Highlights
- Yuji Itadori’s lack of special powers is overshadowed by his moral outlook and principled nature.
- Yuji’s bravery and selfless actions, like eating Sukuna’s finger, demonstrate his loyalty and courage.
- Despite the challenges from the powerful Sukuna, Yuji’s resilience and selflessness shine through in all his actions.
Despite being the protagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuji Itadori doesn’t possess any special powers. His cursed technique remains a mystery, and his talents pale before Satoru Gojo’s. However, there is a reason for him being the focal point of the narrative due to his moral and principled outlook on life, which guides him through his life.
At the beginning of the series, Yuji promises his grandfather that he will help others, save as many as he can, and live a life without regrets that he can be proud of. The world of Jujutsu Kaisen is a harsh, unforgiving place that often challenges Yuji’s ideals as various characters attempt to break him. Despite this, he maintains his principles and withstands all that life throws at him with dignity, maintaining his desire to do good.
8 Ate Sukuna’s finger:
Demonstrated his bravery
The day Yuji became a sorcerer is also a day he displayed his courage and selflessness. When he learned that his friends were in danger, Yuji didn’t hesitate to enter a battle with forces unknown to him and aid Megumi, despite the latter telling him to stay behind. While reckless, this decision portrays Yuji as a loyal and caring friend.
This battle culminates in a powerful curse coming close to eating Yuji, putting him in a difficult situation. Instead of giving up or breaking due to fear, Yuji continues to act bravely, willingly eating Sukuna’s finger so he can get a chance to claim the power to resist. This pivotal decision changed Yuji’s life, yet he was willing to take it to save his friends.
7 Held Sukuna back:
Resisted the King of Curses
Yuji is the polar opposite of Sukuna, who are paragons of selflessness and selfishness, respectively. When the King of Curses is locked in Yuji’s body, he would, at times, attempt to take control or mentally break Yuji. Sukuna is much more powerful and ruthless, making Yuji’s struggle for power with him all the more difficult.
Nevertheless, Yuji always remained a stalwart and resisted Sukuna. While there were moments when he was willing to give in to save his friends, those were exceptions, with Yuji denying Sukuna at every opportunity. Even expert sorcerers were surprised at Yuji’s resilience and willingness to aid their cause despite initially seeing him as a dimple vessel to contain.
6 Befriended Junpei:
Showed his Empathy
Not all of Yuji’s noble deeds are his charging into battle or wrestling with curses. Sometimes, he can show empathy and understanding to people many others would’ve ignored and decried. This is the case with Yoshino Junpei, a lonely boy suffering from his peers’ cruelty and teachers’ uncaring demeanor in school.
When Junpei met Yuji, he finally found a person who was kind to him and willing to talk to him about their shared interests. Yuji saw a very good friend in Junpei and provided some necessary light and levity in his bleak life. While it did not last long, this shows Yuji’s kind and caring nature, as he is always willing to provide emotional support for those in need.
5 Tried to save Junpei:
Didn’t give up
Yuji’s dedication to Junpei did not stop at befriending him, however. When Mahito manipulated Junpei into attacking his own school, Yuji had to take him on. Instead of further pushing him towards this dark path, Yuji tries his best to understand Junpei and provide him with sympathy and understanding after he learns of his mother’s death.
Yuji almost convinced Junpei to join Jujutsu High, but Mahito quickly destroyed this hope, turning Junpei into a transfigured human. Despite knowing him for only a few days, Yuji is willing to make a pact with Sukuna if he gets a chance to save him. This demonstrates how much Yuji cares for Junpei’s well-being and how self-sacrificial he is.
4 Defended innocents:
Displayed his nobility
Even when Yuji does not have a personal connection to an innocent bystander, he is still willing to defend them. This is shown at multiple points during Jujutsu Kaisen, especially during the Shibuya Incident arc. At the start of the crisis, Yuji followed Mei Mei’s lead and did his best to fight against the locust curse to liberate Mahito’s hostages.
Later, in Shibuya, he did all he could to minimize casualties, charging into the heat of the battle countless times. This is evident during his battle with Mahito, where Yuji attempts to shield people from Mahito’s transfiguration. The cursed spirit used Yuji’s care to his advantage, crushing his hopes and murdering countless people right in front of him.
3 Proved his innocence:
Maintained his benevolence
One of Yuji’s darkest moments that filled him with despair was when Sukuna overtook him during the Shibuya incident. As the King of Curses battled with Jogo and later Mahoraga, a massacre caused the deaths of countless innocents. Yuji couldn’t control himself, but he could see and feel every death that Sukuna caused.
This was a major source of trauma for Yuji and led multiple sorcerers to consider him extremely dangerous and deserving of extermination. This culminated in Yuji standing before Hiromi Higuruma and proving his innocence. In the end, Yuji managed to prove that Sukuna was behind the murders, maintaining his good nature.
2 Challenged Sukuna:
He was willing to risk his life to save a friend
Yuji’s conflict with Sukuna has been at the core of Jujutsu Kaisen’s story, and every major event has served to further it. Sukuna plays his trump card against Yuji, the pact he made with him towards the start of the manga. This causes Sukuna to take the body of Fushiguro Megumi, go on a rampage, and murder Satoru Gojo.
However, despite such a display of strength, Yuji remained brave in the face of an opponent far more powerful than him, willing to employ strength and strategy to bring him down. He is also shown reaching out to Megumi’s soul and trying to return his friend’s soul despite his pain and despair. The outcome of this battle is still uncertain, but Yuji remains determined.
1 Defeated Mahito:
Brought down a dangerous curse
Among all cursed spirits, one of the most dangerous is Mahito, the embodiment of human hatred. He can transfigure souls and bodies by the simple virtue of touching them and has absolutely no moral code to hold him back. He killed multiple beloved characters of Jujutsu Kaisen, such as Nanami Kento, and he remained a constant threat throughout his lifetime.
The battle between Yuji and Mahito became the climax of the Shibuya Incident, with both putting all of their strength forth in an attempt to end each other. This caused Yuji severe trauma and forced him to his limits, causing him to lash out at Mahito in rage, finally bringing the curse down. While Kenjaku killed Mahito, Yuji stripped him of his power and brought him to his knees.
Leave a Reply