Jujutsu Kaisen has wrapped up its first season with a 24 episode anime adaptation and has been well-received, garnering glowing reviews from old and new fans alike. With such praise comes increased attention and heightened curiosity, leading many people to the source material. This has only done the series many favors.
Jujutsu Kaisen's manga circulation (not its sales) has increased by 470% since the anime's release in October 2020, with over 40 million copies in both physical and digital. The numbers certainly speak for themselves. Having a compelling manga and strong anime adaptation makes the series a solid contender to be the next big Weekly Shonen Jump franchise.
The manga began serialization in March 2018 in Weekly Shonen Jump, and currently, 15 volumes have been released, with 9 of them available in English through Viz Media. Crunchyroll licenses the anime with the entire first season available to stream.
Written and illustrated by Gege Akutami, Jujutsu Kaisen takes place in a world where monstrous creatures known as Curses plague the human world. To combat this, individuals known as Jujutsu Sorcerers are tasked with ridding the world of said creatures. However, one day, high schooler Yuji Itadori eats the finger of Sukuna -- the King of Curses -- in a desperate attempt to save his friends and quickly becomes an anomaly among his peers and a threat to the Jujutsu world.
While a boost in popularity is one thing, Jujutsu Kaisen has many things going for it to retain new fans. For example, the series does not shy away from the fact that it was heavily influenced by other popular shonen manga, keeping aspects that fans know and love. However, the series still manages to differentiate itself through its unique magic system, plots and characters -- succeeding in setting itself apart. It also incorporates horror and supernatural elements, bringing a fresh take to even the most recognizable shonen tropes.
Other series have also benefited from an anime adaptation, with the most prominent example being Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Before the anime, the Demon Slayer manga was underperforming according to Shonen Jump standards. Like Jujutsu Kaisen, the series blasted into the spotlight with over 150 million manga copies in circulation following its faithful and well-put-together anime series. Demon Slayer's success continues with its movie, Demon Slayer: Infinity Train, taking the world by storm, smashing many records and even beating Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away box office triumph in Japan.
Jujutsu Kaisen is also following a similar path of success with its recent movie announcement for a Volume 0 adaptation. Also written and illustrated by Gege Akutami, this volume features four chapters and is a prequel to the original series, expanding on the Jujutsu world and follows high schooler Yuta Okkotsu. When his childhood friend, Rika Orimoto, is killed in a traffic accident, she becomes a Cursed Spirit determined to protect Yuta in very violent ways. Eventually, Yuta is recruited by Gojo Satoru to join Jujutsu High to learn how to control Rika and to help people. The film is set to release in winter 2022.
As Jujutsu Kaisen's popularity continues to grow, it's safe to assume that an anime adaptation (and a faithful one) can do wonders for a series, especially since anime is often more accessible than manga.
