8 Years Ago Today, Shonen Jump Released Its Most Modern Shonen Series (And It Changed the Industry)

It’s been eight years since this new generation of a Shonen Jump series was released, and it has since been celebrated as the most modern series, even after coming to an end over a year and a half ago. Ever since the release of Dragon Ball, Weekly Shonen Jump laid the foundation for shonen series to follow a similar format over the last half-century. Following it came many major titles, including Naruto, Hunter × Hunter, My Hero Academia, Black Clover, and even the currently ongoing juggernaut of the shonen genre, One Piece. While all of these series are compelling in their own way, there is no denying that they embody an uncanny resemblance to each other that makes them feel reminiscent of one another.

Their foundations, with protagonists driven by a determined goal and embarking on a journey to realize their dream, more or less make their narratives similar. However, a major aspect of these series is how they rarely feature darker elements, instead focusing on a fictional narrative that highlights how compelling their journeys truly are. While there is nothing wrong with following these tropes, as they continue to work, Weekly Shonen Jump was clearly lacking something new. Thankfully, with the release of Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami, it showcased how a shonen series could move beyond these foundational tropes and still emerge as a story fans would love just as much, if not more.

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Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami was first serialized eight years ago today, on March 5, 2018, introducing a new narrative perspective on what a shonen series could be. The foundation of the story is built upon the existence of cursed energy, a phenomenon that humans naturally exhibit. Through sorcerers who can channel cursed energy using innate techniques, Akutami presented a unique blend of action fantasy, drawing inspiration from realistic concepts and blending them with Japanese martial arts. From the very beginning, the foundation for the series’ success was firmly in place. However, across nearly 300 chapters over its six-and-a-half-year run, Jujutsu Kaisen proved to be more than just another shonen series.

One of the most compelling elements, and a reason fans often struggle to neatly define Jujutsu Kaisen as a traditional shonen series, lies in its protagonist. While most shonen stories feature heroes driven by grand ambitions, a familiar pattern fans have come to expect, Yuji Itadori stands out as an oddity. Unlike many shonen protagonists, Yuji does not pursue an extraordinary dream. Instead, his wish to be surrounded by the people he loves on his deathbed, a belief inherited from his grandfather, immediately sets him apart as a different kind of hero. Ironically, that very difference is what makes him stand out among other protagonists.

In an era filled with shonen heroes who embody similar traits, a protagonist like Yuji, someone who feels lost and is still figuring out his life, closely mirrors the reality many people face today. With an overwhelming amount of information and endless possibilities, many struggle to commit to a single goal for the rest of their lives. This subtle but striking detail is one of the reasons Jujutsu Kaisen helped shift the direction of modern shonen storytelling. Other series like Chainsaw Man and Gachiakuta reinforce this trend, suggesting that the era of protagonists chasing unrealistic dreams may be fading, replaced by heroes grounded in more relatable realities. With Jujutsu Kaisen among the first major series to push this idea forward, there is little doubt that it helped drive a meaningful shift in the industry. Even a year and a half after its ending, Jujutsu Kaisen continues to leave a lasting impact on the anime and manga world.

Jujutsu Kaisen Continues to Be a Major Part of Shonen Series

Though it has been over a year and a half since the Jujutsu Kaisen manga came to an end, the series continues to be a major part of the anime and manga industry in other ways. Currently, the third season of Jujutsu Kaisen is airing, and it is already becoming one of the best anime of the year, possibly on its way to becoming Anime of the Year for the third consecutive season. Meanwhile, the series is also having a major impact on the manga industry, as the sequel to the original story is also approaching its conclusion.

Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, the sequel to the original series, has announced that it will come to an end on March 8, 2026, wrapping up a narrative that takes place almost seven decades after the original. Modulo’s run has also been one of the strongest manga runs that Weekly Shonen Jump has had in the past six months, as within its short serialization, the sequel managed to become one of the best new manga releases of last year. Even though the sequel is also ending, Jujutsu Kaisen will continue to endure thanks to the anime, and with creator Gege Akutami promising to continue making manga, the franchise will likely persist in one form or another in the years to come. Its lasting presence ultimately stems from how it stood out as a shonen series and became a fan favorite, setting a standard that many new series will inevitably be compared to.

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