How was this so good? I loved seeing Yuta as the main character--he really does give main character energy and I can see why Akutami was close to making him the whole series' protagonist. This story got me good. What an emotional journey. It made me cry! I am looking forward to revisiting these characters in the future. I truly just loved this volume, very worth the read. Full of heartbreak, action, and love.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this!

I love love love this author and his works. The art in these are amazing. He is great at giving you the chills and the creep zone factor in his art! I have been in the process of trying to collect is work! I highly recommend if you love horror!

This background or maybe spin off the actual manga was good. I like seeing the second year students' history and the old looks

An amazing prequel that makes you really want to watch the anime. Great characters, wonderful artwork and some really good scenes that introduces you into the world.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0: Tokyo Toritsu Jujutsu Koutou Senmon Gakkou Introduction
Yuta Okkotsu is a nervous high school student who is suffering from a serious problem; he is haunted by his childhood friend Rika who has been turned into a curse. Rika is no ordinary curse, and her actions soon attract attention from Satoru Gojo, a teacher at Jujutsu High. A school where sorcerers learn curses and how to combat them. Gojo convinces Yuta to enroll in the said academy so that Yuta can enlist as a sorcerer while understanding the nature of his curse and exorcist it.

Please see the link below. Note: Trying not to forget to include these for you on here and not just on our site/social media tagging! Sorry about that!

I love that this prequel could really stand on its own from both the manga and the anime. I believe it brings it's own delightful story to the table, and I am always excited to learn more about Itadori.

I've been recommending both the show and the manga to anyone who will listen, because I watched a single episode and was so hooked. I love the characters and the horror aspects, as well as the curses who have their own personalities.

I'm very thankful to have gotten to read this early, and I can't wait for more of this series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Viz Media for the advanced copy!

I fell in love with anime in 1990 when I went to college. Seldom has an anime/manga grabbed my attention as Jujutsu Kaisen. I was so excited for 0 to be released. In the manga and anime, Okkotsu is mentioned many times in passing but he isn't around. These teasers have been killing me.

How wonderful to be able to read the prequel story! Meeting Yuta and Rika and seeing how they learn to "work" together to fight dangerous curses and curse users. I hope their story intersects with the main story line soon.

Yuta lost his best friend Rika a few years ago. She has been haunting him ever since. When people are mean to Yuta, Rika lashes out at them with horrifying consequences. After the latest episode in which Rika stuffs four boys into a locker, Yuta is sent to Jujutsu High where he can learn to deal with his and Rika's powers. As Yuta realizes it isn't Rika haunting him, he was the one who couldn't let her go, their relationship changes. Yuta and Rika learn to fight together to make the world a safer place. This one off introduces us to the world of Jujutsu Kaisen and Satoru Gojo.
You do not have to read this one to understand the main series, but as I already mentioned there are references to Okkotsu. Anime and manga fans love to know all the details and will be asking for 0 to complete the library collection.
This series is intense and gory. I would recommend it for older teens or adults.

I have already read volume one of Jujutsu Kaisen and wasn't sure what background information I would get from this. Surprisingly I think it stands on it's own. There aren't that many connecting elements. I also thought the story was a lot of fun. The characters were likeable and realistic. The story of how the main character came to possess a curse was really interesting and kind of sweet. I really liked his perseverance because without it there would have been no story.

A boy with a curse in a world of unseen evil.

Yuta Okkotsu is cursed by his childhood sweetheart whose spirit is now attached to him and easily provoked. Yuta enrolls at Jujutsu High in Tokyo to learn to harness Rika's curse and help banish curses. Along with three other first-years and an instructor full of secrets, the group battles the largest amount of curses to ever have been released.

The story begins with a jaw-dropping brutal scene with Rika's anger on display. Yuta experiences substantial growth in the four chapters of this one-shot. The other students are quickly introduced and their backstory is explained. Readers are quickly immersed in the world of Jujutsu and some mystery around the inner workings. The plot is fast-paced and full of detail. The dialogue between characters is revealing and the illustration capture the emotions well. The drawings of the curses are haunting, almost in a Junji Ito style!

