Jujutsu KaisenThe manga's ending faced criticism, not only for not returning beloved characters like Satoru Gojo, but also for the change in tone of the story and the disappointing participation of many characters in the last chapters. This caused division among fans, who were unsure if the ending was what Gege Akutami planned from the beginning and fit the story or if it was a bad ending. But the release of volumes #29 and #30 confirmed that the final stretch of Jujutsu Kaisen it wasn't bad, just incredibly rushed.
Part of the backlash that Gege Akutami received in the last few chapters of the manga was due to the downgrading of the art. However, the manga's new epilogue and corrections in the final volumes show that Jujutsu Kaisen could have had a much better ending if its author had had more time.
Art Improved in Jujutsu KaisenThe new volumes confirm the series' production problems
Jujutsu KaisenThe demotion in the last volumes was due to the health of its author
Gege Akutami's art underwent a major change during Jujutsu KaisenThe Shibuya serialization, changing style after the Shibuya Incident Arc, but especially in the last stretch of the manga, becoming less detailed and rough. This is something that has affected other series like Land of the Brilliants and chainsaw man and generated comments among readers. But even if in the case of chainsaw manIn the second part, the change in artistic style is attributed to the loss of the author of Fujimoto Dandadan as his assistant and starting to use thicker lines in Jujutsu KaisenAkutami even released incomplete chapters or just sketches.
This is evident in the unfinished artwork of the fight between Yuta and Sukuna in chapter 262, which was only 7 pages long. Yet, Jujutsu KaisenVolumes #29 and #30 corrected this unpolished artwork, especially in Sukuna's domain. The redesigns, in addition to the epilogue and extra pages that give a better approximation of Choso, demonstrate that Akutami's inconsistency in the ending was due to production problems caused by its incredibly taxing schedule. This has only been seen in My Hero AcademyThe ending, which was affected by the author's fatigue with serialization, took a huge leap in quality in its recent epilogue.
Gege Akutami has struggled with his health in recent years, which has caused him to take several hiatuses during the manga's run and take a break every three weeks during Shōnen Jump's publication. Furthermore, after chapter 262, just 9 chapters before the end, the author had to take a 1-month hiatus to recover after undergoing surgery to remove his appendix. Due to this, Akutami was likely exhausted and his declining health was negatively affected Jujutsu Kaisenis endingmaking him run when closing the different stories, something that also happened with Bleach'the end with your creator, Tite Kubo.
Gege Akutami could have delivered a more rounded ending with a change in the manga's schedule
Jujutsu Kaisen'The rushed last chapters tarnished the series
Weekly releases can cause serious health problems as authors work too much; this is proven by Hunter x Hunter author, Yoshihiro Togashi, who has been on hiatus for years due to back problems. Black CloverThe author even changed magazines to prioritize his health and has been publishing some of the most exciting chapters since then, which are elevating the climax of the story. But, in addition to the physical effort they experience, the pressure that manga artists are under also affects them mentallywhich can be seen in Akutami's afterword.
I was, of course, trying my hardest to squeeze out everything I could for my creations, and after about 3 years of serialization, my already harsh personality started to get distracted. - Gege Akutami, Afterword to Jujutsu Kaisen.
Many critics of Jujutsu KaisenThe ending was due to the fast pace in the last arc, which made the last fight between Yuji and Sukuna feel anticlimactic, and that the main plot points were only scratched on the surface and had no impact. This confirms how Jujutsu Kaisen was deprived of a satisfying ending by not offering its author a more flexible release schedulenot even biweekly like My Hero Academy or One pieceauthors.
Jujutsu KaisenThe story had the potential to be further extended, with several moments that should have been better developed, such as Hakari vs. Uraume, the name and working of Yuji's domain expansion, the resolution of optimization vs. the barrier in Japan. However, what is certain is that Akutami clearly loves his work, as he continued to reveal more information about the world of the series in the last few volumes. So, perhaps after enjoying a well-deserved rest, Jujutsu KaisenThe author of can return to writing manga with a renewed mind and body to create a new masterpiece.