Jujutsu Kaisen‘s expansive cast features the mysterious upperclassmen of the main protagonist, Yuuji Itadori. What are they doing as the main plotline happens?
The timeline of Jujutsu Kaisen is one that’s full of twists and turns. Season 2 features the Hidden Inventory Arc. It returns to when Satoru Gojo. the well-loved teacher at the Tokyo branch, is a student.
JJK 0, however, is the prequel manga, now adapted into a movie. It features now second year student Yuuta Okkutsu when he was just recently starting out at Jujutsu High, much like Yuuji.
In the main storyline, Yuuta Okkutsu is mostly absent from the story as he’s been dispatched to Africa to exorcise curses. What we know of him is what little Yuuji hears from other cast members. Season 3 is when he finally gets to shine, as he returns in time for the culling games. He promises to be the one to kill Yuuji Itadori as Satoru Gojo is currently sealed away in the prison realm.
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The Second Years’ Backstories in Jujutsu Kaisen
Yuuta Okkutsu enters Jujutsu High in a way that’s nearly identical to Yuuji Itadori. Satoru Gojo defends him and brings him to meet people with the same abilities. However, we find out immediately that Yuuta Okkutsu’s cursed energy is off the charts, likely making him a Special Grade sorcerer. The reason for that? Rika’s attachment to him.
In JJK 0, we also see hints about Maki Zenin’s background as the Zenin outcast and her training regimen as someone without cursed energy. She goes through them every day without having the ability to see curses, and she uses her glasses to help aid in spotting them. It is a solid must-watch if you want more context to Maki’s time as a first year and the excessive prejudice towards her from other sorcerers.
Additional perk: the camaraderie between Yuuta, Maki, Panda, and Toge Inumaki; and more on Toge’s own special ability and why he only speaks with rice ball ingredients.
The Queen of Curses
JJK teaches us that the quote “Love is the most twisted curse of all” means a lot in their universe.
Rika’s the primary reason for Yuuta Okkutsu’s strength. In JJK, we are jarred by the sheer strength and brutality that Yuuta brings to the table. If there’s anyone in the current cast who could make a difference, we believe it to be him.
In JJK 0, Yuuta still doesn’t have this confidence. He terrified and aghast by Rika’s existence and is mystified by the world of curses. We have the opportunity to see Yuuta Okkutsu before he becomes the character he is in JJK, more powerful and more confident in himself.
It gives us a more detailed backstory to Rika and how exactly Yuuta managed to possess such power. Rika is a curse that’s attached herself to him since childhood. She only grows stronger and stronger every year, earning the title “Queen of Curses.”
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Is your favorite character one of the second years? JJK 0 is an opportunity to learn more about their lore, motivations, and even just a glimpse of Yuuta’s pre-main storyline character design!
Source: TMDB JJK 0 movie poster, Netflix
