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Why Yuta's Entry Was Delayed in Jujutsu Kaisen? Gege Akutami Finally Explains
Jujutsu Kaisen's creator, Gege Akutami explained why Yuta made such a late return in the manga.
Gege Akutami, the author of Jujutsu Kaisen manga, explained the delay in introducing Yuta Okkotsu, the protagonist of the prequel, in the main series. He initially planned to have Gojo Satoru guide Yuji Itadori and introduce him to other characters at Jujutsu High. However, Akutami's editor, Mr. Katayama, suggested simplifying the narrative by omitting Yuta from the beginning, which Akutami agreed to, leading to the delayed introduction of Yuta.
Gege Akutami reveals why Yuta's entry was delayed
Gege Akutami has revealed why he delayed Yuta Okkotsu's debut in the series, despite being the original main character. Yuta gained popularity after the successful film adaptation of his origin story, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, and is now playing a crucial role in the anime's final battles against Sukuna. Fans are eagerly awaiting more of him in action in the anime.
Yuta, one of the first real characters in the Jujutsu world, has been reintroduced into both the manga and anime after the Shibuya Incident arc. Akutami explained that the delayed introduction was due to his editor's suggestion that it would be simpler without Yuta's involvement in the beginning.
"I intended Gojo to take on the teacher and guide role, and have Itadori meet the members of Jujutsu Tech early on," Akutami began. "Gojo was absolutely necessary as the mentor to the story." But while Gojo was important to the story, Yuta's involvement would only complicate things at first.
Akutami continued, "When making Sousen [a version of Jujutsu Kaisen drafted before becoming a full series], Katayama, my editor at the time suggested that things would be simpler without Okkotsu so I chose for him to not appear at the start of Jujutsu Kaisen."
But it wasn't until deciding to introduce the character later that Akutami went and made Yuta's original four chapter story into the full Jujutsu Kaisen 0 prequel we know it as today, "When I made the decision to introduce his character later, it felt right to make Volume 0, which had been serialized in Jump GIGA, a mythical origin story within Jujutsu Kaisen. On the other hand, there was literally no option to cut out Gojo. It would have been like My Hero Academia without All Might."
So, Yuta being there at the beginning would have just been too complicated of a start to the story.
A brief about Yuta
Yuta is one of only four special grade sorcerers recognized by Jujutsu High. While being haunted by Rika's vengeful spirit, Yuta was immediately registered as a special grade due to Rika's immense power, making him the most recent person to receive the ranking.
Yuta was completely unaware of how to fight or control his cursed energy when Satoru threw him into his first mission. He relied on Maki until they were swallowed by a curse and it came down to Yuta to rescue everyone inside. Yuta was able to tap into his emotions and fully manifest Rika, ripping the other curse apart and freeing everyone. Yuta barely carried everyone outside the barrier but he used what little physical strength and stamina he had to finish the mission.
Yuta is a smart individual but was initially a complete novice sorcerer and could hardly apply his intellect to battle. However, he's always had a good idea of his skillset and how to best use it. When he and Toge were faced with a semi-grade 1 curse, Yuta was aware he couldn't win on his own and focused on restoring Toge's cursed speech so he could exorcise it.
Yuta's immense cursed energy comes from his genetic relation to Michizane Sugawara. It only first manifested when he transformed a loved one into a cursed spirit. Rika became a vengeful spirit so powerful that Geto, an avid collector of curses, dubbed her the "Queen of Curses." Rika's boundless cursed energy could be shaped into any technique, allowing Yuta to use advanced curse techniques within a year of learning the fundamentals of jujutsu.
In his second year as a sorcerer, Yuta improved his cursed energy control dramatically. Yuta understands that he carries vast levels of cursed energy and now knows how to apply it accordingly. He has been training his weak body and constantly strengthens it in battle with massive amounts of cursed energy. This puts Yuta's reinforcement technique on a level that far surpasses even an elite sorcerer's, making his attacks difficult to predict.
ALSO READ: Jujutsu Kaisen Creator Confirms Gojo's Death with New Author's Note
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