"Enjin is the next Gojo!"
A not so small chat about this two characters as individuals, their relationships with others, etc.
Now I know that must people who say this are either joking or refer to it as in the popular teacher trope spot. I don't intend to criticize those people. neither is this a hate post to either character.
I think that everyone who has read both mangas know that this two are vastly different past their superficial characteristics. But I still want to talk about it because I'm obsessed with Gachiakuta and I was previously obsessed with Jujutsu Kaisen so might as well.
There might be manga spoilers for both GK and JJK
EDIT; this somehow got longer that I planned it to be and now I feel like it's shorter that I want it to be lol. I might write an actual essay instead of just yapping, who knows. Bear with me here.
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So, why people even compare this two at all?
Both of this character follow the very fan-favorite (I'm the fan) ARCHETYPE of 'Teacher/leader/guide of the main character'. I'm sure we can all think at least one example. this trope generally includes;
Character is generally older, (28yrs old is very popular for this trope for some reason lol)
Character is the first or one of the first to introduce & guide MC to something new, an environment for example.
Character is generally presented as strong in comparison to MC or even the whole power system.
Character is someone the MC has to reach in terms of strength and then surpass. "The student become the teacher"
The most blatant example of this and who is arguably the blueprint for this trope is Kakashi Hatake from Naruto.
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Let's talk about GOJO.
Both as a character and an individual, his most important characteristic is that he is the strongest. Is literally the first thing we learn about him five seconds after he appears.
This specific trait is his what I call a core trait/theme. Remove this one thing and his character ceases to make sense. (which is not a bad thing, a lot of characters revolve around one thing)
As an INDIVIDUAL this trait has shaped him from the very beginning. Allowing him to appear as careless, arrogant, make threats to people that should be over him in the hierarchy. He is literally untouchable, but this applies both to his enemies and his allies.
"I alone, I'm the honored one"
Gojo's biggest problem is his loneliness. He was isolated as a child. The only person that was once in his level he surpassed and subconsciously left behind. And even now with students that appreciate him and that he loves, he is still alone. Due to his strength that makes him stand at the top of the world, there is no one else to stand with him.
And in his arguably most important individual arc, (Teen Gojo arc), it revolved all around two questions regarding his strength.
"Are you the strongest?", posed by Toji's and his first defeat. Which was eventually answered by himself in defeating Toji and declaring himself the honored one. and "What does being the strongest mean to you?", both were inquired, but only the first one was answered.
Now, NARRATIVELY speaking. Gojo's purpose is a safety net. Literally everything bad that happens is because he either just isn't there or is being held back in some way. He is meant to represent safety both to the characters and the viewers. Not to mention the peak of the power system.
Gojo is a very tragic character in my eyes. He was never truly allowed to seek human connection. And an answer to whether his strength was all there was to him, a human weapon, was never really given.
ie. Gojo's mot important trait is his strength. It affects his personality and how he interacts with others, his inability to form close relationships being a consequence of this. In the narrative he represents a safety net that the characters have to learn to live without. AKA: Learn to live without him.
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Now, let's talk about ENJIN.
Disclaimer; Enjin is a more difficult case. As we know nearly to nothing about him when it comes to his upbringing + he hasn't had a centralized arc like Gojo did. So our information is more limited and might include a bit (lot) of interpretation from my part.
Now it was a bit hard to pinpoint it, but I believe Enjin's core trait as we know him is his connectivity (for lack of a better word). Contrary to Gojo, this is not something we learn from the get go or is directly fed to us and rather something we slowly pick up.
With connectivity I mean his ability to not only connect with others but to help people connect with each other as well. Creating a web of relationships with him in the middle, as the ensign.
Enjin is in no shape of form a genius at social skills. We see it by the way he is at fault for escalating the Amo's situation. Even though it was doomed to go wrong one way or another but I digress. Even with his obvious flaws he is so caring and loving to those around him. He doesn't coddle the younger ones like naive children but he gives them a space to open up and encourages them to reflect on themselves and keep going.
What I mean with helping others connect with each other I mean in how his pushes help them mature out of their own volition and reach out to other people like he did with them. Enjin helps Zanka who goes out of his way to teach Rudo or when Enjin helps Rudo who reaches out to Amo.
He makes mistakes and will must likely continue to do so, but when someone is at their lowest he will be there, and he will reach out, whether is by extending a hand or putting himself as the obstacle to overcome.
He is true to his name by gluing people together, which has also been his purpose in the narrative up until now. He in a way, represents humanity in the sense that those who have lost themselves can find a way back to their humanity with him. Riyo for example, is very similar to Enjin in many ways, probably because he is her biggest role model in how to be human.
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So, how can this characters relate to each other?
Apart from the fact they fit the same trope, superficially speaking, Enjin's introduction makes him seem like he is going to fulfill a role similar to Gojo's. Which is I think intentionally deceiving. Let's look at their introductions for a moment, ignoring all that we know about them further from their very first moments.
They both appear in a moment of crisis. In Gachiakuta, Rudo is being chased by monsters he is clearly overpowered by. In Jujutsu Kaisen, Itadori become some weird tattooed guy and is about to be exorcised.
