Jujutsu Kaisen: Gege Akutami Officially Kills Off His Main Character

This article contains spoilers from the Jujutsu Kaisen series.

Jujutsu Kaisen is incredibly popular within the shonen anime and manga world. Many fans consider it a masterpiece by Gege Akutami, a story centered around Jujutsu Sorcerers who battle frighteningly strong curses and those who wield cursed energy. Jujutsu Kaisen has become hugely popular over time, mainly because of its exciting action sequences. With two seasons already released, the series has gained such a following that many viewers are now reading the original manga to stay up-to-date with the plot.

The JJK manga concluded in September 2024 with its 271st chapter. However, the story didn’t end there. In September 2025, Gege Akutami surprisingly came back with a new manga series, a sequel with artwork by Yuji Iwasaki, titled Jujutsu Kaisen: Modulo. As anticipated, the series began in Weekly Shonen Jump and is projected to run for approximately six months, resulting in a total of three volumes. Though fans were thrilled about JJK’s return, Gege quickly revealed the death of a key character, Yuta Okkotsu, within the Modulo sequel.

Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Confirms The Death Of Yuta Okkotsu

Yuta Okkotsu Was The Main Character Of JJK0

Yuta was Gege’s original main character
He died after Maki’s sudden death

The initial chapter of JJK Modulo brought significant surprises to fans of the series. Gege Akutami shocked readers by killing off both Yuta Okkotsu and Maki Zenin, events foreshadowed in a JJK one-shot released at the end of 2024. This one-shot jumped the story forward several decades. Fans of Jujutsu Kaisen observed that Yuta Okkotsu had two grandchildren who strongly resembled both Maki Zenin and himself. The story also revealed that Yuta had become the acting head of the Gojo Clan by that time. Naturally, the grandchildren’s resemblance to Maki led many to believe that Yuta and she had married and started a family, and that these children would play a key role in future events.

I want to be like Grandma Maki, and I want to be like Grandpa Yuta. — Tsurugi and Yuka Okkotsu

I was so excited when Gege finally confirmed what so many of us fans had suspected for a while – the romance between Maki Zenin and Yuta Okkotsu! It turns out they actually *did* get married. Gege explained that the story had jumped forward in time, and now centers around Yuka Okkotsu and Tsurugi Okkotsu, who are Yuta and Maki’s grandchildren. It’s amazing to see where the story is going!

The initial chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen: Modulo showed that Maki Zenin died before Yuta Okkotsu. While the specifics of her death are still unknown, it’s clear they shared a long and happy life together. Maki Zenin’s death deeply affected Yuta Okkotsu, and it marked the start of a difficult period for him. He became overwhelmed with sadness and gradually lost his motivation. This explains why Yuta and Maki’s grandchildren, who appeared in a Jujutsu Kaisen one-shot, are central characters in the new Jujutsu Kaisen manga.

Sorcerers aren’t as powerful as they used to be. With the decline, are there any remaining sorcerers who are as strong as Gojo Satoru and Yuji Itadori? – JJK Modulo Chapter 1

Here’s what Gege Akutami shared about JJK Modulo when it was announced to be published in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump:

Hi, this is Akutami. It’s been a while! During the run of Jujutsu Kaisen, I got a few requests to let other writers create spinoff stories. However, I was worried about losing control of the series and the story going in directions I didn’t intend. That’s why I turned those offers down at first. But then I received a different proposal, and I started thinking about how it could add to the main story, explore the world in more detail, or even take place in a completely different time period. I realized that if we kept it separate as a parallel story, it could lead to lots of exciting possibilities. That’s how ‘Mojuro’ began – it started with no real ideas at all! After many planning sessions, it finally took shape. This will be a relatively short series, lasting about six months and collected into around 3 volumes. I’m excited for you all to read it!

The artist behind this work is the exceptionally skilled Yuji Iwasaki-sensei. He’s truly phenomenal!! His illustrations are outstanding!! Absolutely!! I hope you’ll find Mojuro a great way to discover the world of jujutsu.” – Gege Akutami

Yuta Okkotsu Was Gege’s Main Character Before Yuki Itadori

Yuta Has Now Left The Fans

Yuta Okkotsu is easily one of the most compelling protagonists in recent anime and manga, consistently demonstrating his significance to the story. It’s important to note that although Gege Akutami ultimately chose Yuji Itadori as the main character, Yuta actually took the lead in the prequel story to Jujutsu Kaisen. In fact, Gege Akutami confirmed that Yuta was initially planned to be the protagonist, which is why he plays such a central role in JJK 0.

Even so, Yuta Okkotsu was a truly remarkable character. While some fans initially found his demeanor distant, he became beloved as his story unfolded. His passing occurred when his granddaughter, Yuka, was only 10 years old, roughly 62 years following the Culling Game. Yuta Okkotsu’s death is deeply saddening, but considering the typically short lifespans in the Jujutsu Kaisen world, his long life is a victory in itself.

It’s so clear to me that Yuta left behind a really poignant legacy. Even though he isn’t appearing in the JJK sequel, his name will forever be linked to the series, and that makes me a little sad! We, as fans, didn’t get to fully see his romantic story unfold, but I’m still holding out hope that Gege will give us some answers or at least a glimpse into it later on.

JJK Continues, With Or Without Yuta Okkotsu

The Goal Is For Yuka And Tsurugi To Become Like Yuta And Maki Respectively

The exciting world of magic and curses continues in the Jujutsu Kaisen sequel manga, and it’s already exceeding expectations. From the beginning, it was obvious that the story of Jujutsu Kaisen had a lot of potential, and while fans weren’t anticipating the main story to end in 2024, the world continues to expand through the new characters, Yuka and Tsurugi Okkotsu. It’s a thrilling continuation of the original series.

As fans are aware, these two characters are particularly crucial, and their objectives have now been established by Gege Akutami. With the alien invasion unfolding, it’s been confirmed that the Simurian King poses a threat comparable to Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses. There isn’t a sorcerer currently capable of stopping this threat, which is why Yuka and Tsurugi must rise to the occasion. With Yuka aspiring to be like Yuta Okkotsu, and Tsurugi wanting to follow in Maki’s footsteps, fans already have a solid foundation for the Modulo sequel. Fans are hoping Gege doesn’t abandon these two characters, as he has with others in Jujutsu Kaisen, and that the world of JJK, which still has much more to reveal, will continue for more than just six months.

Jujutsu Kaisen is a hugely popular shonen series right now. The original manga finished in late 2024 and is available to read online without charge. You can find it on Manga Plus, where new chapters were previously released each week. Currently, there’s a sequel series called Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, which is published in Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine. Chapter 3 of Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo will be available on September 21, 2025. As usual, fans can read the new chapter for free on Manga Plus.

2025-09-30 01:12