One of the most alluring aspects ofJujutsu Kaisenthat sets it apart from other anime of its kind is its top-notch character development. Heroes and villains alike receive thoughtful backstories and dynamic character arcs, taking the series to a deeper, more immersive level than a purely action-focused anime might.
However, not everyJujutsu Kaisencharacter was created equal, and although Yuji Itadori, the series' protagonist, is certainly not a bad character, another hero from the franchise would have been better suited as the main character. Because of the detail Gege Akutami offered his character arc in comparison to Yuji’s,Megumi Fushiguro was better suited to beJujutsu Kaisen’sprotagonist instead of just a side character.
Megumi’s Backstory is More Compelling Than Yuji’s
Megumi’s Past is Interwoven With Family Drama and Struggles, Giving Him a More Interesting Background
One of the most needed components when building an effective anime main character is a backstory viewers can connect with, and Yuji’s past is just not quite as thrilling as Megumi’s. For starters, Megumi’s time before Jujutsu High was complex because of his family, leading to the major reveal later in the series that his father was actually the famed “Sorcerer Killer,” Toji Fushiguro. Comparatively, Yuji comes from a relatively normal, drama-free upbringing, devoid of the familial complications Megumi dealt with.
Megumi’s relationships with his half-sister, Tsumiki, and father, Toji, add complexities to his story.
Megumi’s close bond with his half-sister, Tsumiki, adds an element of drama to the story, sinceSukuna weaponized Tsumiki against Megumi.Since Tsumiki was Megumi’s most cherished relative after Toji and his mother disappeared from his life,Sukuna preyed on this vulnerability by attacking her and eventually ending her life, crushing Megumi’s resolvein the process. Yuji does suffer losses of his own, like his grandfather and various fellow sorcerers, but Megumi’s loss affects his character arc differently, changing him completely. Whereas Megumi seems to transform fully, Yuji’s metamorphosis is not as stark.
Throughout Jujutsu Kaisen, Megumi Changes Significantly More Than Yuji
Megumi Struggles With Tsumiki’s Death and Fights to Retrieve His Own Body from Sukuna’s Control
Although there is no disputing that bothJujutsu Kaisencharacters transformed substantially during their jujutsu sorcery training at Jujutsu High, their subsequent battles with high-level curses, and all the losses they suffered as a result,Megumi’s growth is more noticeable by the end of the manga.In particular,his sister Tsumiki’s death spurred Megumi’sattitude shift, bolstering his resolve to fight that much harder against the King of Curses and risk everything to avenge the person he cared about most deeply.
Megumi also involuntarily became Sukuna’s vessel, which gave him another obstacle to overcome within the story. Sukuna intentionally took Tsumiki from Megumi to weaken his spirit and thus make him easier to manipulate as a vessel. Through Yuji’s assistance and his own strength of will, Megumi thankfully lived throughJujutsu Kaisen, but his survival was more touch-and-go in comparison to other characters. Yuji is not an inadequate character by any means, but Megumi’s character arc is undoubtedly more immersive and easier to connect with, even thoughMegumi is not the protagonist ofJujutsu Kaisen.
Yuji does grow in strength and jujutsu sorcery ability over time, and he does experience a breakthrough moment after Nanami and Nobara’s deaths, during which his determination to kill Sukuna is solidified. However, Megumi’s complete loss of will and fight to regain it makes his character arc more absorbing, because once Yuji resolves himself to end Sukuna’s life, he never wavers.Megumiloses everything, hits rock bottom, and has no choice but to either fight his way back up or give up entirely, making his arc one ofJujutsu Kaisen’smost satisfying, worthy of main character status.
