Jujutsu Kaisen manga ending ‘in all probability’ by late 2023, says writer Gege Akutami in interview

Jujutsu Kaisen manga creator Gege Akutami cosplayed because the character Ultimate Mechamaru for the February 2021 interview. Pic credit score: Gege Akutami

The Jujutsu Kaisen manga’s ending is developing in late 2023, which is quicker than many followers could have anticipated.

In an interview with Mando Kobayashi on February 27, 2021, manga creator Gege Akutami said that he intends on ending the manga in lower than 2 years, which meant the ultimate chapter ought to be launched in 2023.

On December 17, 2022, a press release by Akutami was learn throughout the Jujutsu Kaisen Jump Festa 2023 which said, “If you accompany me for as much as another yr (in all probability), I might be very completely satisfied.” As such, it looks like he’s on the right track (in all probability) for ending the story by the top of 2023.

Akutami has been discussing his plans for the manga sequence for a very long time. In a 2020 interview, Akutami stated he had already deliberate out the Jujutsu Kaisen manga’s ending.

He’d even mapped out the most important plot factors of the story, though he admits that the “path between the 2 stays pretty free.”

READ: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 launch date confirmed for Winter 2023

In the February 2021 interview, Akutami up to date his progress by saying that he was greater than midway carried out with the manga sequence as deliberate. He is estimating he’s about 60 to 70 % carried out at this level, therefore why he might be carried out by 2023.

In making these statements, Akutami was cautious to say that he’ll “in all probability” end in 2023, indicating that he’s not 100% assured in his personal estimate. He additionally in contrast his progress to the Mt. Fuji summit path, stating that he’s round station 6 or 7 out of the 9 station checkpoints that result in the mountain’s summit.

The general ending continues to be going as deliberate, however the one query is tips on how to deal with ending the person character arcs. He’s already selected the endings for Yuji Itadori and Megumi Fushiguro, however he’s undecided but what he’s going to do with the first antagonist, the King of Curses Sukuna.

Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto’s respective previous histories have been deliberate out from the very starting.

(More detailed spoilers from the interview are contained close to the ending of this information story.)

Akutami Gege’s well being issues an element

The elephant within the room is that Akutami has not been wholesome in 2021. Early within the yr, the JJK writer took a brief break from an unspecified sudden sickness.

In March 2021, a second week-long break was introduced. Then in June 2021 an extended Jujutsu Kaisen hiatus was introduced.

In the previous, Akutami didn’t have a historical past of taking breaks and this was the primary time any well being points have been talked about publicly.

It was revealed that Akutami was requested by the Weekly Shonen Jump editorial division to take a break from the manga sequence. But the creator didn’t need to decelerate the weekly serialization in order that the Jujutsu Kaisen manga’s ending may very well be drawn as quickly as potential.

Hopefully, the JJK hiatus schedule received’t be too dangerous. But if historical past is any information then it’s doubtless the mangaka may very well be taking a sequence of breaks into the longer term, which is able to after all impression the creator’s plans for releasing the ending.

Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 25 ending the manga sequence?

Note: This information story might be up to date over time with new data and evaluation.

Akutami has not talked about the variety of volumes or chapters that he’s concentrating on for the ending. (VIZ Media revealed an “interview” the place he stated it was roughly 21 volumes/200 chapters, however that was an April Fool’s joke.)

However, we are able to estimate the approximate ending based mostly on his latest progress.

As of Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 12, 2021 (February 22, 2021), he was solely a number of chapters into the subsequent main story arc, with Chapter 139 being the most recent. Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 140 was revealed shortly after this information story was initially written [editor’s note: it’s been updated multiple times since then].

On January 25, 2021, Akutami lastly completed the long-running Shibuya Incident story arc with Chapter 136, which might be launched as a part of Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 16 (Chapters 134 by 142). After Volume 2, every e book has persistently contained 9 chapters.

Assuming Akutami reaches the ending inside two years that’s lower than 100 chapters, which brings the whole to lower than Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 240. That means Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 27 may include the ultimate chapter if the manga lasts longer than anticipated

Since Akutami is speaking about ending the sequence in lower than 2 years, it’s potential Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 25 may include the ultimate chapter.

When the anime’s first season resulted in March 2021, the manga was as much as Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 15. Pic credit score: Gege Akutami

How the manga’s ending impacts the Jujutsu Kaisen anime sequel(s)

The Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 anime TV sequence was inevitable contemplating how fashionable Studio MAPPA’s first season has been around the globe. It received Crunchyroll’s Anime of the Year award so it was a matter of when, not if.

When Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 24 was launched on March 26, 2021, the anime’s first season discovered an ending in Chapter 63 of Volume 8.

Based on the pacing of the manga’s story arcs, Studio MAPPA will adapt the story by following up the manga prequel Jujutsu Kaisen 0 film with the subsequent flashback story arc in an extra-long multi-cour season that additionally adapts the very lengthy Shibuya Incident arc. Adapting JJK 0 first made sense since Suguru Geto is in each of them.

Presumably, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 will end the Shibuya Incident story arc with two to 3 cours. Having greater than 26 episodes to be able to adapt the in-between story arcs might be the best choice for the reason that flashback and prequel tie into the general Shibuya Incident arc.

In any case, based mostly on the anime’s adaptation pacing it looks like there might be 5 to 6 extra cours at most. If the whole manga is customized, that might imply Jujutsu Kaisen Season 4 or 5 will include the ultimate episode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPWX9t8rZqY

Gege Akutami interview continued: The aftermath of the Shibuya Incident

Warning: The following 5 paragraphs include spoilers. Names have been redacted to stop main spoilers for anime-only followers.

In the interview, Akutami additionally dived down into explaining latest story occasions within the manga. The writer says that the Shibuya Incident occasion was so critical that there’s completely no method that the characters can return to their each day lives.

He even defined why Sukuna didn’t kill a sure main character, however that’s stepping into main spoiler territory. The struggling of this character, together with the lack of an eye fixed, was meant to drive Yuji to despair. Whether this character is alive or lifeless now stays to be seen.

Akutami additionally defined that he had initially solely deliberate for a unique character to lose an arm, however determined to observe a unique path and kill off that character. Needless to say, this character isn’t coming again.

Akutami desires to disclose a third Year character and he expects his plans for the character will trigger a backlash associated to the character’s identify.

The creator selected a love story between Mechamaru and Kasumi Miwa as a result of she is the one feminine character the place a romantic storyline made sense.

Jujutsu Kaisen manga sequel doubtless?

Thanks to the Jujutsu Kaisen anime TV sequence, the manga’s recognition skyrocketed, with manga gross sales leaping a number of hundred % in a number of months. By October 4, 2021, the manga had reached 55 million copies in circulation, and by July 2022 it was as much as 70 million copies. The anime’s premiere in October 2020 prompted the manga’s circulation to extend by 650 %.

If the Jujutsu Kaisen manga stays fashionable by the point Akutami reaches his authentic deliberate stopping level it’s potential he’ll work out a solution to proceed the story. On the opposite hand, Akutami could select to go the route of the Demon Slayer manga and finish in such a method {that a} continuation is unlikely.

But the jujutsu world is way more open-ended compared to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, which relied on the villain’s existence to be able to keep a believable continuity. So, even when the primary sequence ends in 2023, let’s hope Akutami plans out a Jujutsu Kaisen sequel.