Jujutsu Kaisen is a dark horror fantasy anime series that may be considered a contender for the new shonen big three, and it's easy to see why, aside from the manga's staggering sales. This gritty but exciting story features a compelling curse-based combat system, an excellent cast of memorable characters and some of the most insidious villains in modern shonen anime, including the mighty curse Mahito.
Modern shonen villains such as All For One and Muzan Kibutsuji are a major topic right now, but fans shouldn't overlook Mahito, who has an even more ambitious goal than All For One or Muzan. He aims to rid the world of the plague that is humanity, and that makes him startlingly similar to The Matrix's Agent Smith.
When All Humans Must Die
Some anime villains want to rule the world and dominate humanity to feel like an emperor or even a god over the teeming masses. That's the case with All For One, for example, but Mahito and Agent Smith feel differently. For them, it's not enough to keep humanity subjugated or taunt the human protagonists -- they have genocide on their minds.
Although Mahito and Agent Smith have different origins, with the former being a fantasy curse and the latter being a computer program, both villains agree that humanity is more trouble than it's worth. Even though the Machines rely on humanity as human batteries and curses can only be born from negative human emotions, Mahito and Agent Smith want the human race to be exterminated anyway. In their eyes, it's time to launch one last campaign and prove the supremacy of their own kind.
Mahito and Agent Smith have both explained their reasons for wanting humanity wiped out. Agent Smith views the human race as a rapidly-spreading virus that overwhelms entire ecosystems and reproduces uncontrollably, and humans don't even know their purpose or their origins. In Smith's eyes, humanity is a destructive fire, and the only option is to extinguish it before any more damage can be done. He even resents being inside the Matrix, where he's an elite fighter, which he likens to being trapped in a smelly and suffocating zoo. It feels like a prison to him, and his escape will be bought with human blood.
Similarly, Mahito sees curses as superior forms because they are more authentic to their true selves and never lie -- something humans can't easily claim for themselves. Curses are pure beings, according to Mahito, with a clear origin to match. Curses avoid the chaos and confusion of the human race, and they don't stoop to arrogant lies or cruel deception to get ahead. That's why Mahito's abilities are based on reshaping the flesh and soul, so that a person's soul and body will align more closely with their true nature. Mahito's ability never lies.
Why Mahito & Agent Smith Are Wrong
Mahito's and Agent Smith's claims about the fallacies of humanity may seem legitimate from a cynical and defeatist point of view, and there is evidence to support each villains' main argument about humanity and its nature. The human race really is straining the natural world with overpopulation and pollution, and people often deceive one another and themselves for the worst of reasons. But these villains are only looking at part of the larger truth.
The human race is not monolithic -- it is many things at once in any given time period, and humanity is diverse in its intentions, methods, worldviews and more. Mahito and Agent Smith are only focusing on the worst parts of humanity and presuming that there is no solution aside from extermination, and that may be nothing more than a forced justification for their feelings of superiority. It's not yet clear if Mahito's hatred of humanity is just compensation for his own feelings of inadequacy, but deep down, that might be the case.
Most of all, Mahito and Agent Smith fail to realize that the human race is not only diverse but also capable of great change, and that hope is what drives that change. If the human race is straining the natural world or deceiving itself, there will be great leaders and visionaries to curb these problems and help steer humanity toward a better future. Humanity has the power of hope on its side, and people understand that things can always change for the better, including themselves. Mahito and Agent Smith neglected to take that into account, basing their villainous goals on an unfairly narrow view of what the human race is truly capable of. And that's exactly why they'll be defeated in the end.