A great read for horror and thrill-seekers. The characters are well developed and there is a lot that can happen in this series. I cannot wait to begin the series!

The Jujutsu Kaisen series is becoming increasingly popular within the Weekly Shōnen Jump community. It’s an eccentric cast of outcast characters, dark themes, and high action; each plays a pivotal role in its popularity. Now, Gege Akutami’s prequel to the events has been released in the west with Jujutsu Kaisen 0. No, it isn’t necessary to read to understand the main series, but it does give fans a look at where this series began and the general foundation that became so much more over time.

The main protagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen is Yuta Okkotsu, who is currently suffering from a spiritual possession that hurts people at random. This spirit is a monstrous creature who was once Yuta’s best friend. After death, a promise made between them keeps them together even after her passing, but it causes Yuta to be exceptionally lonely, given the circumstances of his curse.

This leads Yuta to be enrolled as a first-year at Tokyo Jujutsu High, where he meets classmates Maki Zenin, Toge Inumaki, and Panda. Even though there are only four chapters to this prequel, the story manages to flesh out these characters, if only enough to get the basics of their backstory down. Still, the entire volume is packed with action as if Gege Akutami didn’t expect the series to become more popular. Sure, this was perfect for the one-off that it is, but I wouldn’t have minded a few more chapters to really expand on Yuta’s growing friendship with his classmates.

These friendship themes are where Jujutsu Kaisen 0 shines as it’s used as the foundation for the conclusion. It works incredibly well as the story drops several breadcrumbs to the readers about what exactly happened with Yuta but holds a bigger chunk of the reveal to the end. As the reader understands Yuta’s desire for friendship and weighing the cost of his own survival, he has a few significant choices to make.

The illustrations here are great as they have enough motion to sell the high action scenes and set up the setting well to let the reader know exactly where they are. This comes in handy because the group likes to split up, but it’s easy to follow as it jumps back and forth between settings. The writing is rather deep, which pairs with the idea that the writer didn’t know if this would be successful at the time. Nothing is really held back here, and no time is wasted on needless exposition or overwordy antagonists. The comedic moments within the panels only sell the friendship between them, so I appreciated that these subtle lighthearted scenes were included.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 gives fans a look at the humble beginnings of one of the more popular Weekly Shonen Jump series. I feel like it also acts as a great starting point for readers to truly understand this cursed world and the stakes that are on the line. Yuta’s story needed to be told, and I can easily recommend this to fans of horror and action manga. My only complaint would have to be that I wish there were an extra volume to spend more time with this group of friends.

Jujutsu Kaisen had a big year in 2020. Not only did the manga hit sales records with more than 10 million copies in circulation worldwide, but it received an anime adaptation as well, which ended up becoming our favorite new series to release in the year. 2021 is looking like it’s going to be yet another strong year for the series with the anime entering its second arc, the Kyoto Goodwill Event Arc, and the release of Jujutsu Kaisen’s prequel, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which just released with English translation on January 5th.

Jujutsu Kaisen is one of my favorite manga series with one of the best premises and some of the most interesting characters to release within quite some time, but how does its prequel hold up to the original series?
I do want to mention that the prequel was released first in Japan, and after its reception, Gege Akutami was asked to make it into a full series, which led to the creation of Jujutsu Kaisen. For many of us in the West, our first introduction to the series was Jujutsu Kaisen itself. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 offers newcomers a new starting point, but it’s also a great read for those of us who are already familiar with Jujutsu Kaisen and the chapters that have been released so far.

I, for one, am always excited to get more content from the series, and even though I was interested in it from the get-go as someone who already loves Jujutsu Kaisen, its prequel was able to stand apart on its own, while at the same time, adding even more insight into the characters and the series I’ve already grown to love.
The story of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 follows Yuta Okkotsu, a 16-year-old boy that is cursed by his childhood friend Rika. Satoru Gojo takes interest in his situation and gets him to join Jujutsu High. There he will work to harness the power of his curse to help others, but as mentioned by Gojo, he will have to sacrifice a lot along the way to do so, and most importantly, he will have to learn how to control it.

