In Japan, McDonald’s regularly has anime-themed tie-ins. But in the US, anime’s ever-rising popularity is finally starting to draw mainstream attention, but it’s still a novelty. So when, on July 1, McDonald’s US teased that something “SPECIALZ” was happening with Jujutsu Kaisen, many minds jumped to the McDonald’s tie-in that defined our childhoods: a Happy Meal.
Because sure, the very gory series where beloved main characters are known to die, and where our hero eats mummified fingers as a key part of his arc which may or may not turn him into a homicidal monster—sure, that series is obviously appropriate material for a Happy Meal. For children around the age of five.
If you were wondering if McDonald’s is having Jujutsu Kaisen-themed Happy Meals, you probably already know the answer deep down. The answer is no. No, McDonald’s is not packaging up a Happy Meal where you can get a toy featuring the traumatized teen who watched his childhood sweetheart get fatally hit by a car, only for her out-of-control cursed spirit to haunt him until he learned to control the situation in high school. You also cannot get special Sukuna Finger fries for the kiddies. (If you’d like to do that for adults, McDonald’s, you can pay me a small fee for the idea.)
But there is a tie-in between McDonald’s and Jujutsu Kaisen. It’s just that the form it’s taking is way dumber.
If not a Happy Meal, what’s McDonald’s up to?
So, McDonald’s isn’t serving up Jujutsu Kaisen Happy Meals. But there is a promotion. What is it?
It is, of course, a special sauce. And what sauce would that be? Let’s say it together, everyone: Special Grade Garlic Sauce!
No, you’re not forgetting some key part of Jujutsu Kaisen. There is not a secret vampire lurking within the series. The series has no special relationship to garlic. “Special Grade,” on the other hand, refers to the power level of sorcerers, curses, and weapons in the series. We’re talking Gojo-level curse-wielding.
So Special Grade … Garlic. Truly, too bad there aren’t vampires in JJK. They’d be toast.
The packets of Special Grade Garlic sauce come with one of eight characters from the series in the tiny upper-left corner. It’s also only available on the app, apparently.
So, the good news is that with this tie-in as a starting point, maybe American fast-food restaurants can come up with … other ones down the line. In the meantime, you might want to bring a mint for after all that Special Grade garlic.
