Mahito: A very long analysis of his character and the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.
I originally wrote this in 2024, but had nowhere to put it, because I had sworn off social media at the time. But times have changed, and now that I made a tumblr blog, what better opportunity to spew out 40 Google doc pages worth of how much I think about this stupid little thing.
So sit down, buckle up, or don't, because this will get extremely long and wild.
This is an analysis on Mahito, because he is one of, if not THE most misunderstood and underappreciated character in Jujutsu Kaisen, and i felt that these misunderstandings should be addressed.
This analysis contains spoilers up until the Shibuya arc, and also many references from chapter three of the light novel! I highly recommend reading it if you haven’t yet.
The translation I used for the light novel is from mokochan314’s blog. I prefer this translation over the official one, because despite there being some mistakes, I feel that mokochan314’s translation is more faithful to the Japanese intentions and nuances, and does not suffer from the localization that the official translation does.
A forewarning that this may be extremely biased, because I do love Mahito, and how deep his characterization is.
Before I start, a few important reminders:
Mahito is not human. Despite being the most “human” of cursed spirits, he is still a cursed spirit, one that’s trying to figure out what it means to be human, and what it means to be a curse.
Because he is not human, he does not abide by human philosophy. In his own pursuit of answers, Mahito often has his own philosophies that he abides by. Furthermore, because his life experience is so different as a special grade cursed spirit, his worldview is hence extremely different, and therefore he is unable to understand many facets of human life, even though at one point he did attempt to understand.
Mahito is young. Hence, he was always learning on the go, and changing the answers he had to his existential questions as he continued to learn and grow.
Table of contents:
This post:
INTRODUCTION
1. Mahito is well-read.
2. Mahito WAS a gentle cursed spirit, and used to exist as a simple, curious creature.
Part 2:
3. Regarding Junpei.
Part 3:
4. Mahito genuinely cherishes his friends.
5. Mahito was used by Kenjaku.
Part 4:
6. Mahito, unlike the allegations, appreciates cleanliness.
7. Mahito loves movies, and is very much a nerd about them.
8. Mahito appreciates human aesthetic.
Part 5:
9. Mahito is terribly aware of his status as a cursed spirit, and the deriding attitude humans have towards cursed spirits.
10. Mahito: The reflection of humanity.
CONCLUSION
1. Starting with some low-hanging fruit - Mahito can read, and is in fact very well-read, even memorising books by heart, able to quote them on the fly.
Canonically, he has read:
Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka
The Heart Sūtra, also titled Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya, a Buddhist religious text
Possibly at least one work by Virginia Woolf - however, this line is often misquoted, as the actual origin is from a movie on Virginia Woolf’s life titled “The Hours” - however, what is written in the light novel aims to imply that Mahito has read works by Woolf.
The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien (and Mahito even got happy like a small child when he found someone that could understand what he was quoting.)
Elie Wiesel, who wrote the quote “The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference”, in an American 1986 newspaper. In the anime (S1E10), Mahito immediately knew the origin of the quote when Junpei mentioned it, and mentioned that the person who coined that phrase was not Japanese.
Beyond that, he’s also read far more beyond what’s been canonically listed, and he reads very widely.
BONUS:
Gege even pranks Mahito because he takes his reading so seriously.
Source: Jump Festa 2019, Manga ch 34.5
2. Mahito WAS a gentle cursed spirit, and used to exist as a simple, curious creature.
2.1. Mahito was truly a free spirit - when he was searching for his hideout, he simply went along with his whims and desires, noticing small things that even a majority of people would forget or take for granted. His behaviour is even innocently childish in a sense.
He displays this behaviour even early on in the anime - where, after the cinema scene, Mahito is shown to be following a stray cat before Junpei approaches him.
Sc: S1E8
2.2. Mahito’s relationship with the old man in his “sewer” solidifies him as set apart from the rest of his species - where, if he chooses to, he can be extremely human, and gentle, and even caring for humans to an extent.
The light novel itself explicitly states this - the relationship Mahito and the old man shared was something unheard of and did not make sense in terms of the world’s logic. And yet, Mahito and the elderly man shared a peaceful time.
Mahito held back on killing the old man, simply because the old man was able to see him, and because the old man's soul was interesting - any other cursed spirit would have killed the elderly man without a second thought.
Even though his reason for sparing the old man was quoted that it was “troublesome” to kill him, was “troublesome” just an excuse? For a being as powerful as Mahito, he could have simply used his cursed technique to shrink him into nothing, or stored him like all the other humans he did in Shibuya (or, stored them like how he did two humans later in the light novel).
If one were to over-read into it - it would seem “troublesome” applies to what his soul would be put through if he were to kill the old man.
Mahito himself started small talk with the elderly man - acknowledging his presence, taking interest in him - he even asked for his name.
