Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen stands out as one of shonen's most revolutionary titles. The series has garnered tons of praise for its ingenuity and profound writing. It's not often that a shonen anime reinvents the wheel, but Jujutsu Kaisen has truly gone above and beyond fans' expectations with each new phase of the story.
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Jujutsu Kaisen follows Yuji Itadori who swallows one of Sukuna's fingers and is thrown into the world of jujutsu sorcery. Each arc introduces more grotesque cursed spirits and despicable cursed users who the sorcerers must defeat. Obviously, some arcs will stand out more than others.
This article contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen's manga and Jujutsu Kaisen 0.
10 The Cursed Womb Arc Showed The King Of Curse's Reign Of Terror
The Cursed Womb Arc was the first glimpse of what would come later in Jujutsu Kaisen. Some important information was revealed during this part of the story. Firstly, this was when Yuji entered a Binding Vow with Sukuna to be revived after his heart was ripped out
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Secondly, it was hinted that Sukuna would eventually take over Yuji's body and cause widespread calamity. Lastly, this was one of the first times Sukuna expressed interest in Megumi's Ten Shadows cursed technique because of its potential. Additionally, this was the first time that the upper echelons of jujutsu society orchestrated Yuji's death. This arc may feel insignificant compared to recent ones, but its rich foreshadowing and worldbuilding cemented it as a crucial part of Jujutsu Kaisen.
9 The Death Painting Arc Showed Off Some Of The Main Trio's Best Cursed Techniques
The Death Painting Arc showed some significant character development for Megumi, who finally broke out of his shell and let loose for a change when he activated his (albeit, unfinished) Domain Expansion: Chimera Shadow Garden.
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Plus, the Death Painting Arc had a decent amount of foreshadowing for Yuji's relation to Choso since he was so broken up over killing his brothers. Aside from that, Yuji's fight alongside Nobara to take the brothers down was jaw-dropping. The best moment of the battle was when the duo combined their best techniques to land a finishing blow. Nobara activated her Hairpin technique right after Yuji landed a Black Flash on Kechizu.
8 The Goodwill Event Is One Of Shonen's Best Tournament Arcs
Every battle shonen is bound to have at least one tournament arc. However, Jujutsu Kaisen's stands out as one of the genre's best. Not only did it introduce plenty of new characters, but some established fan favorites showed off some new cursed techniques. Nobara versus Momo, Mai versus Maki, Megumi versus Noritoshi Kamo, and Panda versus Mechamaru were just a few standout moments from this arc.
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Of course, Todo and Yuji can't go unmentioned when discussing the Goodwill Event, either. These two started out pummeling each other, then developed enough of a bromance to take on Hanami together. Todo's Boogie Woogie stole the spotlight before Yuji broke Nanami's record of Black Flashes. Then, just when the arc couldn't get any better, Satoru came through and activated his Hollow Purple technique.
7 Yuta's Return In The Itadori's Extermination Arc Was Unexpected
Yuta's return was inevitable, but how he returned was utterly unexpected. He fooled the higher-ups by agreeing to kill Yuji — and he did, but he used Reverse Cursed Technique to bring him back to life. Yuta acted like a stone-cold killer during their fight, only to laugh and say, "What a relief!" when Yuji woke up.
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There were other significant events in the Itadori's Extermination Arc like the big reveal that Choso and Yuji are half-brothers. Plus, Choso's fight against Naoya kept Jujutsu Kaisen manga readers on the edge of their seats.
6 The -Vs- Mahito Arc Showed How Sadistic Cursed Spirits Can Be
Jujutsu Kaisen took a darker turn after Mahito's debut. Yuji returned to life and had to keep it a secret, so he trained alongside Nanami. However, something sinister was about to rear its' ugly head and force Yuji to see the truth about cursed spirits.
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Mahito toyed with Junpei's psyche to see how far he would go off the deep end. When Yuji was about to stop Junpei from becoming a full-fledged villain, Mahito brutally killed him with Idle Transfiguration. Even worse, Yuji couldn't even get Sukuna to revive Junpei — instead, the King of Curses and Mahito shared a laugh at his expense.
