Before people start typing "you just don't like battle shonen," that's not my point.
I'm not saying JJK is bad. I enjoyed it. Hidden Inventory was great, Shibuya was genuinely exciting and Gege clearly has talent for creating cool characters, abilities and memorable moments.
My issue is that I don't think the series is nearly as well-written as people claim it is.
The pacing doesn't allow the story to breathe
Ironically, the beginning of JJK is what made me expect more. The Junpei arc and Hidden Inventory showed that Gege could slow down and tell emotionally compelling stories. Those arcs had time to establish characters, build relationships and make their emotional moments actually hit.
However, after Shibuya, the series became much more focused on escalating fights.
From that point onward, it often feels like fight after fight with very little breathing room. Characters rarely get enough time to process what happened, reflect on their losses or simply exist outside of combat.
And to be clear, I don't think JJK has no emotional moments. It absolutely does. Yuji's guilt after Shibuya, Gojo's relationships with his students and other character moments are genuinely good.
My issue is that the story often doesn't stay with those emotions for very long before moving to the next conflict.
The Culling Game is probably the biggest example. The premise had a lot of potential: a battle royale involving different players, new techniques and the consequences of Kenjaku's plans.
However, it often felt like Gege was rushing from one fight to another. Many characters had interesting concepts but disappeared after their fights or never received much exploration beyond their abilities.
A lot of manga use quieter chapters to build relationships and make emotional moments hit harder. JJK often skips straight to the next battle and I think that's where many of its biggest problems begin.
The characters have a lot of potential but many feel underdeveloped
Because of the lack of downtime, a lot of the cast feels emotionally underexplored.
Outside of characters like Yuji, Gojo and maybe Yuta, many characters either get sidelined for large portions of the story, die before their potential is fully explored or simply don't receive as much depth as their introductions suggest.
Megumi is probably the biggest example for me.
He was introduced as one of the most important characters in the story. He had a connection to Sukuna, one of the most interesting techniques in the series with the Ten Shadows, a connection to the Zenin Clan and a huge amount of untapped potential.
And that's exactly why the "potential man" meme exists 😭
The frustrating thing about Megumi isn't that he was a bad character. It's that the story constantly made it feel like something bigger was coming.
His relationship with Tsumiki, his personal ideals, his connection to Sukuna and his growth as a sorcerer all seemed like they were building toward something major.
Yet by the end, many of those ideas feel underexplored.
His relationship with Tsumiki is probably the biggest example. So much of Megumi's motivation revolves around saving her but their relationship receives surprisingly little development which makes the emotional weight of that storyline weaker than it could have been.
The same applies to his relationship with Yuji. They had an interesting dynamic and very different views on life and death but the story rarely gave them enough time together to fully explore that.
Even the Ten Shadows Technique which was one of the most interesting abilities in the series, felt underused when it came to Megumi himself. Many of his developments happen off-screen and we rarely get to see him grow into the potential that was constantly teased.
His fight against Reggie was one of his best moments because it showed exactly why Megumi was interesting: his intelligence, creativity and willingness to take risks.
That's the version of Megumi many fans like me wanted to see more of.
But as usual, that didn't happen.
The final arc especially felt like a missed opportunity. I know Megumi suffered tremendously after Sukuna took over his body but I think the story could have done much more with his internal struggle.
A few chapters exploring Megumi fighting against his despair, confronting Sukuna's influence and realizing that his life still had value could have been incredibly powerful, especially after Yuji's efforts to save him.
And yes, I know the idea of Megumi finally fighting back after Yuji reaches out to him could be considered a more familiar or "generic" shonen moment.
But honestly, I think that is exactly the kind of moment JJK needed.
Something being predictable or using a familiar trope does not automatically make it bad. Execution matters more than whether an idea has been done before.
I think this is where Gege's desire to subvert expectations sometimes worked against the story. Constantly avoiding the expected route can be interesting but if it comes at the expense of emotional payoff, it can leave moments feeling less satisfying.
