Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Review: The Tragic Origin Story of the Boy Who Would Become Jujutsu High's Greatest Threat
by Gege Akutami
Read the first volume. If it doesn't hook you, put it down. It'll hook you.
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Yuta Okkotsu was cursed by his childhood sweetheart. Rika Orimoto died in an accident when they were children, but her devotion to Yuta was so intense that she became an immensely powerful cursed spirit — bound to him and violently protective of him from anyone she perceives as a threat.
I'm Yu. Rika is one of the most affecting cursed spirits in the series. Not because of her power — because of what she represents. Genuine love that became distorted into something violent.
Quick Take
- Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (呪術廻戦 0) was published in Jump GIGA — 1 volume, complete.
- VIZ Media published the English edition.
- Rated T (Teen) — cursed spirit violence; the tragedy involving Rika is genuine and dark.
Story Overview
Yuta cannot control Rika. He cannot free her. He has withdrawn from the world to minimize the danger to everyone around him.
Satoru Gojo sees something different. He recruits Yuta into Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School — the institution that manages cursed spirits and trains jujutsu sorcerers — not because Yuta has power but because he has Rika, and Rika's power is extraordinary.
What follows is a story about guilt, love that becomes something terrible, and whether someone who has been the cause of suffering can become someone who prevents it. One volume. Complete emotional arc.
Characters
Yuta Okkotsu — A protagonist whose guilt is genuine and whose development across a single volume is as complete as most series achieve across dozens. His arc is the volume's emotional center.
Rika Orimoto — The cursed spirit who was once a girl who loved Yuta. The relationship between what she was and what she became is the volume's tragedy.
Satoru Gojo — The teacher whose recognition of Yuta's potential — and his specific approach to developing it — establishes his character as effectively in this prequel as the main series does across many volumes.
What I Love About It
The tragedy is not that Yuta is haunted by a monster. It's that he is haunted by Rika — by the specific, distorted form that genuine childhood love took in the cursed world.
The volume understands that the most affecting horror is not the creature but the relationship.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
The moment of Rika's release — what it costs, what it means, and what Yuta understands about her in that moment — is the volume's most concentrated emotional payload and the reason this single volume has lasting impact. Akutami set it up from page one.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Complete emotional arc in a single volume — extraordinary compression without sacrifice.
- Yuta and Rika's story is genuinely tragic.
- Gojo's character established with the same effectiveness as the main series.
- Essential context for JJK proper; Yuta's significance is retroactively deepened.
Cons:
- Single volume — very short.
- Emotional impact is reduced without prior knowledge of where Yuta ends up in the main series.
- Some JJK world-building context assumed.
Is Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Worth Reading?
Yes — read it before or alongside Volume 1 of the main series. It stands alone as a complete story, but knowing where Yuta appears in JJK proper makes the tragedy sharper. One of the most emotionally complete single volumes in shonen manga.
Who Is This Manga For?
- Jujutsu Kaisen fans who want the complete picture of the world.
- Readers who want a single-volume shonen story that is genuinely complete in itself.
- Anyone interested in cursed spirit horror with real emotional weight.
- Readers who want to understand Yuta Okkotsu before his appearance in JJK proper.
Official English Translation Status
VIZ Media published the complete English edition. 1 volume available.
Where to Buy
VIZ Media's English edition.
Browse Jujutsu Kaisen 0 on Amazon →
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Yu
Manga Enthusiast from Japan
I grew up in Japan and manga literally saved me during a tough time in elementary school. My English isn't perfect, but my love for manga is real — and I want to share it with you.
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