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Discover why Gege Akutami missed a huge opportunity by not exploring Uraume’s backstory further in Jujutsu Kaisen.
One of the major criticisms of Jujutsu Kaisen is that the mangaka, Gege Akutami, never really explored the backstories of most of the villains. Be it the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, or the Sorcerer Killer, Toji Fushiguro, the beloved battle shonen series failed to shed light on their origins. Among them, there is yet another character who remains frustratingly underdeveloped despite their immense potential – Uraume.
Uraume is an ancient sorcerer who used to be a devoted follower of Sukuna in the Heian Era. While their presence in the series was certainly intriguing, Akutami left Uraume’s character on the sidelines, much like many other characters. In fact, readers of the manga didn’t even get to witness Uraume’s final fight against Kinji Hakari in the Shinjuku Showdown arc, adding much to readers’ frustration.
Not exploring their character was undeniably a huge missed opportunity, and here’s why Gege Akutami should have given Uraume’s backstory the depth it truly deserved.
Who Is Uraume in Jujutsu Kaisen?
Uraume is a curse user from a thousand years ago. They used to be a direct subordinate to Ryomen Sukuna in the Heian Era. After reincarnating in the modern era, they aligned themselves with Kenjaku to revive Sukuna and seal Satoru Gojo.
Uraume’s most defining trait is perhaps their undying loyalty to Sukuna. In fact, Sukuna managed to instantly recognize Uraume in the Shibuya Incident arc, despite the fact that the latter was incarnated in a different body. To Uraume, their loyalty to Sukuna preceded their own life, as they chose to kill themself immediately after realizing that Sukuna had met his end in the Shinjuku Showdown.
As for Uraume’s strength as a sorcerer, it’s hard to determine an exact measure of their power. However, Jujutsu High’s strongest Grade 1 sorcerer, Atsuya Kusakabe, once claimed that Uraume’s sorcery was completely out of his league. As such, it’s safe to assume that Uraume is at least a Special Grade sorcerer.
This was further proven by their impressive display of power during the Shibuya Incident arc. They also fought on even terms against one of Jujutsu High’s strongest students, Kinji Hakari, in the Shinjuku Showdown arc. This proves that Uraume is undoubtedly one of Jujutsu Kaisen‘s strongest characters.
Uraume’s Role in Jujutsu Kaisen
In terms of their role in the narrative, Uraume is basically a recurring antagonist in Jujutsu Kaisen. From their first appearance itself, they were positioned as an important supporting character. They played a crucial role in helping Kenjaku with his schemes. They also assisted in sealing Satoru Gojo, and most importantly, they fought alongside their master, Ryomen Sukuna, in the Shinjuku Showdown.
In the Shibuya Incident arc, Uraume was depicted as a major threat when they effortlessly took out multiple sorcerers of Tokyo and Kyoto Jujutsu High schools with their ice-based powers. In the Culling Game arc, they acted as Sukuna’s loyal subordinate and helped with his bath ritual to completely subdue the soul of his latest vessel – Megumi Fushiguro.
However, for the most part, Uraume’s character seemed like an incomplete puzzle piece. This is because they never really received any meaningful character exploration. As a result, their character was mostly reduced to simply being Sukuna’s minion.
Uraume’s Backstory in Jujutsu Kaisen
Sukuna’s afterlife sequence in the final chapter of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga finally shed some light on Uraume’s backstory. It was also revealed that in the Heian Era, Uraume used to be a male sorcerer. However, he was reincarnated into a female body in the modern era. This essentially meant that they were “incarnated” in a different body through a female vessel named Shiori Himi.
Over a thousand years ago in the Heian Era, a young Uraume accidentally froze his parents to death after manifesting his cursed technique. When Sukuna eventually discovered him in the wilderness, Uraume was surrounded by frozen corpses. He was taken in by Sukuna, who ordered Uraume to keep his stored meats cold. Uraume eventually became Sukuna’s personal chef when he impressed the King of Curses with his cooking.
To sum it up, Uraume essentially served as Sukuna’s personal refrigerator/butcher/chef in the Heian Era. However, his loyalty didn’t fade away even after a thousand years. After incarnating into the body of Shiori Himi, Uraume allied with Kenjaku to revive their former master.
Why Jujutsu Kaisen Should Have Explored Uraume’s Backstory Further?
Uraume undeniably is one of Jujutsu Kaisen’s most interesting antagonists. Although their entire character arc mostly revolved around being fiercely loyal to Sukuna, they certainly were a character worth exploring further. Moreover, exploring their backstory would have allowed us to see more of the Heian Era – which is something we never quite got to explore as much as we wanted to.
A lot of fans had been begging Gege Akutami for a Heian Era storyline. A deeper exploration of Uraume’s backstory could have given us exactly that and more. Since they are a sorcerer who lived through the “Golden Age of jujutsu sorcery,” their backstory could have provided a unique firsthand perspective of that brutal world.
Additionally, it could also have given us a better idea of their connection to Sukuna and a glimpse at his past in particular. While Sukuna is certainly a fantastic final antagonist, he often feels detached from the present-day narrative. Uraume’s character could have easily served as the bridge that connected Sukuna’s past to the present. It could have also provided a glimpse at what he was like before becoming the undisputed King of Curses.
All in all, leaving Uraume’s backstory unexplored could have been one of Jujutsu Kaisen‘s biggest missteps. They definitely had the potential to add more depth to the series. Unfortunately, Akutami barely scratched the surface of who they really were. To add further insult to injury, Uraume’s most important fight in the series was cut and mostly took place off-screen. This clearly shows that Uraume was one of the many characters for whom the mangaka never had a particular vision or direction.
Conclusion
Uraume’s character in Jujutsu Kaisen ended up being reduced to a glorified assistant. They were never really given a chance to rise to prominence, nor were they ever allowed to showcase the full extent of their terrifying ice powers. Overall, it’s a frustrating waste of potential, especially in a series that mostly excelled at character development.
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