Some of the best mangaka out there, including the creator ofJujutsu Kaisen, Gege Akutami, were inspired by the talented creators who came before them and paved the way. Many of them can recall a specific experience, often in their childhood, of reading an enthralling series and falling in love with the manga art form. These moments sparked their own inspiration, spurring them on to later create series of their own.
Gege Akutamihad one such experience in his youth that went on to change the trajectory of his life entirely byinadvertently inspiring him to create one of the best shonen seriesof all time. In an interview withEdomonogatari, he discussed the first manga he had ever encountered:Bleach.He discoveredBleachthrough his older brother’s Weekly Shonen Jump issues whenhe was a child and became obsessed with Tite Kubo’s acclaimed series. ReadingBleachnot onlyintroduced him to the concept of manga, but taught him how wonderful it can be.
BleachWas The First Manga ThatJujutsu Kaisen’sCreator Was Blown Away By
Akutami Incorporated Various Aspects of Kubo’s Work, Including Supernatural Elements, IntoJujutsu Kaisen
Gege explained later in the interview that a friend in elementary school motivated him to begin creating his own art. Once he discovered his passion for drawing, he combined that with the inspiration he received through readingBleach,in order to finally produceJujutsu Kaisenyears later.
While it’s true thatJujutsu Kaisen’s manga inspirations are broad, Akutamihas been a trueBleachsuperfan for years, even admitting in the interview that he wrote a full book of poems related toBleach,titledKumo no Kyojin,as a passion project. Akutami cited many different aspects of the series that he enjoyed, such as the use of Buddhist mythology and the series' incantations.
Jujutsu Kaisen isn’t Just Great, it’s Bleach’s True Successor
Bleach was one of the most acclaimed and remarkable animes of its day, and now Jujutsu Kaisen has come along to be the series' worthy successor.
Bleach,written by Tite Kubo, is not only a phenomenal and action-packed series in its own right.Bleachserved as a catalyst for other mangakato incorporate similar magic and otherworldly elements into their own series. Akutami was definitely influenced by these aspects ofBleach,praising Kubo’s incantations and ability to “depict scary things in a genuinely scary way,” in particular. Frightening scenes and characters, evil spirits, and magical attacks that take down opponents are present in bothBleachandJujutsu Kaisen.
Bleach’sInfluence Is All OverJujutsu Kaisen, If You Know Where To Look
From Fighting Styles to the Protagonists’ Ages, the Similarities Between the Two Series Are Abundantly Clear
One of the largest and most prominent resemblances between the two series is, of course, the inclusion of the supernatural. The idea of asoul reaper is quite similar to that of a jujutsu sorcerer, since they both use otherworldly powers to destroy evil creatures. InJujutsu Kaisen’scase, the threats are cursed spirits, which are born from humans' negative emotions, while inBleach’scase, they are hollows, corrupted human souls that don’t cross over correctly to the afterlife. There are some smaller shared details between the two series as well.
Even the protagonists,Jujutsu Kaisen’sYujiItadori andBleach’sIchigo Kurosaki, are both fifteen years old at the beginning of their respective stories. This fairly youthful age givesboth characters the unique perspective of a high school studentthat will be relatable to teenagers, one of the shonen genres' biggest audiences. Furthermore, the series both occur in urban settings in Japan. The overall plots ofJujutsu KaisenandBleachalso share similarities, since they both follow heroes who fight against evil suèernatural threats using their own unique style of supernatural fighting that has been passed down for generations.
Jujutsu KaisenBrought New Energy To Shonen Anime, Just LikeBleachDid
Jujutsu KaisenIs Taking on This Influential Role in the Modern Day
The incorporation of Buddhisminto both series was something Kubo and Akutami discussed briefly in the interview. Prominent examples that appear in each manga are the Death Painting Wombs. InBleach, “those rings that appeared when Tosen used his Bankai” were engraved with the Death Painting Wombs' names, while inJujutsu Kaisen,Death Painting Wombs take the form of personified curse-human hybrids. This is just one example of an area in which Akutami took a page out of Kubo’s book and subtly paid homage to the shonen series he grew up adoring throughout both his childhood and teenage years.
“The Deepest Impression on Me” - One Jujutsu Kaisen Scene Stuck With Bleach’s Creator
Bleach’s creator, Tite Kubo, revealed his favorite Jujutsu Kaisen quote in an interview, and it comes from one of the most tragic characters.
Bleachwas a standout series of its time, not only excelling on its own but causing countless other mangaka to take note and use the innovative series to influence their own works. In the same way thatBleachhad such tremendous influence in the early 2000s on both the anime community and mangakas themselves,JujutsuKaisenhas taken that role in the new generation.
Jujutsu Kaisenis the most popular shonenof the modern age, with breathtaking battles, impeccable character design, and an adaptation with stellar animation that have earned it a place in anime history that will last long after the series concludes. Both series also have a “cool” factor that helped them transition into mainstream culture, influencing fashion, music, and more.
Many Talented Mangaka Pay Homage to the Series They Love Through Their Works
Akutami Showed His Love and Respect for Kubo’s Work
BleachandJujutsu Kaisenare two of the best-selling manga of all-time, and their anime series did very well too. Similarly to how so many new series are influenced byBleach’sthemes, fighting styles, and quality writing that still resonates, new series will likely begin to crop up that areinspired by Akutami’s masterpiecethat has taken the world by storm these past few years.
Source:Edomonogatari, Gege Akutami x Tite Kubo Special Talk
Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisenis a Japanese anime and manga series created by Gege Akutami. The story is set in a world where Cursed Spirits, born from negative human emotions, prey on humanity. It follows high school student Yuji Itadori as he becomes entangled in the world of Jujutsu Sorcery after swallowing a cursed talisman—Ryomen Sukuna’s finger—and becomes the host for one of the most powerful curses. Yuji joins the Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical College to learn how to combat curses while searching for the remaining fingers of Sukuna to exorcise him permanently.
Bleach
Bleach is a multimedia franchise created by Tite Kubo. The franchise started as a Japanese manga series. Ichigo Kurosaki is the main protagonist who is granted the powers of a being called the Soul Reaper. The success of the manga led to two anime TV shows, four feature-length animations, and several video games.
