While the last few chapters ofJujutsu Kaisenwere controversial, to say the least, it still ended on a solid note with a great final chapter that more than stuck the landing. However, some fans were not pleased and decided to take matters into their own hands, announcing that they would make new chapters.
Starting from chapter 236, the infamous chapter where Gojo was cut in half and died, resulting in Sukuna’s victory, a fan project titled “Jujutsu No Kaisen” has been releasing reworked new manga chapters aiming to “change the ending and make it satisfy everyone” and “give the characters their full rights”, which is directly from their website. Finally, after a few months, they have released their first chapter and fans have been divided, to say the least.
The Art Was One Of The Biggest Criticisms
First and foremost, one of the first things that caught fans' attention was the art. Fans allege that many panels fromJujutsu no Kaisenhave been traced from other manga and even the officialJujutsu Kaisenmanga itself. Furthermore, there were many accusations of AI usage, with even the Community Notes reading “This is not official. The linked ‘ending’ is fan-made, and contains traced panels and possible AI-generated artwork.“X user Kamenrainercalled out a handful of panels in as possibly AI-generated
Given how many artists and creators feel AI is a mounting threat to their livelihoods and the industry’s future,the accusation of AI usage is quite serious. Though the image KamenRainer mentions in their post appears to be traced, several details in the background have signs of AI-generation, such as shapes that don’t make sense and lines that go nowhere.
One of the many things that Gege excels at is his dialogue, which frequently gives situations the appropriate weight, adds subtle characterization, and contains deep symbolic meaning. Unfortunately, many fans foundJujutsu no Kaisenlacking in these departments. The most prominent example fans such as X User@JeanTheMachine0called out is when Sukuna defeats Gojo and the narration box says “The king of curses drained all his efforts and energy because of his opponent who was very strong”.
Another criticized aspect of the dialogue was how much it mischaracterized the characters, particularly Geto Suguru. InJujutsu Kaisen,Gojo was the more bombastic one while Geto initially played the straight man before his plunge into villainy. However, inJujutsu no Kaisen, Geto was shockingly loud and energetic, even acting outright childish at times, all traits that the sorcerer never displayed in officialJujutsu Kaisenmaterial. The relationship between Geto and Gojo is central to the series and is beloved by the fandom at large, so fundamentally altering their dynamic is a big risk.
X user@hurtjutsualso pointed out that a scene supposedly containing dead characters includes Ijichi, who is still alive in the canon manga’s finale and even appears in the second to last chapter to give Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara a mission.
There were also fans who felt the pacing was off. WhileJujutsu Kaisenfrequently told its story at a breakneck pace, the series also knew when to slow it down and give readers a breather. It’s easy to point toJujutsu no Kaisen’sreveal of Gojo’s death as a notable example of off-kilter pacing. Instead of lingering on the killing of such an important character and giving his students a moment to react, the fan-work moves on to its next fight.
Jujutsu no Kaisen’s Creators Promise to Change Critical Opinions
The Creators Are Pushing To Release More Chapters
Even with posts criticizing the fan manga routinely going viral, the creators created a now-deleted poll, to decide if they should continue publishing more chapters. Roughly 90% of fans voted no, suggesting the fan discontent is not just a vocal minority. Despite the backlash, the X account forJujutsu no Kaisendeclared “I will change the negative comments to praise after the full chapter is released and the events are clarified, remember that.”
While redemption may or may not be possible, fan backlash to the first chapter has been decisive, meaning it may be hard for the project to win back support fromJujutsu Kaisen’spassionate fanbase. To many,Jujutsu no Kaisenlacked the original’s charm and personality; from the choreography, dialogue, pacing, art, and many more, it’s easy to see why the largerJujutsu Kaisencommunity feels that,Jujutsu No Kaisendidn’t meet its original goal of creating an ending more satisfying than the canon one.
Jujutsu no Kaisen is the Latest Fan Attempt to Fix a Controversial Manga Ending
They Were Met With Similar Reactions From Their Fandoms
Fans can rememberhow controversial the ending ofAttack On Titanwas. A group decided to start a project calledAttack on Titan Requiem, that aimed to rewrite the final 3 chapters of the series. As expected, it faced a large backlash. While the two works have many differences, these two projects both aimed to ‘fix’ an ending that divided fans.
Though superficially similar, these works are distinct from most types of fan fiction, which are typically made out of a deep love and respect for the source material. While fixit fics exist as fan attempts to change or alter specific aspects of source material, the vast majority of fan fiction is made as a supplement to original work, not a replacement for it. Given how bold it is to claim one is ‘fixing’ a beloved work, it makes sense why fans would have such strong reactions to even minor problems, let alone larger ones.
Jujutsu no Kaisen Confirms Just What Makes the Original Jujutsu Kaisen So Great
Gege Wrapped Up Everything Nicely
Ironically,Jujutsu no Kaisenseems to be inspiring a handful to reevaluate Gege Akutami’s ending to the series. As X user Neos_Syber writes “I think everyone owes Gege an apology at this point, say what you will about the official JJK ending but at least there was something decent in there. This thing was just made out of spite and an unchecked hubris.”
While the actual manga’s final chapters had their fair share of issues, it stayed true to itself at the very end and gave many of the characters great endings, withJujutsu Kaisen’sepilogue making the ending even better.Jujutsu Kaisenwas one of the biggest and best shonen to come out in the last decade, so there is no surprise that the series' fans would react with such passion to a project that doesn’t respect the hard work and dedication that goes into making such a massive hit.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Cast
Jujutsu Kaisen follows Yuji Itadori, a high school student with extraordinary strength, who becomes intertwined with curses after ingesting a cursed object. Under the guidance of sorcerer Satoru Gojo, Yuji joins Tokyo Jujutsu High School to combat malevolent forces and navigate his new, perilous existence.
