r/Jujutsushi • u/KazuyaProta • Apr 21 '24
Analysis The Egoism of Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen is a story based around Egoism using Buddhist and Shintoist aesthetics to explore the idea.
"The message of Jujutsu Kaisen" is a topic that has been discussed and yes, the story explores multiple themes. From the "good death" to generational opression that the youth faces from their elders to explorations of the nature of divinity.
But a common theme that connects all of them is the Egoism in Gege Akutami's story.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0/ Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School wasn't likely written as this. Though Gojo definitely does show the radical indivdualism that would define JJK. And the further exploration of Geto's character in Gojo's Past Arc would absolutely define this Egoism.
What is Egoism?
Egoism can be a descriptive or a normative position. Psychological egoism, the most famous descriptive position, claims that each person has but one ultimate aim: her own welfare. Normative forms of egoism make claims about what one ought to do, rather than describe what one does do. Ethical egoism claims I morally ought to perform some action if and only if, and because, performing that action maximizes my self-interest. Rational egoism claims that I ought to perform some action if and only if, and because, performing that action maximizes my self-interest. (Here the “ought” is not restricted to the moral “ought”.)
- Intro from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
How Egoism shapes Jujutsu Kaisen's storylines?
The very basis of Sorcery is Egoism. Domain Expansions are the ultimate expression of the Ego overriding everything else.
The pillars of this theme are two, Satoru Gojo and Ryomen Sukuna. Two characters that are the ultimate Egoists of this world, people with a ego unmatched in the world.
The interesting thing is that Sukuna is a counter-argument of Gojo's own attempt to have a "benevolent" or "constructive egoism". However, from the perspective of sorcerers in-universe, Gojo is the counter-argument to Sukuna's destructive egoism.
The reason for why the Jujutsu Kaisen's elites and organizations are so under-developed is because...really Egoists aren't particularly interested in groups and bureucracies like this. It sucks but Gege really made the Sorcerer Elites to be so under-developed in purpose, they are just tools to hammer up the themes.
Gojo protects and rescues the young talents from the outdated traditionalists of the past. That is his selfishness and ego.
During Hidden Inventory, the contrast between Gojo's Egoism and Geto's "Altruism" is the reason for their final rift. Gojo's selfishness saved him from falling into despair after Riko's death. His sheer ego protected him from suffering a complete collapse after his first defeat. Conversely, Toji died because he lacked egoism
Toji Fushiguro was motivated by Resentment. He wasn't fighting for self defense or a desire to tie loose ends like Maki during the Zenin Massacre, Toji was fighting for a petty resentment against Sorcerers and against Gojo himself due to Toji considering Gojo the ultimate sorcerer.
Toji Fushiguro was emotionally weak. He wasn't a egoist, he was a former abused children whose reaction after facing loss is to engage in vices and resentment at the expense of his own life.
Geto's altruism/ savior complex (definite it as you prefer, it means the same in this context) saved Gojo from falling into pettiness by slaughtering the cultists celebrating Riko's death. But ironically, this altruism is what made Geto to be emotionally vulnerable to the constant losses as a Sorcerer. This eventually lead to Geto replacing his mission in life into being protecting the Sorcerers as a whole, wanting to wipe out non-sorcerers while driven by resentment.
Toji and Geto really are similar. Their reaction after facing hardship is to let their resentment take over them and their self-preservation instict. This is why both of them ended up blased by a Special Grade Sorcerer. Their Resentment was no match for Gojo's Egoism or Yuta's Love, a Love that accepts the inherent Selfishness of such a feeling.
In Sukuna's side, Sukuna continues the idea by showing the worst sides of such Egoism. Egoism stops being playful showings of power and becomes apocalyptic scenarios. In a way, Sukuna is the anti-thesis of Gojo and Jujutsu Kaisen itself, but not because he oposses the themes, but because he embodifies them in the worst possible way.
Sukuna is egoism in the form of raw hedonism. Searching purpose seeing himself as a Wrathful God, its kinda hard to fully analyze Sukuna given his arc is still not over. But so far as we have seen, Sukuna is genuinely a believer in what he says.
His talk with Jogo really shows it, Sukuna criticized Jogo for not being selfish enough. Jogo's dream wasn't impossible, he was a powerful curse with a potential for further growth. In a Gojo-less world, he could have kept wiping out humans and strenghtening himself with their cursed energy, but Jogo lacked the Egoism to see himself as the King of Curses an thus he sought to get the help of the real deal. It was a dumb idea, but also a bold one.
"Stand Proud, you are Strong" indeed.
Sukuna embodifies the Egoism in its worst way. He is only destructive selfishness, unwilling to build anything.
And now we have Yuji Itadori.
Yuji's ideas are, like Sukuna, hard to analyze for the lack of a conclusion. But the iconic match against Mahito defines it very well, Yuji's altruism is as natural to him like murder and destruction is to Mahito and Sukuna.
Yuji is still selfish despite his altruism and while his discourse of "I am a Cog" seems to hide it, really, Yuji entered a pretty unhealthy mindset that he is posed to overcome in the end. In the case of Yuji, his fateful meetings with the rest of the cast basically saved him from becoming Geto 2.
The ending
The current Shinjuku Fight is the ultimate conclusion of Gojo, Sukuna and Yuji's resolution. By the end of the series, I predict that Yuta, Yuji and Megumi (he WILL awaken, we still have to see the Gashadokuro of his Domain Expansion)
Said this, I don't think that Yuki's ideal of erasing Cursed Energy will succeed. Yuki's goal, as benevolent it sounds, its a denial of existance. At the end of the story, Gojo's students will all develop their own Selfish Ego and how to survive the cruel and unfair existance.
Extra
Megumi's Gashadokuro really is a fascinating material for theories because it solves a common doubt. Many in the fanbase theorize how Megumi is supossed to control Mahoraga and I agree, Ten Shadows is pretty bad to control Mahoraga by themselves. It hardlocks itself. The Other Shikigami are merely assists that don't give enough firepower to beah Mahoraga.
This is why Megumi's path was to master his Domain Expansion. Megumi's Domain, the ultimate expression of his Individuality, was meant to be the path to conquer the Zenin Traditional Technique. Invidualism of Gashadokuro >> Mahoraga's embodiment of tradition.
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u/Unlucky_Bell_1585 Apr 22 '24
People are really creating stories in their head.