Gojo's Return Means Jujutsu Kaisen Should End Soon - For Its Own Good

Summary Gojo dominated Jujutsu Kaisen, even in absence, but his return may hurt the series' narrative and character development.

The jujutsu community evolved post-Gojo's death, showcasing other characters' growth and importance beyond him.

Creator Gege Akutami's lack of fan service suggests Gojo's return would contradict the series' trajectory and likely disappoint fans.

It's not a stretch to say that Jujutsu Kaisen was Satoru Gojo's World, and everyone else just lived in it. He dominated the space even though he was not actually present for the majority of the story. Gojo's popularity even outgrew the series. Accordingly, it's also no surprise that when he was killed by Ryomen Sukuna, the manga universe shuddered.

When a character of Gojo's status dies, the immediate fan reaction is usually a hope or expectation that the character will return at some point in the story's future. There's plenty of precedent for fans who believe in this idea. The manga space is filled with the unexpected return of previously dead characters. This hope/expectation of a character's return is based on a number of reasons, including the emotional attachment that fans developed for the character, as well as the narrative impact that the character's death has on the plot.

In this case, since Jujutsu Kaisen's fandom loves Gojo so deeply, there's always been hope for his return. Moreover, story-wise, his absence creates a massive power vacuum that Sukuna has claimed with lethal ferocity - until Gojo's "ghost" unexpectedly appeared at the end of chapter #260 of Jujutsu Kaisen.

Is Gojo's Return Really Necessary?

Jujutsu Kaisen's Story Has Moved On After Gojo

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While the thoughtful resurrection of a deceased character - such as one that the story carefully builds up or where the story provides a plausible explanation of why it would occur - can be narrative gold, resurrections that are completely out of the blue hurt the story more often than they help it.

Such is the case with the "hinted at" return of Satoru Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter #260. If he does indeed make a return, it lessens the story that has gone on since his death. If he actually is not dead, then it's a gag that adds nothing to the narrative but rather plays on fans' feelings.

Jujutsu Kaisen Might Be Better Without Gojo

Gojo's Return Could Steal the Spotlight from the True Protagonist, Yuji

One of the telltale signs that a long-running, popular manga has begun the decline in terms of the quality of its narrative is the use of outlandish plot twists that make no sense to the fanbase. For Jujutsu Kaisen, Gojo's possible appearance at the end of Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter #260 is exactly the kind of unexpected and unexplained twist that strongly suggests the series should end sooner rather than later to keep its quality from declining.

One element of the outlandishness of Gojo's return is that it is unequivocally unnecessary. While his death originally sparked fear that the world was unprotected without Gojo, it has forced others to step up - and they've responded to that challenge amazingly well. It's unlikely that the harmony of purpose that the jujutsu community is now experiencing would have been possible without Gojo's death. His return, if that is actually what it is, destroys that development. It obliterates the incredible development Yuji had in order to fight Sukuna.

Second, bringing Gojo back runs counter to creator Gege Akutami's history of lack of fan service. The resurrection of Gojo would be one of the biggest wins for fan service in recent memory. However, throughout the saga, Gege has shown little interest in catering to the whims of Jujutsu Kaisen fans. Indeed, he's been proud to do the opposite any time he could. While creators can change, such a major reversal from Akutami doesn't make sense, especially considering that Jujutsu Kaisen is set to end sooner rather than later.

Jujutsu Kaisen is available on Manga Plus and from Viz Media.