Also: Mahito goes again with the because it’s “troublesome”. It’s ironic, really, because many would consider calling someone by their name as more troublesome - it’s why people in upper echelons or hierarchies usually don’t bother with the names of their subordinates.
Over time, the old man even came to appreciate Mahito’s presence. Reusing this screenshot - but the old man himself admits that he finds talking to Mahito nice.
In the old man’s final moments, he found comfort in Mahito, a cursed spirit, who was there for him as his soul faded, bending down and addressing him as “Gramps”. Despite how uncomfortable Mahito felt watching the soul before him metabolise emotions in ways that he did not wish was happening, he still did not leave the old man.
Mahito, a cursed spirit, helped a neglected old man (albeit unwittingly), cast out and murdered by humans, to die happy.
Ironically, it was not a curse that killed the old man in the end, but humans.
Furthermore, throughout this particular old man’s life, to the old man, Mahito was probably the being that was the kindest to him throughout his existence.
A cursed spirit was able to appreciate a life more than some humans were and are able to.
2.3 When interacting with Nanami in Shibuya, Mahito was respectful towards him.
In the manga, we can clearly see Mahito angling his fingers away such that they did not dig into his existing injuries. In the anime (JP dub), this scene is depicted similarly, with his touch and his voice being gentle, even oddly reassuring to some extent, and his fingers avoiding Nanami’s injuries in some frames.
If Itadori did not arrive, Mahito would have been willing to talk for longer to Nanami.
Sc: Manga ch 120, anime S2E18
BONUS: Mahito refrained from killing someone just because he preferred to use his time to read the fantasy novels he recently got - here, he rejected the basic instincts of a curse in order to pursue something lighthearted, leisurely, human, even.
If you've read this far, I highly appreciate it!
I couldn't fit all the screenshots into one single post (they are important, they are evidence), so here's a link to part 2 of this analysis!
Psychology Nerd Hyperfixates on Weird Little Gremlin (or possibly the reverse)
When thinking of a cursed spirit molded by humanity’s collective hatred, you’d probably expect its personality to be intense, downcast, and angry. So when Mahito is introduced, his affability and childlike curiosity are immediately disarming. This counterintuitive personality is a huge reason why he sticks in my mind even when my hyperfixation on the rest of the show fluctuates. Well, that, and I might have a bit of a bias for scarred, blue-haired, androgynous characters, which you well know if you’ve followed me for any length of time.
Is this incongruence simply a narrative device to make Mahito effectively unsettling, or is there something deeper to be said about the nature of hatred and evil?
Disclaimer: Obviously, I am coming at this from a very Western, American perspective. While I try to keep cultural differences in mind, I have a lot of blind spots.
First, definitions are hard. I’m not sure what the original Japanese text says, so I’m going by what the various English translations say. And hatred is something many of us have an intuitive, even visceral, definition for. But putting it into words is harder.
Given Mahito’s consistent themes of transformation and perfection, I don’t think hatred in JJK is as simple as “willingness to harm someone else,” which is the definition I’ve been taught.
In addition, the other curses in the show, the ones with distinct personalities anyway, are all shown to be embodiments of natural forces that humans fear. So it’s not just hatred but fear of hatred.
And fear of hatred is, at some point, fear of the self, of the shadow. Because all humans have the capacity for hatred. Suppressing or ignoring this means not knowing yourself, making you more vulnerable to manipulations and subconscious bias. And the tragic flaw of many humans is that they can always find ways to justify their own hatred even as they condemn others’.
Junpei is a key example. He recognized the monstrosity of the bullies’ actions, but not his own. Because he had a reason for behaving the way he did. He knew his own internal motivations. But the bullies just picked on him “for no reason” in his mind. That’s not to say there’s any validity to how the bullies treated him, but I’m sure the bullies rationalized why they were in the right and Junpei was the one who deserved it. It’s a cycle. And it’s written in our very biology, with different brain regions responsible for self assessment vs assessment of others. But awareness of this process can help bridge the gap.
Yuji Itadori, however, has had to reach this level of self-awareness by necessity. He’s had to learn where he ends and Sukuna begins. Assumedly, this means he’s had to come to terms with the fact that some of his darker impulses aren’t from Sukuna but from himself in order to resist Sukuna’s influence. It also helps that since Sukuna is probably privy to some of Yuji’s inner world, he’s definitely not letting Yuji live down any hypocrisy.
Mahito was able to manipulate Junpei because when you’ve been kicked around for so long, finally having some sort of power feels good. Displacement aggression is one of the best stress relievers among social animals. Usually this is committed against a lower-ranking member of the group, and with Junpei suddenly becoming a sorcerer, his social rank has just gotten a lot higher. Now he has power over his bullies. That’s intoxicating. Mahito tapped into some very primal neural circuitry with his manipulation of Junpei.
