At long last, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 has premiered on Crunchyroll. The debut episode has given fans of the series plenty to think about, so let’s explore some of the most exciting aspects and takeaways of Episode 1.
The Past Is as Interesting as the Present
Like Jujutsu Kaisen 0 did last year, the first arc of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 goes back to the past, though the new seasons goes substantially further back than the movie did. Set in the year 2006 — 10 years before the start of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 — this current arc explores some of Satoru Gojo’s school days and his relationship with the soon-to-be-villainous Suguru Geto.
Though we aren’t currently following Itadori Yuji or his pals, seeing Gojo interacting with many characters who go on to play their own roles in the story later (like Mei and Utahime) in his own goofy way is already a lot of fun, even if Gojo himself is a bit different at this time.
Geto and Gojo Were Very Different
One thing that may surprise new fans is how nonchalant Gojo is about the difference between strong people and weak people. Back in 2006, Gojo didn’t care for those that he viewed as weak and felt that the strong shouldn’t be held back by them, while shockingly enough, it was Geto who believed that the strong have a responsibility to protect the weak.
Obviously, this will change later on to get both characters to where they’re at by Jujutsu Kaisen 0, but it’s intriguing to see both of these major figures at an earlier point in their lives where they were so drastically different. This will also make their later clashes all the more tragic, as they’re truly best friends at this point in time.
This Season Is Going to Look Incredible
Though this isn’t exactly a surprise, Mappa is already nailing it out of the park with Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2. Gege Akutami’s unique style is captured brilliantly while the environments are nothing less than gorgeous to gaze at.
Though there weren’t too many battle sequences in the premiere episode, the glimpses of action that we saw were sharp and have me very excited for the rest of the season. Even outside of action, Gojo and Geto’s goofy strides while walking and the many different expressions the cast makes make the new season a visual delight.
A Handy Digimon Reference
One concept that Season 2 introduces at the start is that of the Star Plasma Vessel. Basically, the immortal individual Tengen doesn’t have eternal youth, so if he doesn’t switch to a new compatible body now and then, his immortality will have him transcend mortality and become an enemy to mankind.
It can be a bit hard to follow with how its presented, but like the manga, Season 2 has Gojo explain the concept through Digimon and Digivolution. He notes that Tengen has to reset to an earlier form (Koromon) or he’ll become a bad evolution (SkullGreymon.) It’s a very specific niche of anime fans who will be assisted by this, but I was admittedly one of them. Tengen is going to play a major role in Jujutsu Kaisen, so get that explanation committed to memory.
Pay Attention to Toji Fushiguro
We briefly see Toji Zenin — who notes that he is taking his wife’s name to become Toji Fushiguro. We vaguely know of him already as the father of Megumi Fushiguro who had planned to sell him to the Zenin family, but he’s going to play a substantial part in the current “Gojo’s Past” arc. If you thought his scene in this episode positioned him as an important character going forward, you were absolutely right.
