What makes or breaks any story is its protagonist the eyes and ears to a brand new world so they have to start out and remain a compelling figure in order to maintain an audience some might say that's one of many places where Jiu Jitsu kaisen shines obviously the manga has something very special about it considering the.

Massive fan base it has garnered in its four years of serialization but Yuji itsadori might just be one of its most interesting Parts KK akutami has crafted one of the most complex and relatable protagonists in recent years despite their claim that they don't like him that much honestly akutami is in the minority since itadori has quickly found.

His way into the hearts of Shonen fans worldwide but what exactly makes him so special what draws people to him today we're going to be exploring everything surrounding Yuji itsadori from his background to what makes him such an unconventional protagonist compared to other Shonen leads for the anime only viewers massive spoiler warning for the.

Shibuyork and ongoing killing game Arc the itadori family itsadori's family is less like a tree at this point and more like an amorphous blob the only member we've formally met is his paternal grandfather waske itadori who is introduced then promptly dies in the same episode we don't get much information about was gay at first.

Except that Yuji presumably lived with him for the majority of his life and his grandson is the only person that visits him on his deathbed the latter is what prompts waske to encourage his grandson to do whatever he can to help people form bonds and ensure he won't die alone I'll get more into itadori's motivations later on but it's important to note how.

Seriously Yuji takes these words to heart was gay and itadori obviously shared a very strong bond it's not until much later that we finally get a glimpse of yuji's parents his father Jin itadori debuts in a flashback right at the start of the itadori extermination Arc first we see that Yuji certainly takes after the itadori side of his family with Jin.

And was gay having the same light spiky hair by all accounts Jin seems like an incredibly doting father to his newborn son as he cradles him like he's the most precious thing on our Earth this makes sense considering he's wanted a child for years but was unable to conceive with his first partner kauri before she passed away something was gay laments.

Now obviously he loves his son and grandchild but we see the rise of wosuke's temper as he discusses yuji's mother he outright tells jyn give up on that woman you'll die and honestly there's a lot of validity behind that statement considering who yuji's unnamed mother resembles she appears from behind a doorway sporting a short black Bob and.

A very familiar scar across her forehead now who this woman is or rather was and how she got this scar is still unexplained but there's only one other person with that specific Mark kenjaku the worst sorcerer ever has a legacy of taking over people's bodies namely noritoshi kamo and suguru ghetto so possessing yuji's mother would not be.

Horribly out of character for him kenjaku's influence could also be an explanation for yuji's superhuman physical prowess but we'll get into that more later but in a series series like Jiu Jitsu kaisen that's simply not enough twists and turns Yuji is not an only child he potentially has a pretty Infamous Trio of Brothers choso ESO and.

Kechizu yes the three death womb paintings two of whom itadori had a hand in killing might be yuji's big brothers since Yuji is also the spawn of kanjaku this makes sense he as Naruto shikamo is responsible for the creation of the death womb paintings by forcing the procreation of half human half curse hybrids 150 years prior this is the.

Reason choso is still considered a curse despite possessing the kamo family's blood manipulation curse technique it's actually choso who discovers Yuji might be his little brother after knocking him out in a flooded bathroom during the Shibuya incident he receives a false memory of the four of them having a picnic Yuji passes him a basket of food.

And calls him big bro this causes the vengeful chozo to have a minor crisis before exiting Shibuya station it's not until kenjaku Reveals His habit of body hopping and almost kill little brother that the death painting bursts back onto the scene ready to defend his new family member he immediately gravitated toward the battlefield because much like with.

Esso and kechizu he could physically feel Yuji suffering through a blood connection unfortunately their time together is cut short when the two split up at the start of the cooling game Arc however chozo does worry for his baby brother and visibly cries when the two have to separate the culling game is still ongoing and there are plenty of.

Opportunities for a brotherly reunion between the two as well as exploring their newfound connection but before we continue with our analysis of Yuji if you want to see more character explanations like this be sure to subscribe to the Channel with notifications on to never miss an upload and smash that like button for some plot.

Armor today moral alignment now itadori is infamously a little bit dumb he's even admitted it to himself he acts mostly on Instinct rather than strategy that particular skill set is mostly within megamy's wheelhouse but itsadori has a massive heart of gold and that's mostly what guides him through life as we said before his grandfather was and.

