Ask any casual fan who is the main character of Jujutsu Kaisen and they'll probably point at the pink-haired kid eating fingers. That's Yuji Itadori. He's on the posters. He’s the guy we follow from chapter one. But if you’ve actually spent time in the Gege Akutami trenches, you know the answer feels… slippery.
Sometimes it feels like Yuji is just a witness to his own life.
The story starts with a classic shonen hook. Boy meets curse. Boy eats curse. Boy becomes vessel for the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna. It’s simple. Except Gege Akutami doesn't really do "simple" for long. Throughout the manga's run in Weekly Shonen Jump, the spotlight has shifted so violently that "main character" becomes a bit of a moving target.
The Case for Yuji Itadori (The Protagonist on Paper)
Yuji is the emotional heart. He’s the one grappling with the concept of a "proper death." Most shonen leads want to be the King of Pirates or the Hokage, but Yuji’s goal is fundamentally morbid. He wants to ensure people don't die alone or "incorrectly."
It’s a heavy burden for a teenager.
He’s got the physical stats of a god but the cursed energy of a beginner, at least early on. What makes him the main character isn't just his screen time—it's that he is the catalyst for everything. Without Yuji, Sukuna stays as twenty mummified wax fingers hidden in storage boxes. Without Yuji, Megumi Fushiguro never finds a reason to push past his own suicidal limits.
But there's a problem. For long stretches of the Culling Game arc and the Shibuya Incident, Yuji isn't the strongest person in the room. He isn't even the second strongest. In a genre where power usually equals relevance, Yuji’s lack of an innate technique for years made him feel like a side character in a story about monsters. Gege is known for being "cruel" to Yuji, often sidelining his development to focus on the broader tragedy of the jujutsu world.
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Why Some Say Gojo Satoru Stole the Show
You can’t talk about who is the main character of Jujutsu Kaisen without mentioning the guy with the blindfold. Satoru Gojo is a black hole of charisma. He’s so powerful that the entire plot of the series literally revolves around getting him out of the way.
The Hidden Inventory arc is basically a different show. It’s a prequel, sure, but it centers entirely on Gojo and Geto. For those chapters, Gojo is undeniably the protagonist. Even in the modern day, the world of JJK is defined by the "Gojo Satoru Balance." When he’s present, the story is about how he handles the weight of being a god. When he’s sealed in the Prison Realm, the story is about the vacuum he left behind.
Many fans argue that Gojo is the "functional" protagonist. He’s the one with the philosophy that shapes the ending. He’s the one who wants to reset the corrupt jujutsu society. Yuji just wants to help people; Gojo wants to change the world.
The "Protagonist 0" Argument: Yuta Okkotsu
Then there’s Yuta. If you watched Jujutsu Kaisen 0, you know Yuta was the original main character. Gege wrote the one-shot before the main series was even a thing.
Yuta has the "chosen one" energy that Yuji lacks. He’s a distant relative of Michizane Sugawara (one of the big three vengeful spirits), he has bottomless cursed energy, and he has a Queen of Curses backing him up. When Yuta returned to the main manga after the Shibuya Incident, the power scaling shifted. Suddenly, we had a character who could actually stand toe-to-toe with the big bads.
Is he the main character? No. But he represents what a "traditional" shonen protagonist looks like in this universe. He’s the backup plan. He’s the "prodigy" foil to Yuji’s "hard worker" archetype.
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Sukuna: The Protagonist of the Heian Era?
This sounds weird, but hear me out. In the final stretch of the manga, specifically the Shinjuku Showdown, the narrative focus shifts almost entirely to Ryomen Sukuna.
Gege spends an incredible amount of time explaining Sukuna’s techniques, his worldview, and his "love" for battle. In many ways, the antagonists in JJK get more "main character" treatment than the heroes. We learn about the nature of the soul through Sukuna's eyes. We see the limits of sorcery through his experiments.
If a story is defined by the person who drives the most change, Sukuna has a very strong claim to the throne. He is the sun that all the other characters orbit, trying desperately not to get burned.
The Deconstruction of the "Main Character" Label
The truth is that Jujutsu Kaisen is an ensemble tragedy. Gege Akutami seems to hate the idea of a "central hero" who wins because they are the protagonist.
Characters die. Important characters. Characters you thought had "plot armor" get sliced in half or popped like balloons. This lack of safety makes the question of "who is the main character" almost irrelevant by the time you reach the endgame.
Yuji Itadori remains the protagonist because the story begins and ends with his choices. He is the one who has to decide what a "good life" looks like in a world full of monsters. But unlike Naruto or One Piece, where the world is built to be conquered by the lead, the world of JJK is built to break its lead.
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How to Track the Narrative Focus
If you're trying to figure out who to pay attention to, follow these phases:
- The Introduction (Volumes 1-8): Strictly Yuji. He’s learning the ropes.
- Hidden Inventory (Volumes 8-9): Strictly Gojo. This is his origin story.
- Shibuya Incident: A chaotic split between Yuji, Gojo, and Nanami.
- Culling Game: Becomes a true ensemble. Megumi, Yuta, and Maki Zenin take over for dozens of chapters at a time.
- The Finale: A tag-team effort where Yuji finally reclaims his spot as the "closer."
Misconceptions About Yuji’s Role
A big mistake people make is thinking Yuji is "weak" because he doesn't have a flashy technique like "Limitless" or "Ten Shadows" for most of the story. Honestly, that’s the point.
Yuji’s "main character-ness" comes from his resilience. He is a cog in the machine. He says it himself. In a genre full of "Chosen Ones," Yuji is a "Chosen Vessel" who decides to be more than a container. That’s a subtle distinction, but it’s why the fans who love him really love him. He isn't special by birth (mostly); he’s special by sheer force of will and suffering.
What This Means for Your Watch/Read Experience
When you go into Jujutsu Kaisen, don't expect a story where the main character wins every fight or gets every power-up.
Expect a story where the "Main Character" is a title that has to be earned through blood and loss. If you find yourself more interested in Maki’s revenge or Megumi’s descent into darkness, that’s okay. Gege designed the series to be an ecosystem of characters rather than a solo journey.
Ultimately, Yuji Itadori is the main character, but he shares that space with the ghosts of his friends and the shadow of the strongest sorcerer who ever lived.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Read the Manga from Chapter 248: If you want to see Yuji finally step into his role as the undisputed protagonist of the final battle, this is where his true awakening begins.
- Watch Jujutsu Kaisen 0: If you haven't seen it, you're missing the context for Yuta, who plays a massive role in the later half of the main series.
- Compare Yuji to Megumi: Look at how their philosophies on "saving people" clash throughout the series; this rivalry is the actual backbone of the plot, regardless of who gets the most kills.