Fans are commending Junya Enoki, the Japanese voice actor for Jujutsu Kaisen’s Yuji Itadori, for his apparent breakdown in a clip circulating on Twitter and Tiktok. The video snippet was taken while allegedly recording the anime version of Chapter 120 of the manga. The chapter in question was a kick in the gut for Yuji Itadori, whose body was controlled by Ryomen Sukuna. Sukuna only relinquishes his control over Yuji at the beginning of the chapter, and Yuji sees a flattened space and a dead body.
This wasn’t the first time Enoki showed that he understood his character. In an interview in 2021, he expressed that Yuji is the “standard main character of Shonen Jump” who is “honest,” even with his feelings. This understanding has grown over time, as shown by his recent thoughts on Yuji.
Yuji recalls the other people Sukuna hurt while in possession of his body. He breaks down and questions how Sukuna could do all of these things. In the original chapter of the manga, Yuji threw up and wanted to die if it meant eliminating Sukuna along with him. It was only the voice of his late grandfather encouraging him to live and help people that brought him back to his feet. Anybody who reads the manga and feels an attachment to the heroes in the story will understand why Enoki was crying as hard as he was in that recording. Anime-only fans might even sob harder once this chapter hits the screen.
Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 is bound to be an emotionally damaging season for anime fans following the manga, and Chapter 120 is notorious for not pulling any punches on readers. It started with Yuji seeing the atrocities Sukuna committed, and it ended with Mahito becoming one of the most hated characters in the series. Sukuna was outdone by Mahito in this chapter because the only thing worse than flattening a whole ward to the ground is killing a beloved character (and mentor figure) off brutally.
(featured image: MAPPA)
Published: Oct 2, 2023 03:25 pm