Jujutsu Kaisen
呪術廻戦
- Action
- Award Winning
- Supernatural
- School
- Episodes
- 24
- Duration
- 23 min per ep
- Aired
- Oct 3, 2020 to Mar 27, 2021
- Status
- Finished Airing
Synopsis
Yuuji Itadori is a high schooler who splits his time between the Occult Club’s harmless paranormal talk and visiting his bedridden grandfather in the hospital. That routine shatters when he comes into contact with a cursed object, setting off a string of eerie incidents that pulls him into a hidden world of Curses—monstrous entities born from human malice and negative emotions.
In a desperate moment, Yuuji swallows the object: a finger belonging to Sukuna Ryoumen, the feared “King of Curses.” The act leaves him face-to-face with the danger Curses pose and awakens power he never knew he had. Brought to Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School, he steps onto the unforgiving path of a jujutsu sorcerer, with no easy way back.
Otaku Consensus
Jujutsu Kaisen landed as a modern shounen benchmark: MAPPA’s slick, hard-hitting action direction and a confident blend of horror-tinged supernatural lore with sharp comedy made it one of the most bingeable hits of its season. Fans and critics routinely single out its choreography, urban-fantasy atmosphere, and instantly iconic cast—reflected in its massive popularity (#13) and strong MAL score (8.52 from 1.96M+ votes). The most common pushback is that its premise and early structure can feel familiar to long-time battle-shounen viewers, with some detractors arguing the character writing doesn’t always match the production’s intensity.
Why You Should Watch
Watch Jujutsu Kaisen if you want a battle shounen that treats action like a craft: fights are staged with clarity, weight, and rhythm, then punctuated by bursts of dark humor and unsettling body-horror imagery. Its urban-fantasy take on “Curses” gives the series a grime-and-neon mood—supernatural threats that feel rooted in human negativity rather than abstract monsters-of-the-week. The show also thrives on team chemistry: a primarily teen cast with strong, contrasting personalities, anchored by a teacher figure who’s as entertaining as he is overwhelming. If you like exorcism stories, modern magic systems, and high-production spectacle that doesn’t forget character banter, this is an easy recommendation.
Key Characters
- IItadori, Yuuji(VA: Enoki, Junya)
A kind-hearted high schooler thrust into a brutal exorcist world, he balances empathy with frightening potential after making a reckless, life-altering choice.
- FFushiguro, Megumi(VA: Uchida, Yuuma)
A stoic jujutsu student whose grounded pragmatism and moral tension make him the series’ quiet counterweight to louder heroics.
- KKugisaki, Nobara(VA: Seto, Asami)
Blunt, stylish, and fiercely self-possessed, she brings bite to the team dynamic and refuses to be sidelined by genre expectations.
- GGojou, Satoru(VA: Nakamura, Yuuichi)
An absurdly powerful mentor with a playful edge, he steals scenes through charisma, confidence, and the sense that he’s always several moves ahead.
What Makes It Stand Out
- 1
MAPPA’s production delivers consistently high-impact action, with choreography that prioritizes readable movement and physical weight over visual noise.
- 2
A distinctive urban-fantasy horror tone: “Curses” are framed as manifestations of human malice and negative emotion, giving the supernatural stakes a grim psychological texture.
- 3
Strong directorial identity under Seong-Hu Park, balancing kinetic set pieces with comedic timing and character-driven downtime that keeps the pacing binge-friendly.
- 4
A cast-driven appeal: the primarily teen ensemble and their mentor figure create a lively push-pull of personalities that sustains interest beyond power escalation.
- 5
Polished visual pipeline across design and finishing—character designs (Tadashi Hiramatsu), art direction (Jeong-Ryeon Kim), color design (Chikako Kamata), and photography (Teppei Itou) combine for a crisp, modern look.
Fun Facts & Trivia
- Fun fact 1
- The TV series aired from Oct 3, 2020 to Mar 27, 2021 and ran for 24 episodes, completing a full cour-pair season in one broadcast run.
- Fun fact 2
- It’s one of the most widely watched modern anime on MAL by sheer traffic, ranking #13 in popularity with over 1.96 million user votes contributing to its 8.52 score.
- Fun fact 3
- The adaptation is produced by MAPPA, a studio frequently associated with high-intensity action scheduling and ambitious animation pipelines in the 2020s.
- Fun fact 4
- Key staff credits include Seong-Hu Park (Director) and Hiroshi Seko (Series Composition), a pairing often noted by viewers for keeping the show both propulsive and character-focused.
- Fun fact 5
- On AniList, the series holds an 84/100 score and has been favorited over 52,000 times, reflecting strong community attachment beyond weekly hype.
Studios
- MAPPA
