Important takeaways
- Several characters in Jujutsu Kaisen, such as Inumaki and Panda, had underwhelming endings or resolutions.
- Powerful characters like Uraume and Kinji Hakari had uneventful or unsatisfactory results in the final chapters.
- The heartbreaking death of Satoru Gojo and the sudden return of Nobara Kugisaki were among the disappointing aspects of the manga's ending.
After 6 years in serialization, Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen manga has finally ended. This was clearly one of the biggest and most influential shōnen action series of recent years, and it will be remembered for the most part. But the truth is that its ending received a mixed reception from fans and longtime readers, for several controversial reasons.
One of them is the surprising number of characters who received somewhat underwhelming resolutions to their stories. Whether it's because their endings were disappointing or because they completely disappeared from the manga during its final arcs, the following Jujutsu Kaisen characters are some of the most egregious examples of this unfortunate event.
Spoiler alert
for the entire manga.
10 Together Inumaki
He used to be one of the main characters but did next to nothing at the end
- First appearance: Chapter 0-1 (Manga) Episode 5 (Anime)
Together Inumaki was one of Yuta's classmates and was intended to be one of the main characters of the series. Although this was later changed when the manga shifted its focus to Itadori and his friends, Inumaki still remained an important figure in the story, mostly thanks to his unique cursed technique, Cursed Speech.
However, as the manga continued, Inumaki became less and less relevant, to the point where he almost disappeared from the story. After he lost one of his arms during Sukuna's rampage in Shibuya, he didn't really do much else except record himself saying “Don't Move” on a recorder so Yuta could use it against the King of Curses in the final battle. After Sukuna's defeat, Inumaki just returned to his normal life.
9 Panda
He lost his father and siblings. What now?
- First appearance: Chapter 0-1 (Manga) Episode 5 (Anime)
It cannot be denied Panda is one of the most fascinating characters in Jujutsu Kaisen. He is a mutated cursed corpse created by Headmaster Yaga who has three different cores in his body, each of them with their own abilities. Along with his adorable design and charming personality, it's clear why he was one of the original main characters of the series.
Unlike Inumaki, Panda kept an active role after the Shibuya incident, but he really left a lot to be desired. First, his father was executed by Jujutsu higher up, but aside from briefly mourning his death, Panda never really acted on this loss. On top of that, his two cores were wiped out by Kashimo, and he never even got to show off the strength of his sister's Triceratops Mode, which was disappointing for readers who waited a long time to witness this transformation. After this crushing defeat, Panda could be seen hanging around the other characters in a minor form, but he didn't do much.
8 Uraume
Wait, why did they even follow Sukuna in the first place?
- First appearance: Chapter 53 (Manga) Episode 21 (Anime)
Sukuna's most loyal subordinate, Uraumewas also one of the most powerful incarnate wizards in the series, mainly thanks to their cursed technique, Ice Formation, which allows them to use freezing cryokinetic powers. However, despite filling an equally important role as Sukuna's second-in-command, Uraume was completely underutilized in the final chapters.
They were set to have a climactic final showdown against Kinji Hakari while the rest of the heroes battled their master. Unfortunately, as exciting as it sounded, most of this battle happened off-screen. Although Uraume appeared in the final chapter and went to the afterlife alongside Sukuna, this was far from satisfying, as their backgrounds and motives were never properly established.
7 Kinji Hakari
His epic final battle wasn't even shown
- First appearance: Chapter 153 (Manga)
Early in the manga, Kinji Hakari was established as one of the most talented and strongest wizards. When this suspended student later made his debut, he certainly did not disappoint as he took part in some of the most astonishing and bizarre matches in the series, thanks to his Pachinko-themed Domain Expansion.
Hakari also had a decisive role during the final battle, separating Sukuna from his subordinate Uraume. This invisible encounter was extremely disappointing, as most readers expected to see him display his unique powers again. He didn't even get to defeat them, as Uraume killed himself after Sukuna's death. In the final chapter, it is suddenly revealed that Hakari and Kirara will resume their studies at Jujutsu Tech, which felt like a rushed development.
6 Hajime Kashimo
Went from a major threat to fodder for Sukuna
- First appearance: Chapter 158 (Manga)
Hajima Kashimo was an incarnate sorcerer from 400 years in the past who wielded electrical cursed energy. He quickly showed how incredibly powerful he was as he defeated countless players in the Culling Game, including Panda. After all, Kashima had one goal in mind: to fight Ryomen Sukuna himself.
