Warning: Jujutsu Kaisen spoilers ahead!
Jujutsu Kaisen is still experiencing its cultural moment in 2024, from winning Crunchyroll’s 2024 Anime of the Year award to ending its memorable manga series on Sunday, September 29, 2024. It is the highest-rated franchise among fans, selling one hundred million copies over six printings within a year, firmly placing it among the best-selling manga of all time. However, due to Jujutsu Kaisen fighting shonen and genre composition, I can’t help but look at all the manga and anime and admit that Mahito was a more compelling villain than Sukuna.
Mahito has limited competition in the grand scheme Jujutsu Kaisen villains who are both menacing and compelling, especially outside of Sukuna. He ultimately didn’t have the same share as some of the other major players in the series, but he left behind an enduring legacy. I will remember Mahito as a cruel and stunning special level cursed spirit with an impressive body count. Mahito may not have become the most powerful and legendary of Jujutsu Kaisen villains. However, his brutal powers, manic performance, and surprisingly funny moments in the anime make him a much more interesting character to me.
The real greatest villain of Jujutsu Kaisen was Mahito after reading it from start to finish
An impressive number of victims to his name
Mahito entered the field barely halfway Jujutsu Kaisenwith a surprise final appearance in the series finale #271. More, Mahito has been shown to be one of the most powerful and ruthless assassins in the series. After finishing the Shinjuku Showdown arc, including marathon battles between Sukuna and Gojo and enough new challengers to deplete quarters of a fighting game enthusiast, the threat of Sukuna disappeared. This does not mean that Mahito would ever come close to Sukuna’s power: being cursed by the spirit, even with Mahito’s incredible growth, he would never be able to match the King of Curses in Jujutsu Kaisen.
Mahito’s true strength lies in his influence as an antagonist and his incredible body count, which exceeds four figures in the Shibuya Incident. highlighted by a frightening moment in Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter #88, when his victims are released. He is one of the most ruthless and effective killers in modern shonen manga, responsible for a shocking number of on-screen deaths, most notably Junpei Yoshino, Kento Nanami and Kokichi Muta. While Nanami’s death was particularly saddening, one loss in Jujutsu Kaisen was more than tragic: it was terrifying and perfect for the series.
Mahito shines among the horror highlights of Jujutsu Kaisen in Dark Trio
The opposite of the Midas Touch
Jujutsu Kaisenhow dark urban fantasy, in addition to shonen battle manga, led to it being included among the Shōnen Dark Trio along with Hell’s paradise And Man with a chainsaw. Bye Hell’s paradise my favorite visually, and Man with a chainsaw has bold and terrifying imagery and writing that deserves his credit, Jujutsu Kaisen it was usually a series whose dark fantasy trappings seemed less steeped in horror. Taking this as a challenge, perhaps the most chillingly visualized is Mahito’s transformation into Jujutsu Kaisen season 1, episode #12, when his manipulated henchman Junpei Yoshino has outlived his usefulness.
Idle Transfiguration is Mahito’s innate cursed technique, allowing him to change the souls of the bodies he touches, which therefore means the body will change shape to follow his lead. When used offensively, this often meant that targets were turned into abominations, potentially serving Mahito’s orders as fodder against his enemies, dying in agony. I was horrified to see Junpei tearfully begging Yuuji for help in the anime (or asking “Why?” in the manga, chapter #27), hopelessly transformed beyond repair. What I like about this is the horror element of the body into which it is injected Jujutsu Kaisen.
Body horror is a subgenre of horror that involves abnormal and often violent changes to primarily human bodies, either forced or over a gradual period. Notable creators of body horror include legends like David Cronenberg and Junji Ito, and my favorite artist in the genre is Travel Forman for his mind-blowing work on Jeff Lemire’s 2011 film. Animal Man run. When Junpei begged Yuji Jujutsu KaisenIt was reminiscent of the pathetic, grotesquely transformed Seth Brundle grabbing Veronica Quaife’s shotgun in Fly. Both were desperate for mercy in their final moments, in any form possible.
Mahito was the perfect enemy for Yuuji in Jujutsu Kaisen.
A stature to rival Sukuna’s vessel
While Yuji Itadori benefited from Sukuna’s immense talent, phenomenal strength, and honing of the vessel to become a powerful sorcerer, Mahito quickly learned lessons from his survival after each encounter in Jujutsu Kaisen. With the unique advantage of having two souls in his body, Yuuji was a strong opponent for Mahito. When Mahito was beaten in chapter #132, it had to be Yuuji who witnessed what was long believed to be the death of Nobara Kugisaki along with countless other victims. This is so impressive that even Yuuji’s victory over Sukuna still has shades of that moment. in chapter No. 268.
While Sukuna was the final villain who had to be defeated at all costs, and freeing Megumi Fushiguro was a great personal victory for Yuji, I was less interested in the idea of Yuji being the one to deal the killing blow. Yuuji even offers mercy to Sukune in his last moments. Jujutsu Kaisenthe culmination of his character development, reminiscent of the final moments of Mahito’s life, but Yuuji defeating Mahito felt cathartically necessary. One rapidly growing presence would eventually destroy another, and Yuuji had witnessed too many atrocities to allow Mahito to escape.
JJK anime made Mahito more interesting
A frivolous shade of cruelty
Mahito’s playfully monstrous side is captured beautifully at many points in the film. Jujutsu Kaisen anime. Still, Something seemed to me completely coded in the style of the Joker in the fact that he was dancing in the interior of the carriage. Mahito’s frivolous act, which caused injuries to passengers, is immortalized in one of JJK’s best opening themes. Although he appears to jump out of a train in chapter #88, it lacks the cinematic gravitas of the anime. Even a completely pointless friendly football match after the credits Jujutsu Kaisen The seventh episode of the first season was insanely interesting: Mahito hilariously scored a perfect bicycle kick using Jogo’s head as a ball.
With a character whose cruelty and playfulness initially seem to be just written, it’s legitimate to enjoy Mahito since he comes across as a despicable villain in the manga. But seeing his cheerful lightheartedness, even despite unimaginable cruelty, in anime is mesmerizing. It’s like reading Batman for years until you first see the Joker, voiced by Mark Hamill. IN Jujutsu Kaisenfrom his writing to the absolutely sick entertainment factor, Mahito was the perfect villain for me, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way.