Gege Akutami, the author of the popular Jujutsu Kaisen manga, has admitted that Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, and Naruto are such iconic manga series that their influence can be felt in much of his work.

Akutami’s interest in writing began with his appreciation for the works of Tite Kubo’s Bleach; it was his first entry into the world of manga that inspired him to write through supernatural elements and character development.

He particularly cited the cursed techniques from Kenjaku as a sort of Naruto Orochimaru. He has shown that these elements from these series shaped his narrative choices.

Finally, Hunter x Hunter’s complex power systems influenced how Akutami treats abilities and combat strategies within Jujutsu Kaisen.

Character Parallels in Jujutsu Kaisen Manga

In the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, Yuji Itadori and his buddies, kind of like Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach and Naruto Uzumaki from Naruto, start off just being themselves but then they dive into growing up and taking on big challenges.

Their main goal? To protect their friends and family, which pushes them to face their fears and figure out their own lives.

What makes it really relatable is that they’re all teenagers too, which means they’re dealing with the usual teen stuff like making friends and figuring out who they are, but they’re also trying to deal with being the heroes who fight off supernatural bad guys.

It’s a way for readers to see and feel what these characters are going through because they have to juggle the usual teen problems with the extra pressure of being heroes against scary stuff.

Supernatural Elements

In both Jujutsu Kaisen manga and Bleach, the central role of supernatural characters is played, with how the curses in Jujutsu Kaisen act as a direct synonym to hollows in the story of Bleach.

For example, curses are what result from negative human feelings, and they appear as vicious spirits that feed on humanity whereas hollows are corrupted souls who fail to move towards the afterlife, commonly searching for other souls in order to consume them.

Both are the darker sides of human existence, representing fears and unresolved traumas.

The protagonists, Yuji Itadori and Ichigo Kurosaki, face these beings as part of their journeys, using their unique abilities, jujutsu techniques and soul reaping powers to fight against these threats.

Narrative Structure

In both Jujutsu Kaisen and Bleach, the story carefully weaves together ideas of fate and making choices, focusing on the main characters. Yuji Itadori decides to become a jujutsu sorcerer after eating Sukuna’s finger and it’s a clear choice he makes to accept it, similar to how Ichigo Kurosaki picks up being a Soul Reaper after bumping into a Hollow by chance.

This is a big difference from the planned futures of the two characters, who have to deal with the heavy stuff that comes with their powers and duties.

The show looks into how the choices they make affect their futures, while also highlighting how much outside pressure and what society expects from them matters.

The Role of Humor and Lighthearted Moments

In Jujutsu Kaisen manga, humor has been expertly woven into the story to provide much-needed comic relief in the otherwise serious themes, a style that Bleach also utilized.

Both shows use humor to balance the intense moments by allowing characters to express their personality and deepen relationships.

For example, in Jujutsu Kaisen, when Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki tease their serious friend Megumi Fushiguro, the scene turns into light-hearted banter, which is quite contradictory to the dark undertones of their battles against curses.

Such a comedic element makes characters seem human, so that their struggles become all the more relatable.

Takaba, the comedian-sorcerer, brings along a new wave of fun into the series, while Bleach has a lot of playfulness through the behavior of characters such as Renji Abarai, especially in their ways of trying to be funny.

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Hunter X Hunter’s Influence on Character Development

Yoshihiro Togashi’s influence is evident in Gege Akutami’s work in the storytelling style on Jujutsu Kaisen in terms of its complex characterizations and ambiguity in the moral aspects found in both series.

Togashi’s work, as seen especially in Hunter x Hunter, features deep psychological explorations about characters who are placed in some kind of morally challenging situations in which they have to challenge their beliefs and motivations.

Akutami follows this strategy by creating characters in Jujutsu Kaisen who exist in the gray areas, where their actions cannot be strictly classified as good or evil.

For example, Suguru Geto and Mahito are characters who embody conflicting ideologies that challenge the protagonists’ moral compass, reflecting the complexity of character development found in Togashi’s narratives.

This focus on moral ambiguity prompts the reader to engage more closely with the characters, questioning the ethics of their choices and the weight of power that rests on their shoulders, just as in Togashi’s works.

Comparing Power Systems

The power systems in Jujutsu Kaisen and Hunter x Hunter illustrate a deep complexity that relies on strategy and creativity for battles.

In Jujutsu Kaisen, cursed energy is created from negative human emotions, giving jujutsu sorcerers the ability to shape this energy into peculiar cursed techniques unique to their personality and fighting style.

This gives room for innovative uses of cursed energy, as depicted with Megumi’s shadow shikigami and Nobara’s hammer-and-nail technique.

Similarly, Hunter x Hunter makes use of the Nen system, which classifies abilities into six distinct types, each with different strategic applications.

The versatility of Nen allows characters to create highly creative techniques, such as Gon’s Jajanken and Killua’s GodSpeed.

Both series emphasize the importance of strategy; battles are not solely about raw power but about how well characters can use their abilities along with their opponents’ weaknesses.

Character Inspirations

Gege Akutami’s character designs and personality traits in Jujutsu Kaisen show a clear nod to characters from Bleach, reflecting the influence of Tite Kubo’s iconic series.

For example, the protagonist Yuji Itadori is like Ichigo Kurosaki, who is a high school student forced into extraordinary circumstances.

Both of them are young, energetic, and possess a strong moral compass with protective instincts towards their friends.

Moreover, characters like Megumi Fushiguro are characterized by the same kind of serious and stoic characteristics that are seen in figures like Uryu Ishida from Bleach, thus emphasizing a reserved nature coupled with deep loyalty.

Akutami pays homage to these influences through character dynamics that mirror the camaraderie and rivalries found in Bleach, allowing for rich interpersonal relationships that drive the narrative forward.

The integration of humor and emotional depth in these interactions further enhances the homage, as seen in moments where characters support each other through adversity, reflecting the bonds formed in Kubo’s work.

Crafting Jujutsu Kaisen is a form of taking inspiration from beloved series like Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, and Naruto but, at the same time, reinterpreting the same influences in a fresh narrative landscape.