This brings to mind something I recently learned about oxytocin: It’s not just the “love hormone.” It reinforces social bonds… between relatives and members of an in-group. It’s also the force behind maternal aggression and can contribute to xenophobia. It increases social awareness, not prosociality. Oxytocin is, however, strongly associated with positive emotions. This intense dichotomy is very Mahito-coded. If love for your in-group can strengthen hatred for an out-group, it makes sense that sometimes hatred would appear… joyful. Think of the way people laugh at insensitive jokes or smirk when they trip a classmate in the hall. Or the frenzied, almost concert-like energy of some white supremacy riots.
Mahito’s themes of transformation also bring up another facet of human hatred - self-hatred. Not just of one’s shadow, but oneself as a whole. When people have body dysmorphia (which I should note is distinct from gender dysphoria), they have a near-insatiable desire to change what they look like. This is an ever-shifting goalpost, with the end result - should the person have the financial means to achieve it - often looking somewhat uncanny. And that kind of insecurity, again, leaves people vulnerable to manipulation. In Mahito’s case, this becomes disturbingly literal.
Why is Mahito so young, then, if hatred has been a thing since before humans were humans? Possibly, it’s because the Internet makes hatred and the fear of it easier to spread and easier to amplify. People are terrified of cyberbullying, canceling, and doxxing. The 24 hour news cycle stokes preexisting biases and invents new ones, keeping people in a constant state of fear. People are increasingly isolated, trapped in their heads, leading to a cross-cultural epidemic of depression and dysmorphia. This combination of factors could have created the perfect storm to crystallize Mahito into existence.
Mahito’s joy is not antithetical to hatred. In fact, love and hate are complementary. They frequently feed into each other. Hatred doesn’t always feel like hatred. Sometimes it feels like belonging. This can lead to some of humanity’s worst atrocities.
I'm writing this in regards to recent discussions and misunderstandings regarding Mahito's character!
To cut to the chase: Idle Transfiguration was never written to be an allegory for SA. It is more of a commentary and reflection of an ability that all social species have, especially humans, over ourselves and each other.
In other words, merely by interacting with others, we reshape the souls of those we interact with, as well as our own.
In Jujutsu Kaisen, Mahito states that he alone is able to see and perceive the soul. The soul is like any other organ, apart from the fact that we are unable to see it.
As an organ, the role of the soul is to transfigure in response to external stimuli. These transfigurations give rise to our emotions, which we experience as feelings. Our body then responds to these feelings in a multitude of ways, and these responses can be voluntary, involuntary, or controlled by us to some extent.
Humans are a social species. We crave connection, however, that same connection also changes us.
By interacting with someone, even for a passing moment, they still elicit responses from us.
By simply existing in society, we react accordingly, pushing ourselves to fit in and behave appropriately.
This is the thing about humans: We alter our own self-expression in order to continue existing in the circles and spaces that we live in. Inevitably, we transfigure the souls of ourselves and each other on a regular basis, whether we like it or want to or not. The changes that we experience internally from these interactions can and do manifest themselves outwards in physical, tangible forms.
Choosing not to wear something we want to, for fear that we will stand out in a bad way.
Ordering a meal we otherwise would not have and trying something different, because of a friend’s recommendation.
Choosing our words differently, depending on the circles we’re currently with.
And, sometimes, even changing our own behaviours, due to existing next to someone we respect.
Satoru, despite having a preference for Cola (which he orders when he’s alone), orders the same drink as Suguru whenever they’re together.
Due to the social pressures of fitting in, Miwa’s mother dyes her blue hair in order to have her fit in with the rest of her classmates.
Ijichi is fearful over his performance, and sincerely wants to protect Itadori, because of his respect for Nanami, whom he doesn’t want to disappoint.
In the anime, Mai is depicted as dressing and behaving much more effeminately, due to family pressures, expectations, and oppression regarding her womanhood.
Our relationships and interactions with people do lead to changes in our souls. The longer a relationship lasts, the more permanent these changes may end up becoming. These changes are often not just internal; they even manifest in our physical exterior and in the ways in which we outwardly express ourselves.
Nobara, by most measures, was tomboyish as a child. Beating up boys on school grounds, running away from teachers, even kicking her own schoolbag across the yard, and playing video games with her friend’s father - fighting games, no less.
However, after meeting Saori, her demeanor changed. From someone who beat up bullies in school and did victory dances over their bodies, she started becoming someone who started to speak with a gentler tone of voice, and tried to act in a way that was more refined and dignified. Because Saori was someone whom she looked up to, as someone who was an outsider to the town that she hated living in, Nobara wanted to mould herself to become more like the person she respected.
Her fascination and idolization of the city still followed her for years, even after she lost Saori.
