Shonen Jump’s Hottest New-Gen Hero Carries Trauma No Other Can Match

When it comes to Shonen Jump and the shonen series stemming from it, they are often molded in the same formula that has become a staple of the genre. One of the best elements of this genre is undoubtedly its heroes. On the surface, these heroes carry grand ambitions that drive their journey throughout the storyline. However, a common pattern among them gradually emerges as the story progresses: many of these protagonists either have a tragic past or encounter a devastating event that significantly shapes their path. Most shonen series feature characters with tragic backgrounds, such as Naruto, whose parents sacrificed themselves so he could live.

Meanwhile, other stories focus on heroes who face the death of their loved ones, an event that deeply impacts the rest of their journey. While almost every shonen hero is traumatized in one way or another, the protagonist of the new-gen dark shonen anime is arguably traumatized in a way that will forever haunt him, with no other hero truly comparable. The series and protagonist in question are Jujutsu Kaisen and Itadori Yuji. The second season of the anime featured the Shibuya Incident arc, in which Yuji was possessed by Sukuna, who then carried out mass murder in the area. The guilt of being responsible for those deaths as a murderer is a trauma that only Yuji among shonen protagonists carries, and the latest developments in Jujutsu Kaisen continue to reflect how deeply it affects him.

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Jujutsu Kaisen‘s Itadori Yuji Is the New-Gen Shonen Hero With Unparalleled Trauma

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 is currently airing, and in its latest episode, during Yuji’s battle against Higuruma, Yuji is accused of committing mass murder in Shibuya. Without hesitation, Yuji accepts the guilt, fully aware that doing so would immediately cause him to lose the battle. However, Yuji was not even conscious at the time, let alone in control of his own body. Despite this, he still carries the guilt, not for killing a single person, but for mass murder, something that is an unimaginable trauma for any hero to bear. While anyone in his position would deny the accusation by pointing out that they had no control, Yuji is ready to be punished for the act, even if it means facing a death sentence.

This moment underscores that Yuji is a new-gen hero shaped by a different sense of morality, and the fact that he continues to push forward despite such traumatizing events highlights how emotionally strong he is. His perspective of seeing himself as merely a cog in the grand scheme also makes his character feel more realistic than many others. At the same time, Yuji has witnessed the deaths of loved ones not just once, but twice, with Nobara and Nanami during the Shibuya arc, further emphasizing that he has endured nearly every possible traumatic event. All of this cements Yuji as the new-gen shonen hero with the most trauma, elevated even further by his grounded morality, which makes him feel like the perfect modern shonen protagonist.

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