Highlights
- Gojo’s blindfold serves a crucial purpose, shielding his Six Eyes ability to sense curse energy at an atomic level.
- Young Gojo didn’t wear his iconic blindfold due to imperfect powers and reliance on Six Eyes, opting for sunglasses instead.
- Author Gege opted for sunglasses for young Gojo to differentiate his appearance and showcase his constant reliance on Six Eyes.
Satoru Gojo’s name is synonymous with Jujutsu Kaisen itself, with the character rising to prominence because of his eccentric personality and god-like powers. However, the most iconic and memorable part of his characterization is his blindfold, which Gojo can be seen donning for the most part of Jujutsu Kaisen. However, this gives way to one slight peculiarity, as young Gojo was never witnessed wearing his iconic blindfold during the Hidden Inventory arc.
Since his blindfold isn’t merely a stylistic choice, it’s all the more bizarre to witness him in action without covering his eyes. However, the reason behind this change in appearance all boils down to the advancements in Satoru Gojo’s powers, coupled with a few artistic changes on the author’s part.
The Purpose of Gojo’s Blindfold
Gojo’s Blindfold Is Much More Than a Stylistic Accessory
Gojo’s blindfold goes beyond a simple design element in his characterization, as his eye covering serves a crucial purpose. Satoru Gojo is a man of many talents and abilities, yet one of his most prized powers is his gift known as Six Eyes. Through his Six Eyes, Gojo can sense curse energy at an almost atomic level, coupled with extremely high visual and sensory prowess.
Sensei has the Six Eyes, so the energy that’s lost when he activates a cursed technique is infinitesimally close to zero.
Since the Six Eyes are a passive trait that cannot be deactivated at will, Gojo’s eyes remain in a perpetually active state, leading to fatigue due to their overuse. To counter this drawback, Gojo is forced to cover his eyes whenever he is out of combat, all in a bid to lessen the strain of such immense visual prowess. While Gojo is seen in sunglasses or bandages outside of combat, his blindfold seems to be his go-to cover. However, this piece of clothing is only consistent in his later years, which begs the question of why he never wore it during his teenage years.
Why Doesn’t Young Gojo Wear a Blindfold?
During the Hidden Inventory arc, fans were able to witness Gojo in his teenage years as a student of Jujutsu Tech. While his strength was nowhere near comparable to his current prowess, he was still considered one of the strongest sorcerers at the school. However, his Six Eyes and Limitless techniques were still imperfect at the time, as he had yet to master the true potential of both techniques.
While the primary reason is that his strength at the time didn’t require him to constantly cover his eyes, there’s another explanation to why author Gege kept Gojo’s blindfold limited to his present character. It’s worth noting that Gojo still wore sunglasses that were completely tinted black, meaning his eyes were covered to some extent even back then. Nevertheless, Gojo’s lack of his iconic blindfold can be explained by both in-universe and out-of-universe reasons, which clearly demystify this peculiarity.
Gojo’s Six Eyes Was Yet to Be Perfected
During the Hidden Inventory arc, Gojo was merely 16 years old, and his Six Eyes ability was far from perfect. While he still possessed superior visual prowess that fatigued him, it was nowhere near his current potential. Since the ability wasn’t at its peak, its resultant fatigue was also comparatively miniscule, leading to Gojo opting for completely blacked-out sunglasses instead.
Moreover, in his teenage years, Gojo relied more on his Six Eyes ability to fight curses and curse users, making sunglasses a more convenient option to take off in battle. The current Gojo rarely overuses his Six Eyes ability in battle, since his overpowered arsenal of abilities leads to him rarely taking off his blindfold to fight opponents. This naturally makes a blindfold a better option in his later years, considering he rarely has to take it off to fend off enemies.
A Differentiating Style Choice
While there are a few in-universe reasons that explain Gojo lacking his iconic style during his teenage years, one out-of-universe explanation also presents a viable reason for this design choice. To differentiate between Gojo’s adult appearance and younger appearance, author Gege opted for a stylistic choice that would stand out from his usual appearance.
Sunglasses were the natural choice, since they also gave his character a somewhat naive and youthful expression. Moreover, his eyes were more visible during the entire arc despite covering them with glasses, a subtle aspect that showcased his constant reliance on his Six Eyes ability. In a way, Gege’s stylistic choice for young Gojo paid off, as viewers can not only differentiate between his two versions, but also witness this fan-favorite character in two strikingly different appearances.
Jujutsu Kaisen is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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