays and moving seats, and a roller coaster, "Jujutsu Kaisen × Hollywood Dream – The Ride," which operated until January 18, 2023. The coaster featured an onboard sound system that allowed riders to select their own music. Separately, Universal Studios Hollywood opened the Jujutsu Kaisen: Hunger of the Cursed attraction from April 25 to May 18, 2025, as part of its Fan Fest Nights event.
In October 2022, Crunchyroll and BoxLunch announced their merchandise collaboration for the series' photo experience spots alongside My Hero Academia, in select stores in the United States. Fans could take pictures through select locations, featuring an additional installation with characters of the series. The BoxLunch stores also hosted a lottery with an exclusive meet-and-greet event with the Jujutsu Kaisen voice actors as the prize.
An art exhibition, to celebrate the series' sixth anniversary, ran at the Hikarie Hall in Shibuya from July 6 to August 27, 2024. The exhibition was held at the Grand Front Osaka in Osaka from April 19 to June 8, 2025, and in Fukuoka from July 12 to September 28 in the same year. It is set to be held in Sendai from February 14 to March 29, 2026, and in Nagoya on Q3 of the same year. An animation exhibition, in celebration of the anime's fifth anniversary, is set to be held at the Ikebukuro Sunshine City in Tokyo from December 5–29, 2025, with various cities also set to host through Q3 2026.
On July 9, 2024, McDonald's released a limited-edition Special Grade Garlic Sauce, available exclusively through its mobile app, in collaboration with the Jujutsu Kaisen franchise, and eight different characters from the series were printed on the lid of each dipping sauce container, including Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki, Satoru Gojo, Kento Nanami, Suguru Geto, Mahito, and Ryomen Sukuna. Each purchase of the dipping sauce also came with a 30-day free trial to Crunchyroll.
Reception
Popularity
Jujutsu Kaisen ranked first on the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics" by the Honya Club website in 2019. The series ranked 31st on the 2020 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine; it ranked fourth on the 2021 list; sixth on the 2022 list; fourteenth on the 2023 list; and it topped the 2024 list. On TV Asahi's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150,000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, Jujutsu Kaisen ranked nineteenth. On a 2021 survey conducted by Line Research asking Japanese high school students what manga series they are currently into, Jujutsu Kaisen topped the rankings for both girls and boys. Along with Akuta no Shinigiwa and Shitsugai-ki Shitsu Chome Tanpenshū, Jujutsu Kaisen ranked thirteenth on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2025 for male readers.In Tumblr's 2021 Year in Review, which highlights the largest communities, fandoms, and trends on the platform throughout the year, Jujutsu Kaisen ranked second behind My Hero Academia on the Top Anime & Manga Shows while Satoru Gojo was fifth on the Top Anime & Manga Characters category. It placed nineteenth on the annual Twitter Japan's Trend Awards in 2021, based on the social network's top trending topics of the year.
Sales
The Jujutsu Kaisen manga had 600,000 copies in circulation by December 2018; 770,000 copies in circulation by February 1, 2019; 1.1 million copies in circulation by February 2019; 2 million copies in circulation by June 2019; 2.5 million copies in circulation by November 2019; 4.5 million copies in circulation by May 2020; 6.8 million copies in circulation by September 2020; and over 10 million copies in circulation by October 2020, having grown 400% in one year, and about 230% in a half year. By December 2020, the series had 15 million copies in circulation. By January 13, 2021, the series had over 20 million copies in circulation, and increased to 25 million copies in circulation by January 26. By February 2021, the manga had over 30 million copies in circulation. By the start of March 2021, the series had over 36 million copies in circulation, and by the end of the month, the manga recorded over 40 million copies in circulation. By April 2021, the manga had over 45 million copies in circulation. By May 2021, the manga had over 50 million copies in circulation. By October 2021, the manga had over 55 million copies in circulation. By December 2021, the manga had over 60 million copies in circulation. By April 2022, the manga had over 65 million copies in circulation. By August 2022, the manga had over 70 million copies in circulation. By July 2023, the manga had over 80 million copies in circulation. By January 2024, the manga had over 90 million copies in circulation. By September 2024, the manga had over 100 million copies in circulation. By December 2025, the manga had over 150 million copies in circulation.Jujutsu Kaisen was the fifth best-selling manga series in 2020, with 6,702,736 copies sold. In January 2021, Jujutsu Kaisens first fifteen volumes at the time took 15 of top 16 spots of Oricon's weekly manga ranking, being only surpassed by Attack on Titans 33rd volume, which topped the list. Jujutsu Kaisen was the second best-selling manga series in the first half of 2021, behind Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, with over 23 million copies sold, while its 16 volumes at the time, were among the 25 best-selling manga volumes. It was the best-selling manga series in 2021, with over 30 million copies sold; its eighteen volumes at the time were among the top 25 best-selling volumes. It was the best-selling manga series for second consecutive year in 2022, with over 12.2 million copies sold; volume 18 was the best-selling manga volume of the year, while volumes 17, 19 and 20 were among the 30 best-selling manga volumes of the year. It was the fourth best-selling manga series in the first half of 2023, with over 3.7 million copies sold, while volumes 21 and 22 were the second and third best-selling manga volumes from the same period, respectively. Volumes 21–24 were among the best-selling manga volumes of 2023. Volume 23 was Shueisha's second highest first print run manga volume of 2023–2024, with 1.75 million copies printed; volumes 29 and 30 each had an initial print run of 1.8 million copies, making them the publisher's second-highest first-print manga volumes of 2024–2025.
In North America, the volumes of Jujutsu Kaisen were ranked on Circana BookScan's monthly top 20 adult graphic novels list since January 2021. They were also ranked on The New York Times Graphic Books and Manga bestseller monthly list since February 2021. According to ICv2, Jujutsu Kaisen was the seventh best-selling manga franchise for Q4 2021 in the United States, and it was also the sixth "most efficient manga franchise" for retailer bookshelves, based on the website's calculations of which manga franchises had the highest sales per volume. According to NPD BookScan, the first volume of Jujutsu Kaisen was ranked among the top 20 highest-selling manga volumes in 2022; four volumes were among the top 20 highest-selling manga volumes in 2023.