Shonen Jump’s Most Tragic Hero Has Been Confirmed (And No One Even Comes Close)

The main heroes of a Shonen Jump series always follow a familiar pattern, and while they face hardships, losses, and countless obstacles, they are ultimately rewarded by achieving their dream. Most Shonen protagonists begin with grand ambitions that seem impossible, yet by the end of their stories, those goals are realized without fail. This is why Yuji Itadori from Jujutsu Kaisen stands out so sharply: he never had a grand dream, only a simple one, and even that was denied. Instead, he was burdened with a curse that prevents him from reaching even this minimal desire, positioning Yuji as Shonen Jump’s most tragic hero.

Yuji Itadori has always been an outlier among Shonen Jump protagonists. He lacks many of the defining traits typical of shonen heroes share, and while this made him unusual, it also made him refreshing. Most shonen heroes are driven forward by their dreams, but Yuji’s only wish was the one he inherited from his grandfather: to live surrounded by people who love him so that they can be with him on his deathbed. However, with Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo confirming that Yuji is still alive while the people he cares for continue to die one after another, and with Yuji himself denied even the blessing of aging, he is stripped of the chance to fulfill even this basic human desire. This solidifies him as the most tragic shonen hero.

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While it was confirmed earlier that Yuji is still alive in the sequel series, set almost seven decades later, fans assumed he must have grown old and was nearing the end of his natural life, even as he continued working as a sorcerer and was regarded as the strongest among them. However, Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Chapter 13, titled “Acceptance,” shifts this understanding entirely. As the sorcerers desperately search for Yuji, Nobara Kugisaki, one of the series’ main characters, appears and offers a poignant detail about his fate. She explains that Yuji no longer attends his friends’ funerals because he feels guilty watching everyone he cares about die while he himself cannot age.

Nobara further reveals that Yuji never imagined he would fail to fulfill his grandfather’s dying wish, one of the simplest human desires. The fact that Yuji has not appeared yet, choosing instead to live in solitude while exorcising curses and fulfilling his duty in a body that cannot age, confirms just how tragically he is living. Worse still, it is evident that Yuji will eventually reappear, only to face an opponent on par with Sukuna.

Perhaps this is where Yuji will meet his end, but if he dies, it will be in battle rather than the peaceful, natural death of old age he once hoped for. With most of his loved ones already gone, there is no possibility for Yuji to ever realize his dream, firmly establishing him as the most tragic Shonen Jump hero, one unmatched by any other.

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