Continues to be itsadori's biggest guiding force after all Watsky was his only parental figure and only Mentor up until he met Gojo and natami at Tokyo Jiu Jitsu high it's waske itsadori who gives his grandson the piece of advice he lives and probably will die bye help as many people as you can he chooses to help people by ensuring they receive a.

Proper death where they have no regrets and no baggage left on this Mortal coil he's so steadfast in his commitment to his grandfather's dying wish that he's willing to get repeatedly beaten up by principal yaga's puppet for it after becoming tsukunu's vessel itadori's time frame for helping people is now much much shorter his lifespan has been.

Drastically shortened and realistically his Jujutsu sanctioned execution will happen before he's an adult or even before his next birthday but I'll elaborate on that more in a bit so in order to make sure he also receives a proper death he must ensure he dies Without Regrets not only is this motive what him into Tokyo Jiu Jitsu high it's.

What will inform most of his decisions in battle from here on his attitude during fights is very self-sacrificial he's always willing to put his own life at risk to ensure his friends are fine and if you hurt one of his friends God help you because you are now on yuji's rarely seen bad side his dedication towards keeping his friends safe is.

First witness during the first fight he has with mahito after seeing and experiencing the anger and grief his close friend junpe Yoshino had after the murder of his mother Yuji tried with all his might to stop their fight and bring June pay with him to Tokyo Jiu Jitsu high he actually had his friend convinced until mahito came out of the.

Shadows and transfigured junpei killing him in front of Yuji this started an arc-long Grudge between the two their clashing opinions on the value of human life fueled the growing disdain Yuji has for the curse even yuji's dedication to trying to save people angers the king of curses that has made his home in his body the only time sukuna has ever shown.

Mercy to a possible victim is towards yuji's closest Ally Megami fushiguro he actively and willingly spares Megami in their first fight after he ripped out yuji's heart to gain control of the body not only that but the king of curses even saves the 10 Shadows user after he nearly killed himself by releasing the general mahorika shikigami this.

Restraint is terribly uncharacteristic for sukuna and something tells me that the motivation sukuna has for saving Megami aren't solely steeped in his own selfish desires but more on that later as his time in Jiu Jitsu Society progresses and as the whole tsukuna has on him gets stronger Yuji becomes an even more emotionally complex character.

The more he sees people and even curses die in front of him or at his own hands the more he becomes disillusioned with the black and white morality of Jujutsu sorcery he begins feeling increasingly conflicted with seeing his mentors and Friends suffer for reasons nobody fully understands this all comes to a head in the Shibuya incident when sukuna is.

Forcibly least due to itadori being force-fed at least 10 of his fingers now yuji's obviously taken issue with the king of curses very nonchalant attitude towards mass murder but having to essentially sit back and watch the Carnage tsukuna reeks at Shibuya station is enough to psychologically break him he manages to get back into The Fray for.

The sake of a near comatose Megami and the rest of his friends but once again mahito comes back to psychologically manipulate him Yuji completely blows apart nanami the closest thing to a father figure yuji's had since the death of his grandfather as a follow-up mahito then almost kills nobara just to prove to Yuji that his care for human life is.

A weakness this makes him realize he is nothing more than a cog in the Jujutsu Saidi machine it's an abrupt but not unearned 180 turn from its previously more optimistic perspective on his purpose in the world who amongst us would not be a bit nihilistic after seeing two of our closest friends brutally killed this also means he.

Harbors less guilt about exercising curses especially mojito however he still carries the shame of essentially aiding and abetting the murderer's mimiko and nanako who honestly weren't villains but rather misguided and grieving his guilt comes to a head during his battle with disgraced lawyer and culling game Superstar hiromi.

Higuruma his domain expansion deadly sentencing and shigigami judgment essentially Place itsadorian trial for all the wrongs he's committed this starts with him entering a Pachinko parlor while underage a running joke with akutami who got in trouble for including it but quickly turned serious higaruma brings up the mass murders that.

