Jujutsu Kaisen has one subtle detail from MAPPA that fans can’t get enough of

Anamika Das
Maki and Mai Zenin

Fans notice a subtle detail from MAPPA in the Jujutsu Kaisen anime and are praising the studio for it.

It’s safe to say that Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the most popular anime of all time. This is further proven by the anime’s latest world record as the most in-demand animated TV series in the world. The anime show is frequently praised for its seamless animation, art design, and direction. However, there is a little detail that MAPPA, the studio behind the anime, has added to the show that fans think is brilliant.

Jujutsu Kaisen viewers notice that in some scenes featuring certain characters, MAPPA has included a bit of foreshadowing about the characters’ fates further down the story. For example, in the second opening song, there is an image of Mechamaru, Mai, Miwa, and Momo. In the image, Mechamaru is in the shadow while the girls are in the light.

The third ending song of Jujutsu Kaisen also has this little image. In the video, Gojo, Geto, and Shoko are going different ways after saying goodbye for the day. While Gojo and Shoko are both in the light, Geto is shown to be walking in the shadows.

The Zenin sisters, Maki and Mai, are two characters on whom this is observed the most. In different scenes featuring both of them, Maki is shown to be in the light and Mai in the shadows. This subtle detail in Jujutsu Kaisen anime adds a symbolism to their characters.

Fans observe that there is a pattern to this. MAPPA used the visuals to foreshadow the characters’ fates. Those in the light have a mostly positive future while the ones in the shadows die and sometimes commit something very bad. 

The characters in the shadows, namely Mechamaru, Mai, and Geto also die in the series, and among them, both Mechamaru and Geto go down on a dark path. While Geto becomes someone who wants to rid the world of normal humans, Mechamaru is revealed to be a betrayer, though only to protect his friends. Those in the light are not all alive but they all died without going down the wrong path. 

Fans think this symbolism in the Jujutsu Kaisen anime is a very clever detail to add by MAPPA. “Love MAPPA for this, symbolism is one of my favorite ways of adding depth to the story. They have done this in previous anime like Banana Fish and Dororo too,” writes one user on Reddit.

“Animators did a wonderful job,” wrote another Jujutsu Kaisen anime viewer.

“When there’s symbolism it also adds so much beauty to anything,” agrees another user about the symbolism.

Gege Akutami has always used a lot of symbolism and foreshadowing in this story. And now this subtle and clever detail in the Jujutsu Kaisen anime by MAPPA will surely have fans looking deeper into the anime from now on.

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About The Author

Anamika is an Anime Writer at Dexerto. She previously wrote for platforms like Otakus' Notes and Seinen Manga. Anamika is an avid fan of anime, the shounen genre in particular. She loves Naruto, Attack on Titan, Haikyuu!! and Jujutsu Kaisen, and is obsessed with One Piece. You can email her at anamika.das@dexerto.com.