The Mastery That is Itadori Yuji's Character Arc - an excerpt from an essay I wrote

Itadori Yuji is a masterful example of what a Shonen protagonist should look like, well balanced and relatable with a compelling character arc. Akutami flawlessly balances Itadori’s carefree, goofy, and childish nature alongside a deep internal conflict over the course of the story.

On the surface, Jujutsu Kaisen can easily be enjoyed as a stereotypical Shonen. However, every character in Jujutsu Kaisen has their philosophies constantly challenged throughout the story which is what makes it so interesting. Itadori fills the role of the naive and optimistic protagonist thrown into a previously unthinkable world where he has to adapt and grow stronger in order to save the world. Itadori has his naive ideals forced into a brutal reality, which causes him to deviate from the stereotypical Shonen protagonist.

Immediately upon entering Jujutsu High, Principal Yaga challenges the idea that Itadori is simply fighting on behalf of his grandfather’s final words, which causes his first major moment of self discovery and finds his purpose. Itadori wants to help lead people to proper deaths, not at the hands of curses. He exclaims, “I don’t know how I’ll feel when I’m dying, but I don’t want to regret the way I lived.” Akutami uses this line as a reference point for Itadori’s character arc throughout the series. The next key moment in Itadori’s arc is in a confrontation with Fushiguro when they come across a body in a juvenile detention center and Fushiguro tells Itadori that he had no intention of saving him in the first place. Fushiguro says “I know you’re stuck on saving lots of people and guiding them to proper deaths, but what are you going to do when someone you saved kills someone else in the future?” This question has a major impact on Itadori’s character, as Itadori himself was saved by Fushiguro. It causes him to ask himself what will happen if he is forced to kill someone in the future? And are there people who shouldn’t be saved? Whose place is it to decide that? Fushiguro has already answered that question for himself, but discovering his own answer is a critical aspect to Itadori’s arc. Itadori’s first major fight against the cursed spirit Mahito makes Itadori realize that he simply isn’t strong enough to lead people to proper deaths when Mahito kills his new friend Junpei right in front of him. Mahito knows what drives Itadori and tries to psychologically break him in order to get Sukuna on the side of the curses. Mahito then puts Itadori in a situation where he is forced to kill transfigured humans to save his mentor Nanami, thinking that Itadori can’t or won’t do it. Itadori is able to convince himself that killing transfigured humans isn’t really murder in order to save Nanami, but just in the first encounter with Mahito, Itadori is driven to the edge. In the final episode of the first season of the anime, Itadori is forced to kill two cursed wombs, half human, half curse alongside Nobara. Itadori feels that he has finally crossed the line by killing two people which makes him realize that he failed in everything he set out to do. Not only that, but he failed Fushiguro. Fushiguro saved Itadori’s life, but now that Itadori has killed others, he feels that he doesn’t deserve to live. Sukuna tells Itadori that it’s all his fault and more people are going to die just because Itadori lives. Itadori knows this is true, he doesn’t even contest it, but instead tells Sukuna to not tell Fushiguro that. Itadori can’t let Fushiguro feel responsible for the deaths he causes. He feels that he has failed everyone around him who put their lives on the line to let him live and he regrets his actions. Despite his conviction, Itadori has reneged on all of his promises and is left broken, without purpose, lost in the world.