Yuji technically committed on October 31st 2018. he immediately responds yeah I did that I'm not lying and I won't deny it even higuruma is confused as to why he confessed since it was sukuna that did the crime not Yuji and he immediately dispels his cursed technique to negotiate with him the two Bond over how awful it feels to kill of your own.

Free will even more so than killing from a back seat which finally gives Yuji a moment of catharsis this confrontation is also important for a reason I'll get into a bit later but for now it's the new solidification of where yuji's morals lie and how he feels about out his position in Jiu Jitsu Society itadori's power and potential so we've.

Established that Yuji itadori is something not quite human but his motivations for joining Tokyo jiu Jutsu Tech and continuing to fight R however we've barely discussed what exactly makes him an asset to Jujutsu society as well as why his position as tsukuna's vessel is so special first let's discuss what his stats were before the whole.

Eating a finger incident he was already showing signs of being superhumanly fast and strong to the point where his high school's track and field coach was begging him to join actually what caught megami's attention in the first place before the cursed object in his backpack was the fact that he had bent a goal post with a shot put ball he also.

Finished running a 50 meter sprint in about three seconds meaning he can outrun a grizzly bear it is possible his gifted physical prowess comes from the fact that he's possibly not human he and chozo both share the same physical gifts which made them equally matched opponents in Shibuya whatever the reason his strength and speed were abs.

Absolutely nuts even before he became the host of the king of curses in battle he's both a strong offensive and defensive asset again his inhuman strength and speed give him the ability to land hits on curses that even experienced Jujutsu sorcers have a hard time touching a prime example of this is his fight with Toto against special.

Grade cursed honomy the more experienced Toto has a hard time Landing a strike on the curse while Yuji is easily able to Rapid Fire kick the curse into a defensive position his superhuman speed also makes him a strong defensive fighter since he's easily able to avoid quick hits he does this during his fights with chozo and mahito in the.

Shibuya incident but perhaps his biggest strength as a fighter not including what he can do with cursed energy is his Proficiency in martial arts this makes him one of the best hand-to-hand combatants in the entire series it's what gains him Toto's respect and it's what helps him in close combat fights especially before he got a handle on how.

To use cursed energy now obviously hand-to-hand combat and soon superhuman strength and speed aren't what Yuji solely relies on in fights he is a Jujutsu Sorcerer And Thus has the ability to manipulate cursed energy considering yuji's only been aware of jujutsu's sorcery for about four months or so the fact that he's able to.

Manipulate cursed energy is incredibly impressive especially for someone that labeled himself as unintelligent his only proper training was the movie watching speedrun and the brief Kyoto sister School event before the latter was interrupted by kanjaku's henchmen or maybe tench curses most of yuji's training in Jiu Jitsu sorcery has been.

Trial by fire yet he's been able to learn and master difficult techniques like black flash and Divergent fist this is a testament to how much of a natural Jiu Jitsu sorcerer he is even nanami who is impressed with very little in general openly enjoys working with Yuji and his proficiency at learning but what use is learning how to use curse techniques.

Without an abundance of cursed energy luckily for Yuji he has it in Spades much of the massive amounts of cursed energy itadori possesses come from being tsukuna's vessel with special training satoru Gojo surmises that he could reach this special great status held by the likes of himself and Yuta okotsu actually a lot of the advantages.

Itsadori has in battle come from sukuna he's immune to poison as demonstrated in his fight with chozo and his fight with June pay he is also able to resist mahito's Idol Transfiguration sensuka will not let yuji's Soul be manipulated which is probably the only nice thing sukura has done for his host additionally the two have an ongoing.

Binding vow which Yuji has forgotten about under the conditions of the agreement that keeps him alive but also gives sukuna a trigger word for instant release this furthers their almost symbiotic relationship sukuna gives Yuji massive amounts of cursed energy and powers that take years to hone while sukuna can gain full control of his host.

Body with the utterance of in chain the fact that Yuji is able to contain sukuna at all much less be able to control him if he comes out is quite honestly a miracle being the host of a curse is already a one in million chance but being able to host the most powerful curse in the existence of Jujutsu sorcery is even lower I'd actually wager.

