Jujutsu Kaisen Creator Reveals His Inspiration Behind Yuji

By Evan Valentine

Yuji Itadori, as a Shonen protagonist, has a lot in common with some of his other brethren including the likes of Naruto Uzumaki of Naruto fame and Ichigo Kurosaki of Bleach renown. Struggling with an inner demon that grants him some serious strength but comes with a heavy price, the star of Jujutsu Kaisen is slated to return later this year when the anime adaptation unleashes its second season. In an unearthed interview, creator Gege Akutami revealed his inspiration for the teenager struggling with the king of curses, Sukuna following his enrollment in Jujutsu Tech.

Following the conclusion of Jujutsu Kaisen's first season, Yuji took a back seat and didn't appear at all in the wildly popular prequel film, Jujustu Kaisen 0. Taking place before Itadori had swallowed a cursed finger of Sukuna, the feature-length film from Studio MAPPA focused on newcomer Yuta Okkotsu, a far more reserved hero than the one we came to know in the television series. While not struggling with the king of curses, Yuta had his own terrifying relationship with the love of his life, who was brought back from the dead to act as his own protector as a horrifying creature. 

Jujutsu Itadori

In speaking with a French outlet, creator Gege Akutami broke down what inspired the creation of Yuji Itadori as the Shonen hero is planning to make a big comeback later this summer:

"Yuji is strongly inspired by my older brother who is my opposite. He is someone who succeeds in everything he does: sports, studies, etc."

Diving deeper into Itadori's life, Akutami also noted that "he has more plans" for Yuji's mother, stating the following when it came to the woman who birthed the main character of Jujutsu Kaisen:

"Yes, I have plans. For his mother, I've decided on her role and I know roughly when I want her to be involved. I'm not sure if I want to exploit his father yet." 

Jujutsu Kaisen's second season will be a big one, not just by bringing back Yuji and company, but by also exploring the early life of Gojo, the most popular teacher at Jujutsu Tech, and what led to him and Geto becoming bitter enemies. 

Are you hyped for the return of the students and faculty of Jujutsu Tech on the small screen later this year? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Jujutsu Kaisen. 

Via Twitter

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