JUJUTSU KAISEN 0

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a 2021 movie made by studio MAPPA, the same studio behind the Jujutsu Kaisen TV series. Sunghoo Park directed it, and Hiroshi Seko wrote the screenplay. It came out in Japanese theaters on December 24, 2021, with Toho handling the release. The film is based on a short 2017 manga by Gege Akutami. That manga was first called Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School, and it is a prequel to the main Jujutsu Kaisen story. This means it takes place before the events of the TV show, so viewers can watch it with little or no background.

In this world, strong bad feelings like fear, hate, and sadness can take shape as curses. Curses are dangerous spirits that most people cannot see. Special fighters called jujutsu sorcerers use cursed energy, a kind of inner power, to fight them. Young sorcerers train at a hidden school in Tokyo, Tokyo Jujutsu High.

The main character is Yuta Okkotsu, a shy and gloomy high school boy. Other students bully him, and he has lost hope in himself. When he was a child, his best friend Rika Orimoto died in an accident. Before she died, the two promised to get married one day. Now Rika's spirit stays by Yuta's side as a giant and very powerful curse. She attacks anyone who hurts him, and Yuta cannot control her. He feels so guilty that he wants to shut himself away from the world.

Then Satoru Gojo appears. Gojo is a cheerful teacher who wears a blindfold, and he is known as the strongest sorcerer alive. He sees that Yuta's bond with Rika holds a huge amount of power. Instead of locking Yuta up, Gojo brings him to the school. There, Yuta joins a small class with three very different students. Maki Zen'in is a tough fighter who uses weapons. Toge Inumaki has cursed speech, so he only talks using the names of rice ball fillings. Panda is, as his name says, a talking panda. Slowly, Yuta learns to fight, to trust others, and to believe that his life has value.

The danger comes from Suguru Geto. Geto was once a student at the same school and a close friend of Gojo. Now he leads a group of curse users and hates ordinary people who cannot use cursed energy. He takes a strong interest in Yuta and Rika, and his plans set up the movie's large final battle.

The film is a dark fantasy with fast, sharp action, but its core is a story about love, guilt, and letting go. It was a huge hit. It earned about 13.75 billion yen in Japan, the most of any film there that year, and about 191 million US dollars worldwide. Critics praised its animation, fight scenes, music, and easy-to-follow story, while some wished it were longer and that the side characters had more time.