Highlights
- Jujutsu Kaisen’s Shinjuku Showdown arc disappoints fans with repetitive battles and character disposability.
- The gap in power between Sukuna and everyone else is a major source of criticism in the latest arc.
- Despite criticisms, the repetitive nature of the arc may be part of the story Gege Akutami wants to tell and could lead to a satisfying conclusion.
Very few other anime/manga have had as quick and drastic of a rise in popularity as Jujutsu Kaisen. With millions of dedicated fans all over the globe calling it the greatest new-gen Shonen series, this franchise is acclaimed because of its fascinating world, lovable characters, insane power system, and jaw-dropping action. However, many fans have been left disappointed with the way things have been handled in the latest arc.
Jujutsu Kaisen’s Shinjuku Showdown arc is likely to be the series’ final one. It has been ongoing since May 2023, already making it a lengthy arc filled to the brim with incredible action and shining character moments. Despite its good points, there are quite a few glaring problems with it, which fans say make it almost as disappointing as the finale of Naruto. So, let’s address this claim and see whether this is true or not.
The Story Of The Arc
|
Start of the Arc |
Jujutsu Kaisen, Chapter 222, “Foretokens” |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
May 15, 2023 |
|
Previous Arc |
The Culling Game Arc |
The climax of the Culling Game arc comes when Sukuna finally takes over the body of Megumi Fushiguro, giving him access to the powerful Ten Shadows Technique, putting him on a level far beyond everyone else. To battle him, the heroes knew that Gojo was the only one strong enough to do so, so the focus of the arc then shifted back to the need to free Gojo from the Prison Realm.
After some time, the heroes were finally able to pull this off, leading to Gojo coming face to face with the 2 final villains of the series, Sukuna and Kenjaku. While there, the date for the battle of the strongest was set, where Gojo would finally go head-to-head against Sukuna in a fight that was foreshadowed in the very first chapter of the series. And certainly, this fight did not disappoint.
Lasting a total of 15 chapters, the strongest sorcerer of the modern era fought against the strongest sorcerer of all time in an all-out war that was filled with incredible moments. From powerful Domain clashes to the full utilization of their Cursed Techniques, Gojo and Sukuna showed the world the apex of sorcery in a fight that was going both ways multiple times in the fight. After perhaps the toughest fight of his life, Sukuna finally managed to defeat Gojo by slicing him apart with his new move.
Since then, many new fighters have jumped in against the King of Curses but each of them has met their end, save for Yuji himself. In this arc, Sukuna has proven himself to be on a level that is far superior to everyone else in the whole series.
You did well, Gojo Satorou. I won’t forget you for as long as I live.
Why Are Fans Disappointed?
The biggest reason why fans are left disappointed by the direction of the Shinjuku Showdown arc is due to its repetitive nature and how they feel writer Gege Akutami isn’t respecting the characters that they have grown to love. Sukuna had always been built up as the strongest sorcerer of all time, but no one could have expected how great the gap between him and everyone else truly was, as only Gojo could even do anything to him.
Gojo put up a great fight but was defeated in the end. Ever since he fell, everyone else on the side of the heroes has essentially been swatted away like flies, which many fans believe to be quite nonsensical due to the amount of damage Sukuna sustained in his fight with Gojo. With all that damage taken, it makes no sense for him to retain enough strength to kill everyone around him so easily, which many detractors chalk up to being lazy storytelling. As of Chapter 262, Sukuna is missing limbs, has brain damage, and is heavily fatigued, but still manages to be just as dangerous
This is even a point that the narrator and the heroes have brought up quite often whenever a new stage of their plan is introduced, but Sukuna still proves to be strong enough to counter it. Moreover, this also leads to another common criticism of Gege not respecting many of his characters. Over time, fans have grown quite close to these characters and have come to love them, but they prove to be disposable fodder for Gege, who kills them off.
The repetitive nature of the arc is as follows; Sukuna defeats someone, a brand-new aspect of Jujutsu High’s plan is revealed with another character joining the fight, they do well against Sukuna, Sukuna eventually gets some sort of power-up and proceeds to kill them. This has happened to pretty much everyone after Gojo was out of the picture except for Yuji.
Are These Valid Criticisms?
The point of comparison that people make to the finale of Naruto is that it was very disappointing in the eyes of many fans. Madara was built up as an unstoppable force that no one could defeat, but Zetsu just so happened to be the only one who could, leading to a revival of Kaguya and a final battle. In that sense, there is a similarity between the two series, as the villain is on a level that simply no one else can defeat him, making it very difficult to write his eventual downfall, if there is even going to be one, in a way that seems fair and justifiable.
A hierarchy not based purely on strength is boring, if you ask me.
However, despite the repetitive nature of the arc undoubtedly being true, it should be noted that this is simply the story that Gege wants to tell. So, perhaps not all the harshest criticisms are valid here since this is the direction that he had been planning for his story to go in, and perhaps the way things have ended up have evoked an emotional response from fans because of how committed to the story they were.
For now, all that remains for the criticism of the series is how it concludes. Simply put, fans do not know what Gege is cooking, so perhaps the eventual end of the series will make everything that came before it make sense when it is shown.
Jujutsu Kaisen can be streamed on Amazon Prime and Netflix.
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