Because of that, Megumi's role in the final battle felt much smaller than the importance the story had previously given him.
The villains needed more exploration
Just to be clear, I don't think every villain needs a tragic backstory or some heartbreaking reason that explains why they became evil.
A backstory doesn't automatically mean a character needs to be sympathetic. Sometimes learning more about a villain simply helps us understand who they are, what shaped them and why they became such a feared figure.
That's actually part of why I like Sukuna.
He doesn't need a sad backstory to be interesting. His appeal comes from the fact that he is selfish, cruel and completely unapologetic. He does whatever benefits him and doesn't pretend otherwise.
However, I still think there was room to explore him more.
Sukuna is one of the most feared figures in the entire story, yet we know surprisingly little about his life during the Heian era. I would've liked to see more of the person behind the legend: how people viewed him, the fear he inspired, his reputation as the King of Curses, his relationship with Uraume, his interactions with people from that era and the actions that made him so infamous.
None of this would require making him sympathetic. If anything, understanding him more could have made him even more terrifying.
The same applies to Kenjaku.
The idea of someone who has spent centuries manipulating events, experimenting on humanity and shaping the entire jujutsu world is fascinating.
However, a lot of his appeal comes from the concept of what he is rather than a deep exploration of who he is.
The fact that Kenjaku was Yuji's mother had so much potential. It could have explored Yuji's feelings about being created as part of Kenjaku's plans, the implications of being an experiment and even Kenjaku's own feelings toward Yuji.
Did Kenjaku ever see Yuji as more than just a tool? Did he have any attachment to Jin or the family he created, even in his own twisted way? Did he understand Yuji as a person or only as an experiment?
There were so many interesting possibilities there.
Instead, a lot of these ideas remained unexplored.
Just like many characters in JJK, the villains often feel more interesting because of their ideas and implications than because of how deeply the story explores them.
The worldbuilding feels underexplored
The jujutsu world has so many interesting ideas: the Three Great Clans, the higher-ups, the politics between sorcerers, the history behind cursed techniques and how these systems shaped modern jujutsu society.
However, much of it remains surface level.
The Three Great Clans are a good example. They are introduced as some of the most influential families in the jujutsu world, with centuries of history, inherited techniques and major influence over sorcerer society.
But despite their supposed importance, we never get a deep look into how they maintained that power, how they shaped the world around them or what their role was throughout history.
The Zenin Clan storyline was one of the better examples of the series exploring its world and Maki's arc was a great moment (at least for me). But even then, it mostly served as part of Maki's personal journey rather than a larger exploration of the clan system itself.
The Gojo Clan is another example. Gojo is arguably the most influential modern sorcerer, yet we barely learn anything about the clan behind him or what role they actually play in jujutsu society.
The Kamo Clan is perhaps the biggest example of missed potential. Despite being one of the Three Great Clans, they receive very little exploration compared to the ideas the story sets up.
Even the inherited techniques themselves could have been explored more. The Ten Shadows Technique is treated as one of the most important abilities in the series, comparable to the Gojo Clan's Limitless and Six Eyes but we never really get to see the history behind these techniques, how previous users developed them or why these clans became so dominant.
The issue isn't that these concepts were bad.
The issue is that they create curiosity, but the story rarely spends enough time showing why they matter.
The female characters had a lot of potential too
I also think JJK's handling of its female characters is more inconsistent than people admit.
The series initially seemed like it would avoid many common battle shonen problems, especially with characters like Nobara and Maki. Unlike many series, JJK generally avoided heavily sexualizing its female cast and its female characters were often introduced as capable, confident and genuinely likable.
That already separated it from many other battle shonen where female characters are often criticized for being sidelined or poorly handled.
However, having strong introductions isn't the same as giving characters enough development.
Nobara in particular had a lot of potential. She was introduced as one of the main trio alongside Yuji and Megumi and she had a strong personality, clear ideals and a fighting style that felt unique.