Aside from Yuta and Rika, most of the characters featured within the prequel are ones that fans of Jujutsu Kaisen have already met. Yuta has been mentioned here and there in the manga, but Jujutsu Kaisen 0 allows us to see him in action and get to know him for the first time. I really like Yuta as a character and I found his connection with Rika and their backstory to be interesting. He has similar issues to overcome as Yuji Itadori, but his curse and his situation are different from his. He’s also more apprehensive and less confident in himself than Yuji in the beginning, but their want to help others is very much the same.

In this story, the second years of Jujutsu Kaisen, Toge, Maki, and Panda, are first years and Satoru Gojo is their teacher. The way he teaches them is very reminiscent of how we see him teach Yuji, Megumi, and Nobura, so there’s some knowledge and content that may feel rehashed for those who are already familiar with this world and its nuances.

But given that this volume was written and released in Japan before Jujutsu Kaisen, it makes sense that all of this would be explained. Because of this, you can read this volume without knowing anything about Jujutsu Kaisen. What Jujutsu Kaisen 0 does offer fans of the series is a much-needed look into how these characters developed during their early school days.

It also gives us more insight into the "Shinjuku-to-Kyoto Night Line of 100 Demons" attack that was led by Geto. This is referenced in Jujutsu Kaisen’s manga, but Jujutsu Kaisen 0 takes place during this time and shows us some of the fights that occurred. The fights and the way in which things escalate in this volume makes it a thrilling read. One thing I’ve always enjoyed about Gege Akutami’s work are the fight scenes, which are easy to follow and exciting to witness, and this is no exception with Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Apart from the action, the story itself is really well told with dialogue and scenes that add weight to the story, but are also fun to experience as well.

Gege Akutami’s artwork and storytelling is as effective and powerful as usual in Jujutsu Kaisen 0. This volume is yet another successful addition to an already strong series, but it also sets things up in a way that gives you more context about the events and people mentioned in Jujutsu Kaisen. After reading it, I completely understand why publishers were asking Gege Akutami for more, because it features everything I’ve come to love about the series, while at the same time, giving me more to love.

Review Link: https://animecollective.com/jujutsu-kaisen-0-review/

Head back to the beginning to see where Jujutsu Kaisen started with the pilot for the supernatural exorcist adventure. This volume centers on Yuta Okkotsu, the newest student at Jujutsu High. Just like everyone else there, he has a unique gift for seeing and fighting curses. His is special, as he's haunted by the spirit of his childhood friend, Rika...who can manifest as a giant, terrifying demon to fight other curses.

This is just the first of Yuta's problems. He has to figure out how to navigate Jujutsu High, learn the ropes on fighting curses, and confront a true villain using these entities as a weapon. I thought my high school life was tough, but it was nothing compared to this.

Creator Gege Akutami uses some familiar tropes in Jujutsu Kaisen: Volume 0, but in some fun ways that keep the story interesting. We've seen the nervous, unpopular kid thrust into an important role as a chosen one before. In this case, there's some tragedy and heartbreak in Yuta's journey as he learns to stand up for himself. More importantly, he can forgive himself for his past misdeeds too.

The curses are the real standout in Jujutsu Kaisen: Volume 0. They're all unique and they're all horrifying. Akutami's designs are varied, often with extra or bulging limbs and teeth. These things are unnatural in the truest sense of the word. They're often tough to describe too, as they are just so weird. There's one early on that's like a walking mouth, mounted sideways on two stubby legs, but sewn shut and with a single hideous eye on top.

Although the fears are very real in Jutjutsu Kaisen, there is a fair amount of humor too. Yuta is new to all of this, just like us, so he's baffled by some of the more bizarre elements. A nice example of this is the talking Panda, a literal panda. He's introduced like he's just one of the guys and we just kind of go with it. This is totally normal. It's also not the strangest thing in this book.

