Jujutsu Kaisen 0's newest trailer highlights the film's gorgeous animation and more subtle story elements, i.e. the complex relationship between Yuta and the demonic entity who haunts him. Even so, keen observers were able to pick out a few quickly spliced scenes that seem to imply that the movie may be delving even further into Jujutsu Kaisen's manga in order to adapt the acclaimed "Gojo's Past" arc.
Up until this point, the film's creators have only confirmed that they will be adapting and expanding on the content within Jujutsu Kaisen's quartet of prequel chapters, collectively known as Volume 0. This is roughly all content having to do with Yuta Okkotsu's introduction to the story.
The Trailer Hints at "Gojo's Past" Arc
However, this new trailer features a few easy-to-miss scenes that highlight characters and imagery that aren't in Volume 0. Instead, the visual content seems to be pulling small bits from what could only be the "Gojo's Past" arc, which spans from Chapter 65 to Chapter 79 of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga.
The trailer walks a fine line, revealing just enough to allude to the arc. For example, the TOHO Animation video features images of both a young Gojo as well as a young Suguru Geto, neither of whom are mentioned in Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 0. In fairness, one could call this a coincidence, possibly attributing the appearance of the sorcerers in their younger years to a simple flashback or stray addition to the story. However, the trailer offers further, and more concrete, evidence as well.
The TOHO staff included a single, brief shot of the young sorcerers sitting with a woman, seemingly a civilian. Based on the context of the shot, as well as the events of the manga, this girl could be the infamous Star Plasma Vessel, a character exclusively featured within the "Gojo's Past" arc. The appearance of the Vessel can only mean that the MAPPA production team plans on delving into the content presented within the tragic history of Satoru Gojo.
Why Would MAPPA Adapt Both Arcs At Once?
The decision to adapt the content from "Gojo's Past" would make complete sense from the perspective of the production team. Chapters 65 to 79 would have been the next chapters to adapt into anime form after Season 1's amazing retelling of Chapters 1 through 64. Therefore, it would be natural to adapt the content into the movie in order to create more space for the continuation of the present-day Jujutsu Kaisen narrative, without interrupting the flow of the story with a lengthy flashback arc.
Additionally, many fans have speculated the content from Volume 0 may not be enough to pad out the run time of a feature-length film. This leads to many questions regarding how MAPPA would handle either stretching out moments or filling time with new developments. Including "Gojo's Past" in the film alongside the content of Volume 0 would provide plenty of content to adapt into a feature-length film.
The reason this would work best is that the antagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a character who is primarily explored within the "Gojo's Past" arc. There is a strong narrative tie between these two portions of the Jujutsu Kaisen story that could be leveraged by the MAPPA staff and Gege Akutami.
Regardless of whether MAPPA chooses to adapt "Gojo's Past" in the upcoming Jujutsu Kaisen 0 film, the movie is sure to be a wild success. Fans in Japan have already gotten their first looks at the movie while the global audience eagerly awaits an international release date. As more information comes out, MAPPA's intention with the story of this film as well as Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 will become clearer.