Hakari managed to convince Kashimo to fight on their side, resulting in his immediate deployment against Sukuna during the Shinjuku Showdown Arc. He even used his most dangerous technique, called Mythical Beast Amber, but none of this was enough to defeat the King of Curses, who quickly disposed of him without a problem. Despite their exciting final exchange about strength, the fact that Kashimo ended up being used as fodder to showcase Sukuna's power was rather anticlimactic.
5 Miguel Oduol
Kenya's most powerful wizard quietly returned to his homeland
- First appearance: Chapters 0-3 (Manga) Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (Anime)
The occurrence of Miguel Oduol introduced a very interesting concept to Jujutsu Kaisen: the prospect that there are wizards in other countries who are almost as powerful as Satoru Gojo and who have also influenced the societies of their respective homelands. However, this brilliant concept was never fully explored when the manga ended, not to mention not much was shown about Yuta's training in Africa.
While Miguel got the chance to show off his impressive abilities during the final fight against Sukuna, he was transported away when things got too tricky, only to be seen returning to Kenya as usual. That's it? Miguel is an extremely strong wizard, so it would have been fascinating to see what kind of curses and wizards he deals with in his country, and how his experiences in Japan affected him.
4 Yuki Tsukumo
The strongest female wizard was unceremoniously killed
- First appearance: Chapter 50 (Manga) Episode 20 (Anime)
As the only female wizard and Aoi Todo's mentor, fans were waiting for Yuki Tsukumo to display their full capabilities for a good number of years. She eventually got the chance to do so in an intense battle against Kenjaku and with her powerful techniques and bombastic personality, she had the potential to become one of the most popular characters in the series.
However, Yuki unfortunately couldn't survive her encounter with one of the main antagonists, and she was suddenly killed when Kenjaku used an anti-gravity technique out of nowhere. This was disappointing because Yuki, after so many years of build-up, was killed off in an instant, reducing the impact of her entire character.
3 Nobara Kugisaki
She finally reappeared when the manga only had a few chapters left
- First appearance: Chapter 3 (Manga) Episode 2 (Anime)
Gege Akutami's handling of Nobara Kugisakis the character was split. While she was introduced as the main female character of the series and quickly proved to be a likable friend and a strong wizard, she left the story after her fatal encounter with Mahito during the Shibuya incident.
Over the course of many years, fans wondered if Nobara was actually dead or not. She eventually reappeared in the story in chapter 267, where she helped Itadori finish off Sukuna with her Resonance Technique. As epic as this moment was, the manga ended just 4 chapters later, and Nobara was absent for most of its duration. She was eventually reintroduced and resumed her normal life, with no clear resolution to her story, if it can even be considered that she had one in the first place.
2 Kenjaku
One of the main antagonists didn't even get a proper send off
- First appearance: Chapter 10 (Manga) Episode 5 (Anime)
The evil wizard Kenjaku had a personal conflict with two of the main characters of the series: Satoru Gojo, as he possessed his best friend's body and sealed him within the prison realm, and Yuji Itadori, as he possessed the woman who would become his mother in order to create the perfect vessel for Sukuna.
Despite these intense personal squabbles, neither Gojo nor Itadori ever got the chance to fight or even interact with Kenjaku before he was suddenly killed by Yuta. There's no denying that his comedic final battle with Fumihiko Takaba was one of the most brilliant moments in the entire manga, but it's rather unfortunate that not much about Kenjaku was shown after his decisive defeat. Takaba is later seen preparing a new comedy with a man who resembles Geto. Is this supposed to be some kind of Kenjaku?
1 Satoru Gojo
He was successfully freed, only to die a few chapters later
- First appearance: Chapter 0-1 (Manga) Episode 1 (Anime)
To this day, Satoru Gojo's death is one of the most divisive and controversial moments of all Jujutsu Kaisen. On paper, this is an interesting idea, as he is such an undeniably powerful character that his death left a huge void in the Jujutsu community, and Sukuna would have taken over, had it not been for Gojo's friends and allies.
The problem is that Gojo was sealed inside the prison realm by Kenjaku and thus was completely absent from the story for almost 140 chapters. Unlike Nobara, Gojo was killed off just a few chapters after his reintroduction. The fight itself was exciting – one of the best in the series – but Sukuna's victory felt cheap and undeserved.
Gojo had a huge impact on Itadori, who will carry on his legacy, but it wasn't enough for such a beloved icon. Gojo was a really entertaining and complex character, so it's a real shame that he was written out of the manga in such an underwhelming way.