This volume serves as a great introduction to Jujutsu Kaisen and a nice complement to the first volume. Contrasting with Yuji Itadori's quest in the series so far, Yuta shows how you can come back from the dark side. You can work with the curses instead of letting them consume you. That will surely be a lesson as the series goes on.

This is a prequel to the main series and follows Yuta Okkotsu, a nervous high school student who is suffering from a serious problem. Unfortunately for everyone the problem is that his childhood friend has turned into a curse and she won't leave him alone.

I really enjoyed this one! Jujutsu Kaisen is slowly becoming a new favorite. It has the right amount of horror, humor, and action to create a great shōnen series. And you can definitely start with this volume even if you're not very familiar with the main series. If this intrigues you, I would totally recommend checking out the rest of the series!

Typically, in American comics, a zero volume or Issue is a one-shot that quickly introduces a character. A zero volume can also be considered a prequel to the main story of a series. The reader quickly learns the characters' strengths, weaknesses, and plight. The story would then give you one major conflict that the character would have to solve or survive. Jujutsu Kaisen has many manga volumes in circulation, seeing this zero volume puts a reader in the mindset of an American zero issue.

Gege Akutami gives a four-chapter story about Yuta Okkotsu, a 16-year-old high schooler, that used cursed powers on some bullies one day. Because of this one event, he garners the attention of Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School and Faculty Member Satoru Gojo. Okkotsu is given the one opportunity to live as a student of Jujutsu High and destroy curses or be executed on the spot.

Okkotsu chooses to live and joins Jujutsu High and so the story begins. Okkotsu goes on to learn about himself and the powers he has acquired through vigorous training. What are his powers and where did they come from? A quick flashback story gives some insight into Okkotsu’s abilities but there’s more than meets the eye. While joining a group of other first-year students he learns the power of friendship and being relied on by teammates as they face evil curses on missions. The final chapter opens the story for Okkotsu even more with a huge conflict of the series where he fully learns and accepts his place in this world.

We learn that Akutami never intended to get Jujutsu Kaisen serialized in Shonen Jump. He wrote this zero volume in 2017 and left it at that while in talks with Shonen Jump. Yet, the zero manuscript was well received, and Shonen Jump picked up the series in 2018. Readers very aware of Jujutsu Kaisen already will find this zero volume very different from the current manga/anime series. Certain characters appear and don’t appear in the current series and there are some character developments untold yet in the series. Although at the same time there are some things that readers will ask, “Is this canon to the current manga/anime?” We’ll all have to stick around to find out.

Akutami’s fast-paced storylines don’t naturally fit a Shonen Jump style series and some of his characters had to be flashier looking it seems. We assume Shonen Jump wanted to slow the story down for the longevity of the series and anime purposes. Akutami even states that he knows exactly where he wants to go with stories and how he wants to end them before he starts to ink them on paper. Does this mean it will be a short series or have filler driven arcs? How long can the series run based on this manuscript and Akutami’s statement with these early indications?

This volume blows away thoughts about it being compared to an American zero issue comic. It isn't being used for retail purposes to catch a reader's/fan's eye for a series. You can buy a zero issue for way less money than the first issue and volume. This is worth the purchase for the greatness of the storytelling and the Jujutsu Kaisen lore that we are still learning about.

We love that Shonen Jump dropped this Tome amid the hype of the current manga/anime. It leads to more hype for the manga and show. Readers and fans will be talking about this for many months as the manga continues and the first cour of the anime just ended. A special thanks to Viz Media are needed too for adapting and translating for English readers. You can get the series now through Viz Media and digitally through the Shonen Jump app!

I am obsessed with this manga series already and want so much more of the books now. The world building of the system of sorcerers and how these monsters are made from our negative emotions was awesome and made me want to be a part of the sorcerers but also terrified to be at the same time. The art is stunning and I also found myself laughing a few times even during the action.

