Jujutsu Kaisen: Why Gege Akutami calls Gojo a man of “resignation”

The mangaka’s opinion about Gojo has always been confusing. Here’s why Gege Akutami once called Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen a man of resignation.

Jujutsu Kaisen has already confirmed Gojo’s death, which leaves behind a lot of unanswered questions. The battle of the strongest was the most highly-anticipated fight of the year, but it didn’t end in a way fans could be happy about. 

Fans’ beloved character dies in his fight against Sukuna, the King of Curses. Ever since the beginning of the series, Gojo has never once doubted his strength. However, he was no match against Sukuna, who is the embodiment of calamity.

Gege Akutami always jokes about Gojo, leading others to believe the author hates the series’ most popular character. Hate or not, Gege Akutami’s comment about Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen deviates from the way he has been described over the years. Delve deeper to find out more. 

Why Gege Akutami called Gojo a man of “resignation” mean

Twitter user Soukatsu, popular for translating Gege Akutami’s interviews, messages, and any related Jujutsu Kaisen updates, shared the English version of the author’s old comment from 2020.

been thinking about how GG-sensei once said 五条悟は諦観の人 with literally no elaboration lol it was officially translated to "Gojo Satoru is a man of resignation" and it's not wrong, but I think it glosses over a lot of nuance, esp with the context from recent JJK chapters

— Jさん🏀( ֊’ ‘֊)👉北へ (@soukatsu_) October 10, 2023

Gege Akutami’s comment about Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen states, “Gojo Satoru is a man of resignation.” There was no elaboration from the author, meaning the statement was left to fans’ interpretation. 

Satoru is a popular Japanese name, which means “to know” or “understand.” “Satoru” can be written using different Kanji characters, all of which have different meanings, such as understanding, smart, knowledge, etc. However, Gege uses the character “悟,” which means “enlightenment.”

Gege uses Buddhist references for his story. The “resignation” in his comment isn’t in the usual context but instead means that the person has accepted one’s fate and has become enlightened. Buddhism doesn’t encourage resignation but instead supports acceptance.

How has Gojo been portrayed in Jujutsu Kaisen?

Shueisha

Gojo was always shown as an egoistic character who had too much confidence in his abilities. However, he was also the first to help others. Being tired of the hierarchy system in the Jujutsu society, Gojo planned to reform it with the help of his allies. 

What he sought wasn’t as simple as overthrowing the higher-ups but to start a revolution that would rebuild the foundation of the Jujutsu society. Therefore, Gojo wasn’t someone who accepted things in their truest essence. He acknowledged the problems and aimed to solve them.

However, on a personal level, even though he was surrounded by his allies, Gojo was a very lonely person. He stood at the top, so there was no one who could understand him. Even during fights, Gojo never had to use all his strengths and was thus bored with his existence. He died against someone stronger than him – which he was glad about.

Manga Plus

In a way, Gojo didn’t die as the strongest sorcerer alive, but simply as Satoru and found peace with that. Gege Akutami’s comment from way back deviates from how he has portrayed Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen. But it somehow made sense when he died at the hands of someone stronger. 

In chapter 236, Gojo’s conversations with his deceased friends made him think about the choices he made over the years. When he talks about his experience while fighting with Sukuna, we see a panel with lotuses. The flower starts with its seed stage early in the karmic cycle and progresses to the bud rising from the unclean water.

In Buddhism, lotus signifies a person following the path of spirituality, leaving past attachments behind, and finally blossoming. This is when a person has become fully awakened and has attained enlightenment.

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See our other JJK coverage below, and you can check out our other anime coverage here.

• Jujutsu Kaisen: Gege Akutami explains “dissonance” between characters
• Jujutsu Kaisen: Megumi’s Rabbit Escape technique explained
• Jujutsu Kaisen: Toji Fushiguro’s return in Shibuya arc explained

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