How Important is Yuta Okkotsu in Jujutsu Kaisen?

How important is Yuta Okkotsu in Jujutsu Kaisen? Everything you need to know about the protagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen 0.

How important is Yuta Okkotsu in Jujutsu Kaisen? (Image via Studio MAPPA)

How important is Yuta Okkotsu in Jujutsu Kaisen? This is a question that anime-only fans of Gege Akutami’s magnum opus often wonder about. For them, Yuta Okkotsu made his official debut in Jujutsu Kaisen 0, the prequel movie set one year before the main series’ events.

For manga readers, Yuta’s story originally began in the Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School series, which was later retitled Jujutsu Kaisen 0 following the main series’ success. At the time, the mangaka, Gege Akutami, wrote the series with no particular themes to follow. However, the series became a major commercial success among fans in both Japan and North America, who responded positively to Yuta’s story and his relationship with Rika Orimoto.

Who is Yuta?

Yuta Okkotsu in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 (image via Studio MAPPA)

Yuta Okkotsu is a Special-grade jujutsu sorcerer who initially appeared as the protagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen 0, the prequel to the main series. However, before becoming a jujutsu sorcerer, Yuta was a timid and emotionally fragile high school student, who became entangled in the world of sorcery following the death of his childhood friend, Rika Orimoto.

After her death, Rika’s transformation into a cursed spirit bound her to Yuta. This thrust Yuta into the world of jujutsu, where Satoru Gojo took him under his guidance and saved him from execution. From thereon, Yuta spent his days at Tokyo Jujutsu High training to control Rika’s power and use it to fight against other powerful curses.

Yuta in Jujutsu Kaisen 0

Yuta Okkotsu in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie (Image via Studio MAPPA)

Yuta’s story was the centerpiece in the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 manga and film adaptation. In this short series, Akutami introduces Yuta as a young boy cursed with immense power in the form of the cursed spirit of Rika Orimoto, who was once Yuta’s childhood love. However, Yuta unintentionally cursed her after her death, which was the main cause of her transformation.

Yuta was initially overwhelmed by this curse as he could not control it, which resulted in people around him getting injured. However, after Gojo took him in at Jujutsu High, Yuta slowly began to gain control over his abilities by going on dangerous missions and training rigorously with his classmates — Maki Zen’in, Toge Inumaki, and Panda.

This entire arc focuses on Yuta’s development from being reluctant to accept his power, Rika’s curse, and its devastating consequences to fully embracing and unleashing it during his fight against Suguru Geto. The arc also highlights his transformation from a timid young boy to a determined and capable sorcerer, who not only accepted his fate upon learning the truth behind Rika’s curse but also swore to protect those he cared about using this power.

Yuta’s Relationship With Others in Jujutsu Kaisen

Toge Inumaki and Yuta Okkotsu in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (Image via Studio MAPPA)

Yuta Okkotsu’s relationship with other characters in Jujutsu Kaisen is crucial to his development. Firstly, his bond with Rika is the foundation of his backstory. Their love, which was tragically turned into a curse by Yuta upon Rika’s death, was both a burden and a source of strength for Yuta. Their relationship highlighted some of the series’ major themes, i.e., love, loss, and redemption.

Yuta’s relationship with his mentor, Satoru Gojo, is another interesting aspect of the series. Gojo saved Yuta from execution and took him under his guidance, allowing him to gain control over Rika’s power. From the beginning, Gojo acknowledged Yuta’s strength and believed in his potential to surpass him one day. On the other hand, Yuta deeply admired Gojo for saving him from certain death and helping him turn his life around. Their relationship further developed in the main series, as it became abundantly clear that Yuta was among the few who truly respected and cared about Gojo.

Yuta’s relationships with his classmates, Maki Zen’in, Toge Inumaki, and Panda, were also crucial parts of his character growth. Although they initially hesitated to accept Yuta as their classmate due to Rika’s curse, they eventually warmed up to him and developed a close bond. Yuta’s relationship with Maki stands out, as they both share mutual respect, trust, and deep admiration for each other’s strengths and abilities. Toge and Panda also stood out as supportive figures in Yuta’s journey of overcoming his past trauma and guilt.

Can Yuta Be Called One of Jujutsu Kaisen’s Main Characters?

Yuta as seen in the anime (Image via Studio MAPPA)

Although Yuji Itadori solely holds the title of Jujutsu Kaisen‘s protagonist, we can still consider Yuta Okkotsu one of the series’ main characters alongside Satoru Gojo. Fans should note that a protagonist refers to a character who drives the story forward and around whom the plot primarily revolves. On the other hand, a main character refers to any character who is crucial to the story and plays an important role but is not necessarily the main focus of the narrative.

With that in mind, we can see why Yuta can be considered one of the main characters in Jujutsu Kaisen. Although he is not the central driving force of the main series, his importance to the narrative extends far beyond Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Additionally, his connection to other prominent characters like Gojo, Geto, and Yuji ensures that he remains crucial to the overall narrative.

In Conclusion

Yuta and Rika as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (Image via Studio MAPPA)

We can conclude that Yuta Okkotsu is undoubtedly one of Jujutsu Kaisen’s most important characters. While Yuji Itadori may certainly be the face of the series, Yuta’s journey makes him one of the most compelling and beloved characters of Jujutsu Kaisen. He is also massively popular among fans, who find his story, characterization, and motivations far more interesting than Yuji’s.


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