Jujutsu Kaisen: Why did the Anime cut off Itadori's love?

Summary

Romance takes a backseat in Jujutsu Kaisen, as Season 1 omits Yuji Itadori’s love interest, Yuko, to focus on the main plot. Yuko is introduced as Itadori’s classmate and has feelings for him, but her role is minor and she does not confess her feelings. While romance may not play a major role, Jujutsu Kaisen stands out for its action and nuanced portrayal of female characters, challenging genre norms.

Romance is not a major factor in the action-packed world of Jujutsu Kaisenespecially in the coming of age arc of main character Yuji Itadori, which is why a particular character was cut from Season 1. Since most of the first season focused on the plan to delay the death sentence of Yuji until all of Ryomen Sukuna’s fingers were pulled out. Having watched it, it can be understood that the movie did not address Itadori’s love at the same point as the manga.

Much of Itadori’s character development in season 1 revolves around his adherence to the “value of life” philosophy, which allows him to evaluate his connections to those around him. Yuji is clearly affected by the emotional weight of his grandfather’s last words, which inspires him to actively help those around him before it is too late to do so.

After enrolling in Tokyo Jujutsu High School, Itadori developed a wide variety of skills, along with the extremely rare ability to contain Sukuna’s soul within his mortal body, which is understandable. pay a high price. Therefore, due to the nature of the show, the first season of Jujutsu Kaisen completely omitted Itadori’s only love interest, Yuko Ozawa.

Yuko is a small but memorable character in Jujutsu Kaisen

In the original manga, Yuko was introduced before Gojo’s Past arc as Itadori’s classmate when they were in middle school. While Yuko harbors feelings for Yuji, she decides not to reveal them, although she musters the courage to ask to take a photo together on their graduation day. In chapter 64 of the original Jujutsu Kaisen manga, when Itadori and Yuko meet again, she finally decides to reveal the true nature of her feelings. However, in the end she couldn’t confess. This scene occurs much later in the anime than in the manga.

Although she only plays a small role, Yuko’s presence is interesting, as she is considered Itadori’s only love interest. In addition to bringing complex characters and breathtaking action to life, Jujutsu Kaisen is also beloved for its nuanced portrayal of female characters, as summarized in the Kyoto Goodwill Event Section, in which characters like Maki Zenin emerge as nuanced and powerful in their roles. as formidable jujutsu wizards. Keeping this in mind, it will be interesting to see the ways in which romance can weave its way into the overall story, along with whether Itadori’s potential love is presented in a meaningful way. Are not.

Will Yuko be important in the future of Jujutsu Kaisen?

Although the anime eventually included Yuko in Season 2, her absence from the first season raised questions about Yuko’s importance in Jujutsu Kaisen. It’s possible that when the series ends, Yuko will reconnect with Yuji and settle down with him, but given the current tense fighting situation at the end of the manga, it’s unlikely she’ll play a role. main in the story beyond that. Even if she never shows up again, that would be fine in the end because her brief scene with Yuji served its purpose wonderfully. By establishing the joyful calm before the storm of the Shibuya Incident, Jujutsu Kaisen deepened many of the tragedies of that arc.

Ultimately, Jujutsu Kaisen is a film that focuses more on action than romance. This doesn’t stop other modern Shonen series like Chainsaw Man from exploring that theme a bit, but Akutami generally avoids it. However, regardless of whether the romance is for Yuji or not, Jujutsu Kaisen attempted to revolutionize the Shonen genre by challenging and breaking established genre norms and formulas.

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