Gege Akutami was born on February 26, 1992, in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. He later moved to Sendai, Iwate Prefecture, when he was in fifth grade. Akutami began drawing after being inspired by his friend, which ultimately motivated him to become a professional mangaka.
He is best known for creating the weekly Shōnen Jump series, Jujutsu Kaisen. However, Jujutsu Kaisen isn’t his first manga; that title belongs to Kamishiro Sōsa, released in 2014. Akutami’s most famous work, Jujutsu Kaisen, is set in a supernatural world where a boy named Yuji Itadori, the main protagonist, consumes a cursed finger that grants him supernatural abilities. After swallowing the finger, Yuji becomes the host for a powerful ancient curse named Ryomen Sukuna, who is regarded as the strongest sorcerer in history. To find a way to exorcise Sukuna and protect others, Yuji joins a secret organization of Jujutsu sorcerers at Tokyo Jujutsu High School to hunt down the remaining fingers of Sukuna, all of which are potent cursed objects.
The story follows Yuji’s journey as he learns to control his new powers, allies himself with fellow students Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugisaki, and is mentored by his teacher, Satoru Gojo. Throughout the story, they confront cursed spirits born of negative human emotions.
Before Yuji’s story begins, there is another cursed child named Yuta Okkotsu, who plays a significant role in the sequel to the original manga. Yuta was an ordinary boy until his childhood friend Rika Orimoto died in an accident, and her spirit became a powerful, vengeful curse that attached itself to him. This curse made Yuta timid and isolated, as it would harm anyone who bullied him. His situation attracted the attention of the Jujutsu world, leading Satoru Gojo to take him to Tokyo Jujutsu High, where he became Yuta’s mentor and helped him learn to control and eventually free Rika’s spirit. Although Yuta was initially sentenced to execution, his punishment was postponed by Gojo, who believed that young children should not be killed based on the Jujutsu higher-ups’ perception of them as dangerous threats to jujutsu society.
This situation parallels Yuji Itadori’s, as he, too, faced an execution order for consuming the cursed finger; however, his execution was indefinitely postponed after an agreement between Gojo and the higher-ups, allowing him to remain alive until he consumed all of Sukuna’s fingers. Gojo had no intention of executing Yuji; instead, he aimed for Yuji to gain control of Sukuna’s power and use it to challenge the existing system.
Throughout the story, Yuji learns to control his powers effectively through missions and partnerships, particularly with Aoi Todo. Their bond is incredibly strong, akin to that of brothers, and during their time together, Yuji achieves an impressive feat: he hits four consecutive Black Flashes. The Black Flash is a phenomenon in which a user’s physical attack and cursed energy impact a target simultaneously within a minuscule window of time (one-millionth of a second). Yuji accomplishes this incredible feat just a few months into his journey as a Sorcerer.
By the conclusion of Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuji sets the record for the most consecutive Black Flashes, achieving a total of eight in a single battle against Ryomen Sukuna. This accomplishment ultimately leads to his victory over Sukuna, though it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of his mentor, Satoru Gojo. The version of Sukuna that Yuji fights is weakened by the immense damage Gojo inflicted on him in their earlier confrontation.
Akutami’s new manga is set to feature Yuta Okkotsu’s grandchildren, who will interact with Rika, Yuta’s old best friend. The grandchildren must face new challenges with the arrival of aliens, whose ship is a refugee vessel seeking a new home. The aliens discover that humans possess sorcery abilities similar to their own, recognizing that sorcery may have originated from their race and that humans have developed it in a way that mirrors their powers. This development has excited fans of Jujutsu Kaisen, as it introduces a fresh twist to the franchise, beginning with Yuta’s death, and most of the old characters either do not appear or are much older.
When I asked Moses Rodriguez what he thought the future of Jujutsu Kaisen would look like, he responded, “In my opinion, the manga is already over; the spin-off may bring some traction back, but I would say it is done. Besides, maybe the animated adaptation will be a big hit.”
