Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (2021) Review: Grief Meets Shonen Spectacle

Is Jujutsu Kaisen 0 worth watching?

Yes. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is one of the strongest anime tie-in films of recent years, pairing spectacular action with a sincere story about grief and self-worth. Director Sunghoo Park and his animators deliver fights of real speed and imagination, and Yuta Okkotsu makes a more vulnerable hero than most in the genre. The reservation is compression: squeezing a full arc into under two hours leaves some supporting characters and much of the lore feeling hurried, especially for newcomers.

What is Jujutsu Kaisen 0 about?

Yuta Okkotsu (voiced by Megumi Ogata) is a nervous, withdrawn high school student with a terrible problem: his childhood friend Rika (Kana Hanazawa) has become a curse, a vengeful spirit who will not leave him alone and lashes out at anyone who threatens him. Because Rika is no ordinary curse, Yuta’s plight catches the attention of Satoru Gojo (Yuichi Nakamura), a teacher at Jujutsu High, a school where young sorcerers learn to fight cursed spirits.

Gojo persuades Yuta to enrol, and he begins training alongside classmates voiced by Mikako Komatsu, Koki Uchiyama and Tomokazu Seki, while a renegade sorcerer voiced by Takahiro Sakurai emerges as a threat. The question is whether Yuta can learn enough in time to face the curse that haunts him.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a Japanese production in Japanese, based on the prequel manga to the hit series, and runs 105 minutes.

A shonen hero who starts from fear

What sets this film apart from standard action anime is its lead. Yuta is not a cocky prodigy but a frightened, guilty boy who believes he should not exist, and the film takes that feeling seriously. Megumi Ogata’s voice performance captures his timidity and his slow growth in confidence without ever making him pitiable. His relationship with Rika, part devotion, part terror, gives the story an emotional core that deepens as the film goes on.

Gojo, a fan favourite from the series, is used well here: a smirking, blindfolded mentor whose casual power is a running joke and a source of suspense. Yuichi Nakamura plays him with an easy, teasing warmth that makes his every appearance an event.

Action with real craft

The film’s animation is a major step up in scale from television. Fight scenes are fluid and inventive, with clever use of each character’s distinct techniques and a real sense of weight and speed. The team uses dynamic camera moves and sharp editing to make combat legible even at its most chaotic, and the larger set pieces have a genuinely cinematic sweep. Rika herself is an unsettling creation, a monstrous presence animated with a mix of menace and pathos.

The soundtrack and sound design add muscle, with thundering impacts and a score that shifts smoothly between horror and heroics. The classmates, a spear-wielding fighter, a boy whose words are weapons and a talking panda, add welcome humour and variety.

Where the compression shows

For all its strengths, the film has to move fast. The supporting cast, including Yuta’s classmates, get only a few scenes each to establish themselves, and the villain’s philosophy is sketched rather than fully explored. Newcomers will follow the core story but may feel lost in the terminology of cursed energy and sorcerer grades. The film works best for viewers who already know the series, and its emotional climax lands hardest with that context.

Who should watch Jujutsu Kaisen 0?

It is essential for Jujutsu Kaisen fans and a strong choice for anyone who loves shonen action anime. It can be watched as an introduction to the franchise, but it rewards viewers who have seen the first season of the television series. At 105 minutes it is tight. There is frequent fantasy violence, some gore and disturbing supernatural imagery, so it is better suited to teenagers and adults than younger children.

If you enjoy it:

• Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, another blockbuster anime film spun off from a hit series, with similarly emotional stakes.
• Princess Mononoke, a very different classic, but another story of a young hero marked by a curse.

Find more of the form in our animation section.

The verdict

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a gripping, beautifully animated anime feature that balances big action with genuine heart, driven by an unusually vulnerable hero. Newcomers may struggle with its rushed supporting cast and dense lore, but for fans it is a thrilling and emotionally satisfying prequel.

Rating: 4/5