After a successful first-season 24-episode run, Jujutsu Kaisen put itself at the forefront of new-age shonen anime among the likes of Black Clover and Demon Slayer. With a unique blend of cool characters, amazing powers, and just the right amount of comedy, fans are hopeful for a season two announcement. In the meantime, just as the anime ended in March, a Jujutsu Kaisen film was announced. And on Thursday, a second 30-second teaser trailer dropped, which gave fans a taste of what kind of movie we could be expecting.
Dubbed Jujutsu Kaisen Movie 0, the film is an adaptation of a prequel manga written by the mangaka himself, Gege Akutami, and will be considered part of the series' canon. But what exactly is Jujutsu Kaisen Movie 0? Sharing the same title as the manga volume, the film is a prequel taking place roughly a year before the start of the anime. However, instead of focusing on Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, or Nobara Kugisaki, the film will focus on a new character: Yuta Okkotsu. Volume 0 serves to tell Okkotsu’s story and explain his ties to Jujustu High and the other students while also showcasing his abilities and personality.
The teaser trailer, which served to mainly highlight who would be voicing Okkotsu, reeled in over two million views within 24 hours of its release on Toho Animation’s Youtube channel. He will be voiced by Megumi Ogata, who is best known for voicing a number of characters throughout anime, including Shinji Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion), Kurama (Yu Yu Hakusho), Sailor Uranus (Sailor Moon), and Yugi Mutou (Yu-Gi-Oh!).
While Okkotsu has yet to appear in the anime, he has been heavily foreshadowed a number of times throughout. Satoru Gojo first mentioned him as one of the upperclassmen attending Jujustu High with the capability to surpass him one day when discussing the students to Itadori. After that, he is brought up again when Aoi Todo is introduced, who hopes to fight Okkotsu in the Goodwill tournament between their Jujutsu schools. Okkotsu is also briefly seen walking in an unknown location at the 1:09 mark of the anime’s second opening song “VIVID VICE.” Character designs for the film of the other Jujutsu High students, including Maki Zenin, Toge Inumaki, and Panda, have already been released and all will appear in the film, given their status as second-year students by the start of the series.
The decision to provide Okkotsu with his own prequel volume allowed the manga a bit of breathing room to focus on other characters in the series, while also demonstrating the type of gravity he may carry later in the series. Likewise, the decision to adapt this story to a film is another opportunity for the series to drive support for both the anime and the manga. Just as Demon Slayer adapted a canon arc from the manga into a film with Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, Jujutsu Kaisen hopes to capitalize off its first season’s success by doing the same with the prequel manga to bridge a potential second season.
It is uncommon to adopt a canon arc, let alone a prequel, into a film. (These would usually be saved for anime specials known as original video animations or OVAs, which are special animated shorts made for home or television formats rather than theater releases.) Volume 0’s shorter length allows for a perfect film adaptation to accurately tell Okkotsu’s story in a satisfying way. It’s also a world-building opportunity for the series. As was demonstrated in the series, no two jujutsu sorcerers are the exact same, and the world they reside in is one of danger and horror. Who is Okkotsu, and why is he worth such high praise from Gojo? Why is Todo so adamant to fight him one-on-one? Jujutsu Kaisen Movie 0 is worth the price of admission to learn the answers to those questions alone.
While the film is set to release on December 24 in Japan, a global release date has yet to be confirmed, but fans of the series are hoping they don’t have to wait too long to see Okkotsu in action. Thanks to its popular first season Jujutsu Kaisen managed to establish itself as one of the most popular series from last year, and a successful outing at the box office should serve to give the series more support as fans wait nervously for a potential season two announcement on the horizon.