Jujitsu Kaisen: Copyright?

IF NARUTO HAD A BABY, it would be Jujitsu Kaisen (JJK). It's more of an institutional problem in Shonen, really. Look at Kaiju #8 for example. It's about a guy who swallows a monster bug and can transform into a sentient monster who is next level powerful. Worse, this guy joins the monster hunting organization because, obviously, that's been his dream since birth. Sound familiar (MHA)? And this monster hunting organization creates their special super weapons using the carcasses of defeated monsters.

And this is Shonen copy paste:

Seriously though, it's crazy just how little innovation takes place in this genre. Shonen, at one point, was my favorite genre. I loved the wide, expansive worlds and captivating characters that came to life. But in recent years, the genre has grown more obsolete with the industry pumping out the same stories over and over. Sure, Kaiju #8 has incredible art, but so did Tokyo Ghoul; worse, Kaneki was unique, one of the greatest protagonists in the genre. Compared to that, Kaiju #8s Kafka Hibino is... lukewarm.

But anyway, the scapegoat today is Jujitsu Kaisen. Let's dive in.

Sukuna ≠ Kurama?

Sukuna:

• Dangerous ancient monster that wants to destroy the world/be king of demons
• Trapped inside Yuji, an exceptionally powerful individual
• Wants to escape Yuji
• Said to be the strongest demon/has a lot of curse energy—very powerful

Kurama:

• Dangerous monster that wanted to destroy the hidden leaf village.
• Trapped inside Naruto of the exceptionally powerful Uzumaki clan.
• Wants to escape Naruto
• Has a lot of chakra—very powerful

I think my argument speaks for itself, so let's move on.

Yuji ≠ Naruto?

Okay, this might actually be a more valid argument. Naruto and Yuji are not the same people. The easiest way to illustrate this is through their taste in women.

All jokes aside. The author of JJK goes for a "high-road" approach; Yuji likes Yuko because of her personality, not her looks (clearly). Naruto, on the other hand...

Granted, Naruto and Sakura don't end up together, but you get the point. While there's definitely a difference between the two protagonists in who they love, I don't think it's as simple as that. Naruto, for instance, doesn't just go by looks. I mean, he ended up with Hinata after all.

I don't think it's fair to differentiate between Yuji and Naruto on the basis of who they're attracted to. If anything, Naruto was more honest to begin with and embodied the teenage attitude better. Realistically, as a teenager, would you choose personality over looks? (You're a sage if you answer yes). Sure, as we age, we would probably (hopefully) choose as Yuji chose. But during early adolescence, most of us would relate to Naruto's crush on Sakura (I sure can).  And the fact of the matter is that Naruto shows character development because he ends up with Hinata, who he initially does not find attractive.

Anyway, Yuju and Naruto aren’t all that different. Even in other aspects, Yuji embodies Naruto, especially in his absolute determination.

One potential difference could rest in the direction of that determination. Naruto sets it his goal to be hokagel Yuji's goal, on the other hand, is to be surrounded by loved ones. Naruto's inner goal behind aiming for hokage is to be acknowledged by those around him. He wants people to stop shunning him and respect his right to exist, despite being the hated jinchuriki of the nine-tailed fox that almost destroyed the hidden leaf village. In other words, he wants to be surrounded by people who love him for who he is instead of what is inside him. Taken at face value, it appears different, but deep down, it's the same.

Gojo ≠ Kakashi?

Yup. Totally not the same person. I mean the hair colour is different. Gojo has purple-white hair. Kakashi only has white hair. The eyes too! Kakashi has a red eye and Gojo has a blue eyes. These two characters are radically different, original ideas.

Gojo is the leader—my bad, teacher of his group of three. Kakashi is the leader—my bad, teacher of his group of three.

Gojo is one of the most powerful sorcerer ever. Kakashi of the Sharingin, Kakashi the copy ninja is one of the most powerful ninja ever. Kakashi also becomes the sixth hokage...

But Gojo's powers are surely different, right? Well, Gojo has the limitless power. Simply put, Gojo has the ability to create infinities. Mhm. In simple terms, he can coat himself in infinity so that if you try to punch him, your fist will never actually reach him. It's based on a mathematical theory called the infinity paradox which says that if you have two points (imagine them as your hands), and keep halving the distance between them, the points will never ever touch because there are an infinite number of fractions between them. No matter how small the distance, you can keep halving it.

Gojo can also create a black hole: absolute attraciton toward a singular point. And since it's more complicated, let's skip the explanation. He can also reverses that using reverse curse technique and create a thing that repels matter. And, if he combines the repel/attract, he can literally destroy matter on the subatomic level.

Gojo also has domain expansion (unlimited void); he basically creates a bubble of his cursed energy (his own dimension, so to speak) in which he can do pretty much whatever he wants. He fills that dimension with infinity, paralyzing his opponents (don't ask me how that works). Oh by the way, he can also fly using limitless.

Kakashi, on the other hand, cannot fly. Aside from that, Kakashi can (technically at the end of the anime after accessing Obito's right mangekyo sharingan) make matter pass through him (slip through matter) similar to how matter doesn't touch Gojo because of limitless: they can both become invulnerable. And using his left eye, Kakashi can create black holes to suck people or things into his kamui—he has his own dimension too!

Now, can he repel matter? Not exactly, but he can store objects or people in kamui and bring them back to the real world whenever he wants. He can store weapons and open a hole to kamui (using his left eye) and draw them out. A better explanation of the copy paste ability to attract or repel matter is the rinnegan. Nagato, for example, can use the allmighty pull/allmighty push and can also create a black hole as he did when he fought Naruto.

And as for destroying matter like Gojo can, through combining his abilities, Nagato might not be able to do that do that, but Nagato can resurrect the dead. That feels superior. I should mention that the sharingan evolves into the rinnegan. So, potentially, in an alternate universe, Kakashi could have had the rinnegan and all the abilities that Nagato had.

Whatever arguments supporters of Jujitsu Kaisen might make, it's undeniable how similar it is to Naruto, a manga crowned during the golden age of Shonen. JJK is riding on the contrails of the original, doing what's popular rather than what's original. If you had to choose, definition watch Naruto over JJK, but if you're looking for break next animations you might enjoy JJK.

The length of the two shows is the last point of the contention. Naruto & Naruto Shippuden total over six hundred episodes with its fair share of movies and spin offs as well. JJK, on the other hand, is still in its embryo stage. For those of you who want to watch it grow, now’s the time. Hop on!

Thanks for reading today's post. As always, if you enjoyed this, hit that subscribe button to get semi-weekly reviews on some of the most popular manga and anime (as well as some of my favorites). Stay tuned for a manga that actually deserves the popularity JJK has.