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5 The Culling Game Started During The Tokyo No. 1 Colony Arc
After all the build-up, the Culling Game finally commenced during the Tokyo No.1 Colony Arc. The Culling Game is still ongoing and is shaping to be one of anime's deadliest death games. Orchestrated by Kenjaku, the entire thing is an unprecedented act of jujutsu terrorism to force human evolution.
The Tokyo No. 1 Colony Arc introduced some new villains to Jujutsu Kaisen, such as the eccentric sorcerer Reggie Star and attorney-turned-sorcerer Hiromi. The arc shows Megumi and Yuji dealing with psychological stress. Megumi's trying to save Tsumiki, while Yuji is struggling to cope with the rampage Sukuna committed when he took over his body.
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4 The Perfect Preparation Arc Brought About The Zenin Clan's Demise
Maki Zenin was the true star of the Perfect Preparation Arc. Since it came right before the start of the Culling Game, it often goes forgotten in fandom discussions except for one pivotal moment: Maki's massacre of the Zenin Clan. Mai sacrificed herself so that Maki could utilize all of Heavenly Restriction's potential. Maki killed the entire clan to fulfill Mai's dying wish for her to destroy everything. One by one, she cut down all of the clan's strongest sorcerers.
It's also worth mentioning that Gakuganji killed Masamichi Yaga during the Perfect Preparation Arc. Instead of reacting with rage, Panda was devastated and delivered one of the saddest lines in Jujutsu Kaisen when he said, "Even pandas cry."
3 The Cursed Child Arc Is An Excellent Prequel
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The Cursed Child Arc, better recognized as Jujutsu Kaisen 0, is an excellent prequel to the main series. Yuta was haunted by Rika, a childhood friend who he loved dearly. Rika stuck by Yuta's side as a vengeful cursed spirit. He vowed to set her spirit free and enrolled at Jujutsu High where he was automatically classified as a special grade sorcerer.
The Cursed Child Arc not only showed off Yuta's potential as a sorcerer, but also gave Jujutsu High's second-year students a moment to shine. Plus, it depicted the infamous Night Parade of a Hundred Demons and revealed some information about Suguru. The arc was action-packed, and Yuta was the perfect protagonist.
2 Gojo's Past Was Finally Revealed In One Of The Series' Best-Written Arcs
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The Gojo's Past Arc was one of the most intriguing parts of Jujutsu Kaisen. Until then, Satoru's past was shrouded in mystery and hidden by the sorcerer's cocky, happy-go-lucky attitude. However, this arc cemented Satoru as one of the series' best-written characters and introduced others who are just as top-notch.
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The Gojo's Past Arc is a flashback to Satoru's time as a student at Jujutsu High alongside Suguru, his longtime best friend who took a gruesome turn to the dark side. Toji Fushiguro is finally introduced, as well. Toji's initial defeat of Satoru was pivotal, but the latter's return was indisputably one of the best moments in the Jujutsu Kaisen. Satoru forced himself to master the Reverse Cursed Technique to heal his wound and get revenge on Toji to prove that he alone is the honored one.
1 The Shibuya Incident Is One Of The Greatest Arcs In Shonen History
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The Shibuya Incident is absolutely the best arc in Jujutsu Kaisen. It was a wrecking ball for all of the series' previous worldbuilding. Satoru was sealed in the Prison Realm, Pseudo-Geto's true identity was revealed, and Sukuna took over Yuji's body for an extended period and tore Shibuya apart.
No other series dares to destroy its world, but that's precisely why Jujutsu Kaisen stands out from the rest. The Shibuya Incident proved that Yuji is a top-tier protagonist by how he responded to the constant barrage of trauma thrown his way. Sukuna's rampage not only ripped apart a quarter-mile of the city, but Yuji's psyche was also permanently scarred. On top of that, several fan-favorite characters were either gravely injured or entirely taken out of commission.
