“I Want to Save Them, Even If I Have to Become a Curse Myself": Yuji Itadori's Character Development

Power, self-sacrifice, and guilt: Yuji Itadori's journey.

Yuji Itadori is the protagonist of the anime Jujutsu Kaisen, based on the manga by Gege Akutami. Yuji begins his journey as an ordinary high schooler and transforms into a sorcerer hero.

Over the course of the series, we watch the gradual transformation of a person forced to grow up under brutal circumstances. What journey the character goes through, and what it can teach us — read on in this DeTalks article.

First Appearance and the Desire to Save Everyone

In the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, human fear and anger don't just vanish, since negative emotions turn into curses. That's exactly why sorcerers exist — to take on the task of destroying the horrors humanity creates.

Yuji's first appearance takes place in a hospital room beside his grandfather. Before dying, his grandfather leaves him with one instruction — to use his strength to help others. The old man dies quietly, without dramatic words, just the sounds of the hospital in the background. Itadori witnesses what a lonely death looks like and wants to do everything he can to avoid that.

This experience becomes the starting point for shaping Yuji's worldview and defines his attitude toward life and his own death. That's exactly why Itadori decides to eat Sukuna's finger, the King of Curses, to save Megumi and his school friends. Fully aware of the consequences, the hero chooses to save others at the cost of his own safety.

“I want to save them, even if I have to become a curse myself,” Yuji declares in the first episode.

This step marks the beginning of the protagonist's immersion into the world of sorcerers and curses. The motif of self-sacrifice becomes cemented as one of the defining traits of Itadori's heroic path.

Inner Conflict

Confronting curses forces Yuji to fight not just his enemies, but himself. The character admits he doesn't wish death on anyone, but understands that protecting the people close to him may demand brutal decisions.

The contradiction between humanity and the necessity of violence creates inner conflict and underscores the moral weight of every victory. Yuji also comes to realize that running away is no longer an option. The character must accept his darker sides and the responsibility that comes with being a sorcerer.

The Shibuya Incident That Broke Yuji

In this arc, Sukuna takes control of Itadori's body and carries out a mass slaughter, taking pleasure in the chaos and death. Yuji, meanwhile, relives these events within his own consciousness over and over, as if he'd committed every killing himself.

Before he can recover, the character finds himself back on the battlefield against the antagonist Mahito. Right in front of him, a curse takes the life of his mentor, someone close to Yuji, and immediately after, Mahito injures Nobara, Itadori's friend, while the protagonist is left wondering whether she'll survive.

Yuji is broken down piece by piece. The battle comes with a speech that hits no less hard than physical blows. The words shatter his inner self-belief and leave the character hollowed out.

A Parallel Between Yuji and Suguru: Similar Characters, Different Paths

The author builds a parallel between Yuji Itadori and Suguru Geto. They're similar heroes who took different paths. Both have similar powers: Geto absorbs curses, while Itadori agreed to swallow all 20 of Sukuna's fingers and destroy the King of Curses at the cost of his own life.

The characters also become sorcerers for similar reasons. Suguru wants to protect ordinary people, while Yuji wants to protect the weak and his friends. After tragic events, each character chooses what to do next.

When Geto can't protect Amanai (the mission he's given in 'Hidden Inventory'), it leads him to question his role in society. As a result, the character pours his pain and disappointment out onto the world, wipes out a village, and chooses to fight for a world with only sorcerers in it. Suguru feels deep hatred toward humans and calls them 'monkeys.'

But after the Shibuya incident, Itadori turns all his emotions inward. The protagonist carries a heavy sense of guilt for every loss and death he's connected to in some way. That inner pressure becomes a test of Yuji's humanity.

The first two seasons of Jujutsu Kaisen present Yuji Itadori first and foremost not as a powerful sorcerer, but as a person constantly wrestling with moral dilemmas. It's exactly through inner conflict and the need to make difficult choices that Yuji grows as a character.