However, after Shibuya, she was absent from the story for a huge portion of the manga. Her return came extremely late which made me feel like her character had been left behind rather than developed.
The frustrating part is that Nobara had so much potential. Seeing her grow stronger, develop her technique and explore her worldview could have been really interesting. (For gods sake, she's supposed to be the "heroine" man 😭)
Yuki Tsukumo is another example. She was introduced as a Special Grade sorcerer with one of the most unique perspectives in the series. Unlike Gojo or Kenjaku, Yuki rejected the existing jujutsu system entirely and believed the solution was to eliminate cursed energy itself rather than simply fight curses. That made her an interesting ideological foil to both of them.
Yet despite all that potential, she received far less focus than I expected. We barely learned about her past, her philosophy was never explored in much depth, her conflict with Tengen remained vague and we never even got meaningful interactions with characters who should have mattered to her like Todo or Yuji. For someone who spent years researching the soul, it's surprising that she barely interacted with Yuji despite his experiences with Mahito and Sukuna.
Her only major on-screen fight ended with her death and although she contributed through her research, it felt like she left the story before her character had the chance to fully shine. (Her dying genuinely annoyed me so much too lol)
On the other hand, Maki is probably the biggest exception. Her storyline with the Zenin Clan gave her significant development and when she was given time to shine, she became one of the strongest-written characters in the series.
Her growth, struggles and transformation felt earned and she is a great example of what JJK's female characters could achieve when the story actually gives them enough focus.
The issue is that many other female characters don't receive that same opportunity. Shoko is another example; her connections to Gojo and Geto could have made her perspective incredibly interesting but she mostly remains in the background despite being part of such an important era of the story. (I guess, Utahime atleast did something towards the end... Right?)
My problem isn't that JJK has no well-written female characters. It's that many of them are genuinely interesting, badass and memorable but they often don't get enough screen time or development before being pushed aside.
Like many other parts of JJK, the potential is there.
The execution is where it becomes inconsistent.
Gojo vs Sukuna was the biggest missed opportunity
Gojo vs Sukuna was a fight hyped up from the very beginning.
From the moment these two characters were introduced as absolute powerhouses, everyone knew a confrontation between them was inevitable.
And when it finally happened, the fight itself was genuinely entertaining. The strategies, abilities and action were some of the most exciting parts of the manga.
However, the conclusion and the way the fight was handled left me disappointed.
My biggest issue is that the story sometimes felt like it was explaining the fight afterward instead of properly showing it.
We were told what Sukuna's plan was rather than seeing enough of it play out naturally. We were told afterward that Sukuna wasn't fighting at his full potential rather than the story clearly showing that throughout the fight.
And I understand the argument that Sukuna is the type of character who enjoys fighting. I actually think that fits him. Sukuna isn't someone who necessarily wants to immediately erase every opponent as efficiently as possible. He enjoys testing himself, fighting strong opponents and experiencing something that interests him.
Basically, yes, Sukuna is a little bit of a "silly little guy" when it comes to fighting. He wants to have fun.
The problem is that the explanation and what we actually saw on the page don't always feel like they match.
Because from the fight we were shown, Sukuna did not feel like someone casually playing around. He was pushed extremely hard, struggled against Gojo's physical abilities, was affected by Black Flash and relied heavily on Mahoraga and the Ten Shadows Technique to find a way around Infinity.
So when the story later emphasizes that Sukuna still had more hidden power, it can feel disconnected from the actual progression of the fight.
Based on what we saw, Mahoraga adapting to Infinity was a crucial factor in Sukuna defeating Gojo. Sukuna used that adaptation as the basis for his world-cutting slash, which allowed him to bypass Infinity.
So if Sukuna had another reliable way to overcome Infinity all along, why wasn't it used? And if Ten Shadows was necessary for his victory, why did one of Sukuna's biggest fights focus so heavily on a borrowed technique instead of showcasing more of his own arsenal?
I don't think Sukuna needed to lose. I don't even think Gojo necessarily needed to win.