That the reason sukuna has spared megami's life multiple times isn't just for selfish reasons but because he's aware of how much megamy means to his host nobody that Yuji is close with has come to harm as a direct result of sukuna and I think that's because yuji's grip on the curse is much stronger than he cares to admit again the reasoning.

For why sukuna and Yuji are able to work so well together is a mystery but I bet it all comes back to kanjaku's influence on yuji's DNA an unconventional MC so I've just explained everything that makes Yuji well Yuji he's a really complex and compelling character with a big heart in the murky origin story but there are plenty of Shonen protagonists.

That also share those qualities so what makes Yuji itadori different from all the rest first Yuji is probably one of the most relatable Shonen protagonists in a while before being the vessel of a powerful curse and a Jujutsu sorcerer he was a normal teen boy he's got a massive crush on Jennifer Lawrence he reads manga and loves bad horror movies and he.

Loves spending time with his friends I mean he even snuck into an 18 plus establishment for fun at heart he's still just a regular teenager who wants to find a balance between fulfilling his own life goals and saving people he also reacts to being thrown not just into a new Supernatural subsect of the world but also being told he's due for.

Execution like any normal person would complete confusion sprinkled with the proper amount of Terror unlike most Shonen protagonists Yuji is not on the hero's journey he's nowhere close to being a hero Yuji is on a survival Mission especially considering that his future is still up in the air and the Jujutsu higher-ups had expedited his.

Execution prior to the culling game he's also completely been broken down by the system he was forced into the curse that he's hosting has no qualms about kicking him while he's down his mentors are either dead or sealed away one of his closest friends is in a state of suspended animation and the other has been separated from him for quite a.

While his biggest antagonist was hell-bent on psychologically destroying him until he was eliminated by an even larger psychological threat obviously having your spirit not just broken but stomped on and completely disintegrated is not a game changer in terms of Shonen narratives but how Yuji treats seeing death and destruction is honestly more.

Understandable compared to other stories made for the same demographic instead of shrugging it off and moving on to the next battle Yuji actually takes the time to mourn the loss of life his battle with higuruma is perfect evidence of how much he blames himself for the deaths he either inadvertently caused or had a direct hand in but perhaps the most.

Interesting thing about Yuji is that he's barely the protagonist of his own narrative at this point after consuming suguna's finger his life has been out of his control thanks to an angry curse living rent-free in his body that's not what I'm referring to though the last time itadori showed up in the manga was over 30 chapters ago when he was talking.

To higuruma and the last time he consistently showed up in Jiu Jitsu kaisen as the sole protagonist would arguably be the death painting Arc he slowly moved away from being the sole focus of the manga to being one part of a massive world it's not uncommon for a Shonen to have multiple leads tritagonists are Central to other big.

Shonen like Naruto and my hero Academia but the three leads usually share an even distribution of page time since the Shibuya Arc there really hasn't been a single lead for the series many Side characters like Maki and Yuta are now getting their own mini arcs and more key players like kinji Hikari are finally getting proper introductions the.

Structure that akutami has stuck by since the start of Shibuya is not conducive to having a single protagonist but rather focusing on an ensemble cast and how they're all being affected by the same oppressive system I think this creates a more compelling narrative overall but it does put Yuji who was set up as the lead in the first chapter of.

Juju to kaisen on the sidelines perhaps this narrative Choice reflects the lack of control any single Jiu Jitsu sorcerer or curse has over the trajectory of their futures or maybe it's because akutami wanted to change the narrative structure of the story away from that of a typical Shonen battle manga whatever the rationales Yuji is no longer the.

Lead and that's okay there are still plenty of mysteries around him to unravel and as konjaku becomes an even bigger part of the narrative with the culling game and Tokyo Colony arcs I think we're going to be seeing a lot more of yuji's past and present Yuji itsadori is an enigma of a character he's not even the hero of his own story.

But he's compelling enough to keep us coming back for more from his messy Origins to his Reckless Behavior to his unwavering dedication to keeping his friends or rather his Newfound family safe while still Reckoning with the destructive capabilities he's been cursed with this young man has a lot going on for and against him whenever.

Gege akutami decides to bring him back into the frey of of the culling game rest assured more chaotic goodness will follow thank you so much for watching I'm Jack Stansbury and have an amazing rest of your day