Warning: SPOILERS for Jujutsu Kaisen’s Shibuya Incident Arc
Even though it has a happy beginning typical of a shōnen manga, Jujutsu Kaisen It quickly established itself as a dark fantasy that at times leaned into the horror genre. But that would not have been possible for JJKby the author, Gege Akutami, if not for the influence of the true master of horror manga, Junji Ito. Due to this, Akutami wanted to thank Junji Ito in the best way possible by including in Jujutsu Kaisen a tribute to one of his most iconic works, Uzumaki.
Jujutsu KaisenThe author needed to create a terrifying atmosphere in the series, aligned with high-stakes battles against relentless curses, showing brutal deaths and shocking and disturbing events for which Junji Ito’s works were essential, as no one expressed horror better than him. Thanks to these influences, Akutami presented several references to Ito’s worksespecially highlighting his admiration for the manga through the technique of one of the series’ main antagonists, Suguro Geto.
Jujutsu KaisenThe Creator pays homage to Uzumaki by Junji Ito through one of the most powerful villains in the series
Gege Akutami expressed his admiration for the legendary horror manga artist
Gege Akutami took inspiration from Junji Ito to create the mysterious feel of the series, but also in some of the designs as it pays homage to the manga Uzumaki in Suguru Geto’s cursed technique, Maximum: Uzumaki. This cursed technique first appeared in Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 0but its design did not resemble Uzumaki’The spiral is very big at the beginning. It wasn’t until the Shibuya Incident in Chapter 134, when Kenjaku uses the cursed technique after absorbing Mahito, that many horror fans recognized the tribute.
Kenjaku’s Maximum Technique: Uzumaki is as terrifying as Junji Ito’s original work because Mahito’s body is contorted into a spiral, like the iconic panel of Shuichi’s father falling victim to the spiral curse and wrapping his body inside a barrel in Uzumaki chapter 1. Akutami confirmed this tribute with a special message in extra in volume 16 of the Jujutsu Kaisenwhere he thanked Ito for allowing the homage and revealed that he tried hard to imitate his style in Maximum: Uzumaki, but the atmosphere of the original was difficult to convey.
The cursed manipulation technique known as Maximum Uzumaki has been appearing since volume 0. If it isn’t already obvious, the inspiration for it was Junji Ito Sensei’s Uzumaki series. I’ve been trying to make it more like Ito Sensei’s style since volume 0, but that horrible atmosphere wasn’t easy to convey. I have my own clear internal criteria for the dividing line between parody and homage, but I can’t deny that it depends on the kindness of many people (in this case, Ito Sensei). The weekly series progresses at a frantic pace, so even though some time has passed, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone involved, starting with Junji Ito Sensei, for allowing representations like these. -Gege Akutami
Akutami also revealed his love for one of the stories in Ito’s anthology, Long Dreamrecommending it along with Uzumaki to Jujutsu Kaisen readers and even promoting their digital versions. This shows how much Akutami admires Junji Itōhis work, since instead of just including an Easter egg, he even asked permission to draw a corresponding drawing in honor Uzumaki in Jujutsu Kaisen.
Jujutsu Kaisen Features several references to Junji Ito’s stories
Uzumaki It is not the only work by Ito highlighted in Jujutsu Kaisen
Maximum: Uzumaki is not the only reference to Ito in Jujutsu Kaisen. Another reference to Uzumaki in Jujutsu Kaisen is in the Hidden Inventory Arc in the drawing of the main hall of the Star Corridor Tombs, located at the bottom of Jujutsu High, where Riko Amanai will merge with Tengen. This structure has a spiral shape and is surprisingly similar to the Kurouzu village panel after forming a spiral labyrinth in Uzumaki’chapter 18.
Also, the horrible panel of Gojo Satoru killing Hanami in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 85 looks like a panel from another Ito story, splatter film. Also, the panel in chapter 151 of Naoya Zennin seeing Toji Fushiguro is similar to The beautiful boy at the crossroads in Ito Love sickness. With Junji Ito being one of the most important figures in the horror genre, it is no surprise that many manga are inspired by Ito’s works, such as chainsaw manwhich included references to Gyo and splatter filmbut as Akutami projects Ito’s influence onto Jujutsu Kaisen proves how much of a fan he really is of his works.
Jujutsu Kaisen Takes inspiration from many iconic manga
Akutami isn’t afraid to show he’s a fan of other manga artists
Akutami also shared his thoughts on Junji Ito’s legacy in a commemorative message posted on the official X account for the Enchantment horror manga exhibition. JJKThe author stated that Ito achieved the ideal of a manga artist by being able to expand the minds of readers with his works.
Immortality is not eternal. It was after reading the story Long Dream that I started thinking about how humans have changed in the last 100 years. I believe it is a manga artist’s long-cherished and ideal desire to continue providing a reading experience that expands the reader’s brain, just as Mr. Ito did. -Gege Akutami
Although Junji Ito impacted Akutami, since Jujutsu Kaisen is a battle shōnen, it was also heavily inspired by other series. Akutami revealed Jujutsu KaisenThe biggest influences of are Bleach, Hunter x Hunterand Evangelion. However, Yoshihiro Togashi’s works are some of his favorites because the author included several references to Hunter X Hunter in Jujutsu Kaisen. However, it is clear that the mixture of battle with horror elements learned through Junji Ito’s stories was vital to Jujutsu Kaisen to differentiate itself from other shōnen, and its homage to Uzumaki is one of the best references in the series.
Source: @jhorrorpj on X