They both appear to be careless in different ways, Gojo simply laughs at the situations and talks about food, While Enjin complains about Rudo being too loud while there is a bunch of beasts piling up behind him.
And they both do a show of strength. Gojo literally calls it "I need to show off a little" and Enjin wipes out a bunch of huge ass monsters in one blow.
Even if their personalities in the situations differ, they both give away that same feeling of "oh this guy gonna help", sure we logically don't know either character and their intentions. But where our protagonist is in need of help, we assume this newcomer to be that savior.
The only main difference in both scenes and what I think is their biggest differ is ego. (LOCK IN!!!, a lot of text incoming focus focus)
They both present themselves in a different way. With Enjin calling himself humble or simple, while Gojo directly addresses himself as the strongest, or the best. And this might seem like a minor nitpick but I think it's more than that.
With this introduction, Enjin who was already in a way seen as superior in Rudo's eyes, as well as the viewer's, is purposely grounding himself (for lack of a better word again lol). Not to put himself down in self-deprecation, but rather to try to eliminate whatever sense of superiority he gave off that would made a possible connection later on difficult.
While Gojo is doing the exact opposite, he puts himself up as undeniably and overwhelmingly superior. Leaving a sensation of awe that automatically makes us and Yuji see Gojo in a different light in comparison to other characters.
Curiously, I believe they both had similar purposes. With Enjin making himself more grounded, more reachable, someone Rudo could potentially stand close to in a sense of safety. Gojo goes for a different approach, with his overwhelming strength he makes himself a symbol of safety as in "don't worry, I'm the strongest and nothing will happen while I'm here."
Essentially they are almost exact opposites of each other and I find that so interesting. Gojo's biggest problem is his inability to connect with others, both because of how he grow up and because of how he is seen by others and himself, he is in multiple stances, nearly seen as a god. Meanwhile Enjin's biggest advantage is how he is able to connect with people by putting himself next to them, not down, not over, but next, at the same level.
ie; Gojo tries to look for the humanity he feels he is lacking in other people. Enjin is the humanity others character are looking for.
But notice how I said ALMOST exact opposite, you paying attention??. Because I do believe there is some similarities to them worth pointing out.
And this might be a lil theorizing from my part, but it seems to me that Enjin, like Gojo, is a lonely man.
And don't get me wrong, both of this characters have very important relationships with others. And they are not lonely because of lack of trying by others. To me both seem to have emotional walls so high up that sometimes it feels like the others can't quite reach out to them like they would want to.
It basically screams a fear of being truly vulnerable and open to someone else. I know I just talked about Enjin's ability to connect, but I don't see this two things as opposite statements. Enjin has no problem in being seen as flawed and as human as everyone else, he willingly presents himself that way, but is a completely different thing to have someone actually try to pry into your mind in emotionally intimate way. He left his old name and possibly who he was before being Enjin, and he isn't willing to show that past.
Gojo has this problem as well, but it just so much more clearer with him. Because we know that he has problems to create deep connections with other people, which we can safely align to having problems being emotionally vulnerable. While Enjin's is so well hidden at least up until now that is hard to pick it up without some personal theorizing.
I also believe they both share a certain apathy they can’t quite chase away. Enjin once states that he is not a nice as Rudo as to care for a ‘rando’s life’ and he is shown to be the rather apathetic for people he doesn’t quite know, as he is with Amo at the beginning and even Rudo. But when he is in a situation where a LOT of people are in danger he can’t just look away to a massacre. Similarly, Gojo is willing to have a few bystanders victims, but he as well had a limit to how many death’s can he carry on his shoulders which even the curses now from the sealing in Shibuya.
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Summary.
While Enjin and Gojo share one same archetype, their core traits differ. Gojo's character revolves around connection. While Enjin's is about human connection. They both represent different kinds of safety for the characters, physical and emotional.
But they can also be similar, in a way they both are beacons of growth to the characters. And seem to share a fear of emotional vulnerability.
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Final thoughts.
As I said before, I think Enjin was meant to be a character intentionally deceiving in the way he is portrayed. Meant to make us believe that as a character, he would function similarly as Gojo did. That first power scene, the way he is referred to as "THE Enjin", and maybe even the way he calls himself humble in what could be almost taken as sarcasm initially.
But he functions very differently, he was never going to be an overwhelming force in the way Gojo is. The characters in JJK needed strength, they needed someone that brought them hope in the way of salvation. The characters in Gachiakuta need connection more than they need strength, specially with how important is that Rudo doesn't get caught up on his rage and loses sight of what is dear to him.
This is also why I found particularly funny the Enjin fraud allegations. like damn, that initial deceiving really did a number on ya. Not to say I don't find it hilarious when it comes from his own fans.
Anyway moral of the story is that life is happier when you leave behind power systems and go into a deep dive of the central topics revolving sharing-archetypes characters! yay!
Edit; I entered TikTok just after writing this and first thing I get is an Enjin edit, hell yeah










