Warning: Spoilers for the end of Jujutsu KaisenJujutsu Kaisen is a revolutionary franchise that made its name by overturning the precedents set by giants like NarutoAnd Gege Akutami’s masterpiece even subtly challenged Narutos most controversial twist. Jujutsu Kaisen Has always targeted Naruto As a rival, structuring Yuji and Tsukuna as a parallel to Naruto and Kurama. It is therefore no surprise that Jujutsu Kaisen would take the most controversial card of Narutos deck just to show how it can play the card differently.
The card in question is Narutos controversial reincarnation twist, where Naruto and Sasuke are revealed to be the reincarnations of two brothers, Ashura and Indra. Jujutsu Kaisen would mirror the twist by having Yuji be the son of Tsukuna’s reincarnated twin brother, with Tsukuna being the closest thing to a Sasuke-type rival that Jujutsu Kaisen Offers Yuji. The way Jujutsu Kaisen Implements this three seems to be tailored to the criticism of NarutoIts own reincarnation twist, so although it is often underappreciated, it is One of the most interesting examples of the strange relationship of the two series.
foolsOs reincarnation twist was controversial for good reason
Redefining the entire story in the end, Naruto’s reincarnation plot undermines his narrative
NarutoAshura and Indra’s twist was controversial because it essentially reconnected the entire series, and it overrode Narutos most important topics while it was in it. The story goes that Ashura and Indra are brothers and the sons of Kaguya Otsutsuki who, feuding, Initiating a chain of rebirths that would give birth to the Senju, Uzumaki and Uchiha clans. The souls of Ashura and Indra would apparently choose blood descendants that mirrored their own traits. In the process, through reincarnation as Hashirama and Madara, it would also give birth to the entire shinobi world.
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Conveniently, through Naruto and Sasuke, the reincarnation chain would also give birth to the entire plot of Naruto. Although the premise itself plays well in action, it did not sit well with many fans. First, it came at a point in the story when things started to feel resolved – the Kaguya twist itself is very controversial. secondly, Naruto has spent so long building as the story of an underdog outcast who, through hard work and determination, He could be the leader of the town that destroyed him.. Making Naruto a fated reincarnation of a pseudo-mythological figure challenged Narutos purported egalitarian foundations.
How the reincarnation twist of Jujutsu Kaisen was different
A more localized approach was less disruptive to the story
If the reception of NarutoThe reincarnation storyline shows something, it is that the value of a twist generally has an inversely proportional relationship to its explanatory power, and a good twist requires an unspoken commitment to some overarching theme. At a pivotal moment during Yuji and Sukuna’s final showdown, The narrative bomb was dropped in chapter #257. While the timing is similar to Narutos own, come only 14 chapters earlier Jujutsu KaisenIn conclusion, fans have speculated that Sukuna and Yuji were related (and even twins) for a long time before.
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There was also a story space for it, since Yuji always had a mysterious and ill-defined background. Furthermore, the fact that Yuji and Sukuna share a soul was already explored earlier by Mai and Maki Zennin. The fact that the twist was part of Kenjaku’s grander plan to produce a suitable vessel for Sukuna had a conspiratorial air as Narutos reincarnation twist, but there are two key differences.
Firstly, the Tsukona and Yuji twist is simply less relevant than Narutos Ashura and Indra three. While Jujutsu KaisenThe twist really only has implications for Kenjaku’s plan and for Yuji’s origins and potential, NarutoS’s Twist holds the fate of the entire shinobi world in his hands. There’s a similar fatalism to both twists—for example, the acknowledgment that the cycle of curses will continue for Tsukuna and Yuji as long as both are alive—but NarutoIts scope is obviously much larger.
Second, the Sukuna/Yuji reincarnation twist plays elegantly into it Jujutsu Kaisens themes without undermining them. Naruto gave what was essentially a deterministic “divine right” justification for the order of his entire universe after several hundred chapters/episodes that build on the concept of free will, peaceful intervention and the ability to decide fate. Jujutsu KaisenOn the other hand, has always focused on the roles that people play, the way fate can determine someone’s life, and (most importantly) the way willpower offers the opportunity to overwrite both.
Jujutsu Kaisen Took Narutos biggest twist and made it better
Although not necessarily intentional, Jujutsu Kaisen builds on Naruto’s most divisive decision
To answer the obvious: Jujutsu KaisenThe reincarnation twist is partly inspired by an urban legend Narutos was inspired by Japanese Buddhism (although Buddhism was also a major influence for Jujutsu Kaisen). The mere presence of reincarnation in both stories does not indicate that Jujutsu Kaisen was deliberately built upon Narutos use of the concept. Intentional or not, however, it is noteworthy how Jujutsu Kaisens implementation of a similar twist Did not attract anywhere near the same level of controversyAnd if nothing else, it speaks to the twist’s scope and execution Jujutsu Kaisen Compared to Naruto.
Both are enjoyable twists in the moment while suffering from problems on sustained reflection. admit, Jujutsu Kaisens reincarnation twist undermines an otherwise excellent narrative thread about the interplay of chance, fate and willpower. By making Yuji’s birth a deliberate effort on Kenjaku’s part, it reaches the level of, say, Madara’s intentional interventions to ensure his eventual reincarnation and his uneasy feud with Konoha and the Senju clan. Jujutsu Kaisen Not reached yet Naruto‘s level of unnecessary reconningAlthough.
Jujutsu Kaisen localized Narutos global implications and brought his version of the reincarnation twist close to home, fitting it favorably into the narrative and thematic crevices it has carved for a long time. rather, Naruto‘s reincarnation twist always felt like a flashy, but ultimately unnecessary, addition to a story and world that didn’t need it. Maybe Jujutsu Kaisen Always pretended to be Ashura Narutos straight-laced Indra; here, Ashura comes out on top.