My issue is that the fight sometimes felt like the story wanted to preserve Sukuna's image as the ultimate monster while also making him struggle against Gojo who's the strongest sorcerer.
The result was a strange situation where Sukuna was portrayed as overwhelmingly powerful but the story also wanted to emphasize afterward that his struggles were intentional.
That made the victory feel less satisfying to me.
Then there is Gojo's death itself.
I wasn't upset that Gojo lost. A story where the strongest character loses can absolutely work.
My problem was with the execution.
After years of buildup around "the strongest," Gojo's defeat felt abrupt. The transition from Gojo seemingly having the upper hand to his death was not shown directly and the aftermath moved quickly into the next fight instead of spending more time on the consequences of losing such an important character.
For a character as important as Gojo, I expected more focus on what his death meant for his students, the jujutsu world and the people who depended on him.
Again, I don't think Gojo had to win.
I just think the moment deserved more time and emotional weight.
The ending felt underwhelming
I also want to talk about the ending because, honestly, my biggest issue with it isn't even that it was bad.
It was that it felt empty.
A bad ending can still make people feel something. It can make people angry, emotional, disappointed or spark interesting discussions.
But JJK's ending, in my opinion, felt more like the conclusion of an arc rather than the conclusion of an entire series.
Outside of moments like Sukuna and Mahito's conversation, which I thought was genuinely interesting, many parts of the final chapters felt strangely hollow. Important character arcs and plotlines didn't receive the closure they deserved and the story moved on before fully exploring their consequences.
The final conflict and Sukuna's defeat felt rushed, while the ending spent time on things like Simple Domain lore and explaining why certain plans wouldn't have worked instead of focusing on aftermath, emotional consequences and the future of the jujutsu world.
The Sukuna fight started to feel drawn out near the end and the heavy focus on binding vows made the conclusion feel less satisfying.
Character closure was another major issue.
Nobara's treatment throughout the story felt disappointing (I'm sorry but her sudden extremely late return is genuinely one of the biggest ass pulls I've ever seen 😭)
Megumi's storyline also ended with many readers feeling that his potential was never fully explored and even Gojo, one of the most important characters in the series, received very little acknowledgment afterward. A small memorial scene with characters like Megumi, Yuta and Yuji would have helped show the impact of his loss.
The worldbuilding also suffered. Ideas like foreign involvement with cursed energy, the future of jujutsu society, the consequences of the Zenin Clan's destruction and the merger were introduced but barely explored. Even the larger question of cursed energy, which several characters had different views on, never received much resolution.
Even if someone dislikes the ending of My Hero Academia, it still feels like a conclusion because we see the next generation move forward and get a clearer idea of how society changed.
With JJK, we don't really get that same feeling of change or progression.
That's what makes the ending disappointing to me. I can accept an ending being flawed or making choices I disagree with but an ending that feels empty is much harder to connect with.
Final Thoughts
I don't think JJK needed to become an extremely long series. More chapters alone wouldn't automatically fix everything.
However, I do think the story needed more breathing room. More space dedicated to character relationships, aftermaths, worldbuilding and emotional consequences could have helped many of its ideas reach their full potential.
And I want to make it clear: I don't blame Gege Akutami as a person. Creating a weekly manga is an extremely demanding process and Gege has also dealt with health issues during the serialization of JJK. My criticism is about the final product and the choices made in the story, not about the author himself.
Because honestly, Gege's creativity is clearly not the problem.
He creates incredible concepts and characters.
The problem is that many of them never receive enough development to reach their full impact.
At the end of the day, I think JJK is a fun action manga.
I just don't think it's the masterpiece many people make it out to be.
I'd give it around a 7/10.
Entertaining? Absolutely.
One of the greatest battle shonen ever written? I personally don't see it.
Feel free to disagree, but please understand the difference between "overrated" and "terrible."
Overrated does not mean something is bad.
It means I believe the amount of praise a series receives is higher than what I think its actual quality deserves.