Summary
Gege Akutami incorporated Buddhist themes into Jujutsu Kaisen, a narrative choice heavily inspired by Evangelion. The series uses Buddhist symbolism and explores concepts such as the Womb and the Painting of Death. Fan theories suggest that Gojo Satoru’s return is tied to Buddhism in the film.
Maker Jujutsu Kaisen, Gege Akutami, recently named three anime series that particularly inspired him on his manga journey. How does he explain? These three extraordinary series helped him improve his work.
In an interview with Edomonogatari, Gege Akutami and Bleach creator Tite Kubo answered questions and delved into their personal experiences writing manga. When discussing their main inspirations, Akutami listed three truly incredible series: Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, and Missionary. These works are extremely popular and certainly represent some of the best anime of all time.
“Bleach was my initial inspiration in elementary school, then Hunter x Hunter and Evangelion were added in middle school… Since Evangelion is steeped in mythology, I concluded that I should take a different approach by converting to Buddhism.” – Gege Akutami, Edomonogatari
These manga even pushed Akutami to take Jujutsu Kaisen in a completely different direction, as the author said. inspired by the use of mythology in other works, especially Evangelion. Evangelion is filled with religious phrases and images, weaving these themes into the story.
The creator of Jujutsu Kaisen was inspired by Bleach, Hunter x Hunter and Evangelion
Akutami was inspired to incorporate symbolism, mythology, and religion into his story.
Akutami explained that when he noticed the use of religious and mythological images and themes in the manga he loved, he started combinethesethemes into his own manga, especially Buddhism. He noted that Evangelion was the series that convinced him to include more symbolism. Evangelion uses a variety of religious themes, including the use of alien “angels,” the title “Evangelion,” evocative religious connotations, and repeated references to Jewish Kabbalah. Although the creator of Jujutsu Kaisen was inspired by these references, he chose to approach his work differently and instead incorporate Buddhist elements.
Buddhist symbolism in Jujutsu Kaisen is clearly shown in many different parts of the chapter. One example mentioned by Kubo in the interview is the Death Womb Painting, described as “kusozu art depicting the human body going through nine stages of decomposition.” In Jujutsu Kaisen, these creatures manifest as powerful cursed human hybrids. Perhaps the most famous of these characters is Choso Kamo, who feels a special connection to his brothers, the other Death Painting Wombs. This is just a portion of the interesting Buddhist imagery that has been confirmed in the series. Some fan theories suggest the possibility of using other religious symbols.
Buddhist symbolism and imagery are fundamental themes in Jujutsu Kaisen
Buddhist mythology is also incorporated into countless Jujutsu Kaisen fan theories. One of these greetings Gojo Satoru returns to the manga, makes this argument using Buddhist symbols and clues. This theory concerns the hand seals that sorcerers use to expand their domain and how similar these seals are to Buddhist seals. The explanation also states that Gojo has not yet used all the seals, hinting that he may not have been fully enlightened at the time of his death, giving him a chance to return.
It’s not uncommon for manga authors to get inspiration and ideas for their works from the works of others. Gege Akutami’s inspiration is not only the three series that made manga and anime history, but also helps fans better understand his work. Jujutsu Kaisen.
Source: Edominogatari