Fans of the popular supernatural shonen Jujutsu Kaisen get something a bit different this time around: a prequel. Mangaka Gege Akutami provides some backstory in an author’s note at the end. Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 0 originated as a mini-series called Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School published in Jump GIGA in 2017. This was before Akutami had any intention of making the story into a long-running serial or doing a Weekly Shonen Jump series. After the series became popular, this miniseries was collected into a volume and released as Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 0. Readers will see some familiar faces, and the story ties very well into the later expanded series. The volume is published in English by VIZ Media. It is translated by Stefan Koza, edited by John Bae, and features touch-up art and lettering by Snir Aharon.

Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 0 opens with a character in a pretty similar situation to Yuji Itadori. He is to be executed because he is haunted by a special grade curse. As it turns out, this is 16-year old Yuta Okkotsu, a character who has only been mentioned by name in the main storyline (as of currently published volume): He is said to be a powerful student at Jujutsu High, and is currently studying abroad. Yuta, under the guidance of Gojo, enrolls at Jujutsu High as one of four first-years in order to prolong his execution and possibly unravel the curse. His fellow classmates are none other than Maki Zen’in, Panda, and Toge Inumaki.

Gege Akutami has done an excellent job aging these characters in the later series. Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 0 shows a younger Maki and Inumaki, and it is nice to see the spotlight on them, as well as Inumaki’s cursed speech in action more. Of course, the focus is on Okkotsu. Okkotsu’s curse is in fact a distorted version of his childhood friend, Rika. She died in an accident when they were young, and has stuck to him ever since due to their promise to marry as kids. While there are times when Okkotsu coming to control his power feels a tad rushed, as this was a limited series, it overall is developed nicely. Okkotsu and Rika’s relationship has a nice twist as well. The themes of love, toxicity and how curses don’t always come from hatred are explored.

Main series antagonist Suguru Geto is out to obtain Rika’s power for himself. His distorted view of the world, and non-jujutsu sorcerers as a lesser species is disturbing, making him a truly terrifying villain. Readers will also be happy to see his relationship with Gojo touched on (as they used to be classmates). For a 200 page “prequel” a lot of content has been packed in. If not for the author’s note that this series came long before plans for the Weekly Shonen Jump series, this reviewer would have thought it all planned and seamlessly put in the canon as backstory. It is a testament to the world-building, and how planned out Akutami has made the Jujutsu Kaisen universe.

Don’t worry, there are fights aplenty in Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 0, and the stakes are just as high and bloody as ever. Even if outcomes can be guessed based on events in the main series, it doesn’t stop putting readers on the edge of their seats. Akutami still manages to throw a twist or two in that elevates the final battle beyond that of just a giant power clash.

Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 0 isn’t necessary reading for the main storyline, but it is a fantastic addition. Fan-favorite supporting characters are given more backstory and spotlight. Mangaka Gege Akutami’s storytelling skill is on full display in a condensed format.

I am currently watching the anime, so this is a great read for me to get to know the seniors in the show. I adored Yuta and his curse. I think this is such an epic fantasy horror manga and I can't wait to finish with the manga. Love the art style and all the characters. I will forever love Gojo. He is a savage. Seeing the rest of the crew was awesome as well.

Definitely a great help for someone who is watching the show and wanting to know more about the senior classmen.

Admittedly I'm a bit confused but I am intrigued. I don't think I fully grasped what was going on in this book so I don't think I could even begin to try and explain it to you. But that may be part of the point as it was a prequel to a thing I know nothing about. I am definitely interested enough to try the first book in the series to see if I can get a better grasp of what is going on. Other than that I quite liked what I was able to pare out from this book. The world is interesting and all of the characters are unique ( read there is a talking panda) and I want to know more about them. I would give it a shot if you've got the time and are fine with a bit of gore.

I find his manga to be a lot of fun! The Panda character was the best animal character ever! I would recommend it if you like easy going and fun manga witch a darker touch!