Jujutsu Kaisen: 7 Most Underutilized Characters In The Shibuya Arc

Highlights

• Characters like Utahime, Hanami, and Saori were overlooked in the Shibuya arc, despite their potential and previous importance.
• Nobara continues to be overshadowed by Yuji and Megumi, facing challenges and hardships that ultimately lead to her demise.
• Toge Inumaki, despite his powerful cursed speech, suffers a severe amputation in the Shibuya incident, with his role and injury only briefly acknowledged.

Jujutsu Kaisen’s second season brought forth the highly anticipated Shibuya arc from the manga, revered by fans as one of the peak storylines in all of Jujutsu Kaisen. The Shibuya arc follows the protagonist, Yuji Itadori, and a series of characters and their actions during the night of the Shibuya incident.

As a result of the different perspectives shown throughout the night the Shibuya incident took place, plenty of characters come to the forefront of the narrative, such as Megumi Fushiguro and Mahito. Despite this, many characters involved in the Shibuya arc became overshadowed and underutilized despite their usefulness and active role in the story.

7 Utahime Iori

The Irritable Kyoto School Teacher

Despite being a strong sorcerer as well as a Kyoto Jujutsu High School teacher, Utahime Iori’s role in the Shibuya arc is rather lackluster. All the Kyoto students, alongside Utahime, were not initially invited on the mission, and they only headed to Shibuya after most of the action occurred.

The reasoning behind their exclusion from the mission is that the group was considered too weak, despite all of them being accomplished Jujutsu Sorcerers. Even when the group arrives to help save Yuji, Utahime is left helpless against superior foes, besides being able to save Miwa from the grasp of Psuedo-Geto.

6 Hanami

One Of The Few Special Grade Curses

Out of all the special-grade curses shown in Jujutsu Kaisen, Hanami was the one that had the most minor role in the Shibuya arc. Featured prominently during season 1, Hanami was involved in the most action-packed sequence involving the fight with Yuji and Aoi Todo. With the Shibuya arc giving special grade curses plenty of opportunity to shine, Hanami gets left behind as Satoru Gojo kills the character before being captured.

While other special grade curses, such as Mahito and Jogo, rise to the occasion, Hanami is killed off to elevate others who were yet to have their shining moment.

5 Saori

Nobara’s Inspiration

During season 1, Saori is built up to be Nobara’s idol, with Nobara idolizing her attitude and upbringing in Tokyo. In the Shibuya arc, Saori is shown to be an adult working a typical office job near where the Shibuya incident takes place. Considering Nobara goes through a range of emotions and feelings leading up to her demise, it feels like a missed opportunity to reunite the two friends who have both grown up in the past few years.

With even Nobara being overshadowed by many other characters in the arc, Saori’s involvement was always set to be extremely limited, despite the potential for her and Nobara’s relationship to be explored further.

4 Atsuya Kusakabe

Jujutsu Swordsman

With Atsuya Kusakabe being introduced in the Shibuya arc, many would assume the character would receive his fair share of screen time. However, Kusakabe and Panda’s perspective on events is limited when compared to Yuji or Megumi’s viewpoint. As Kusakabe and Panda survey Shibuya, the pair find chaos ensuing around them, rendering the pair vulnerable and powerless.

Although Kusakabe is a capable Jujutsu Sorcerer, he is shown to be outmatched despite showing glimpses of his strength, although not enough for a newly introduced character in the story.

3 Panda

Second-Year Jujutsu High School Student

Being one of the fan favorites from season 1, Panda has proven to be a character that differentiates from the rest due to his animal appearance and instincts. Panda is regulated to a minimal role in the Shibuya arc, with most of his interactions being comedic. Panda is assigned to Kusakabe as they go through the night trying to find ways to rescue Gojo, although their efforts are thwarted due to the destruction all around them caused by Yuji and Sukuna.

Considering Panda’s backstory, the possibility of exploring his background regarding Masamichi Yaga could have been viable. Instead of exploring Panda’s origins, Panda is resigned to being the comedic side character, especially in the Shibuya arc.

2 Nobara Kugisaki

The Brash First-Year Jujutsu Sorcerer

Despite being considered one of the main characters in Jujutsu Kaisen, Nobara has often been sidelined, with her classmates Yuji, Megumi, and teacher Gojo getting more screen time. In the Shibuya arc, the trend continues, with Yuji and Megumi both overshadowing their classmate. Nobara constantly goes through hardships as her opponents outmatch her, whether it be Mahito or Haruta Shigemo. Ultimately, Nobara’s suffering ends with the character supposedly dying to Mahito despite her best efforts.

Considering her strong relationship with Saori, and the pair being relatively close on the night of the Shibuya incident, reuniting the two would have fleshed out the character more as she deals with her chaotic Jujutsu life.

1 Toge Inumaki

Second-Year Cursed Speech User

In the Shibuya arc, Toge Inumaki has the least screen time out of all the Tokyo Jujutsu High School students. Even during season 1, despite his powerful cursed speech, Inumaki’s involvement was limited compared to his classmates. During the Shibuya arc, Inumaki initially comes to Yuji’s aid as he helps clear the way for Yuji to reach Shibuya Station. Unfortunately for Inumaki, he gets caught in Sukuna’s destruction of Shibuya, causing Inumaki to lose an arm.

In just one night, the strongest Tokyo Jujutsu High School student suffers a severe amputation, permanently wounding the skilled sorcerer. Despite this, the incident and character are only acknowledged briefly once Yuta Okkotsu mentions the accident in one of the final scenes of the arc.