On a bonus note, it’s sad to see in Shibuya, how Saori reminisces over Fumi and Nobara. Saori knew that Nobara idolized her, and therefore was afraid to keep in contact with her after she left. She feared not being able to live up to the person that younger Nobara imagined her to be. However, from Fumi's reflections, and Saori’s ruminations, we can see how external these changes were for Nobara, that those around her noticed them so clearly.
Touch is also an important part of social connection. There is much research on humans and primates regarding the importance of touch in conveying emotions, with an acknowledgement on how such communication and expression of emotion via touch is fundamental to human development, communication, and even survival.
Touch can lead to multiple emotional responses within us, such as calmness, relief, contentedness, or even fear and discomfort, depending on the touch. These emotions are due to the release of chemicals within the body in response to said touch, such as the release of endorphins, oxytocin, and even adrenaline.
In other words - when we touch someone, we potentially alter them biologically, even if said effects are mostly temporary.
Humans also have the ability to transfigure our own souls. This take may be slightly farfetched, but in Mahito's eyes, someone who is aware of the outline of their own soul might very well be just someone who is aware of themselves - their ego, their self, and where their feelings arise from - someone who is, to some extent, able to control their emotions.
In a way, self-awareness and the ability to control one's emotions is a form of power, and this is the power Mahito exhibits when using his abilities to his advantage. We can exhibit such power in much more simpler, metaphorical forms, such as slowly becoming the person we wish to be by following in the footsteps of those we respect and admire.
In short, it would be exceedingly shallow to reduce the curse of humanity as an allegory for SA.
Our curse is something much deeper, more sinister, interwoven into the very threads of our design and being. It is that the very thing we need to survive and hence desire, yet, it is the same thing that can also destroy, warp, and irreversibly change us: Connection, and the indelible marks it leaves upon us.
Thank you for reading! Here’s the link to the review paper I glanced through!
The social role of touch in humans and primates: Behavioural function and neurobiological mechanisms. (2010)
Mahito: A very long analysis of his character and the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, PART 5
If you're seeing this post first, please see the post right at the beginning for more context!
For those who are here for part 5, thank you for reading this far! This is the final part. This section is much darker and has a lot more of my personal interpretations and opinions, but please feel free to disagree with them.
Table of contents:
Part 1:
INTRODUCTION
1. Mahito is well-read.
2. Mahito WAS a gentle cursed spirit, and used to exist as a simple, curious creature.
Part 2:
3. Regarding Junpei.
Part 3:
4. Mahito genuinely cherishes his friends.
5. Mahito was used by Kenjaku.
Part 4:
6. Mahito, unlike the allegations, appreciates cleanliness.
7. Mahito loves movies, and is very much a nerd about them.
8. Mahito appreciates human aesthetic.
This post:
9. Mahito is terribly aware of his status as a cursed spirit, and the deriding attitude humans have towards cursed spirits.
10. Mahito: The reflection of humanity.
CONCLUSION
9. Mahito is terribly aware of his status as a cursed spirit, and the deriding attitude humans have towards cursed spirits.
Few bother to take into account Mahito’s point of view when he was making his speeches to Itadori in Shibuya.
Manga panels for reference:
Sc: Manga ch 126
I believe it was intentional that, in the anime, the director chose to display the scenes of Hanami’s and Dagon’s death - the two in his group that were killed by humans - when Mahito was crying out to Itadori that “This is war”. To Mahito and his group, this was a war beyond some grandiose ideal or some concept of justice - to them, this was a battle for their existence, a fight for their right to live.
Sc: Anime S2E20
“Tell me, Itadori Yuji. Have you ever stopped to count how many curses you’ve killed?”
“No, Right?”
“Me neither, me neither.~”
Mahito’s words point out a striking irony in Itadori’s actions.
In Itadori’s eyes and actions up until the Shibuya arc, it is only humans whose lives are of value.
Despite being sentient, despite being a product of humans, because they are curses, their lives have no value - they are pests which need to be eradicated.
Do animals ever question the morality of killing humans? Similarly, did humans ever question the morality of killing animals?
Does the wolf question the morality of killing its prey?
Do we question the morality of the meat on our table?
Do we ever stop to count how many ants we’ve killed, or cockroaches?
And, for (hopefully) a minority out there, have they themselves ever stopped to count how many humans they’ve killed?
Would it be wrong, if that which we were trying to purge decided to rebel against us, and to fight back?
Mahito is a reflection of humanity. Thus, for all the curses, hatred, and ill treatment that we’ve rained down upon ourselves, each other, society, and the world, as a curse born from humans, it is written into Mahito to rain it back down upon humans.
Itadori did have a chance at understanding what Mahito was getting at, when he caused Kechizu’s death and saw Eso shed tears for each other. However, their bodies were different due to them being death paintings, and that’s the only reason why Itadori saw them as “humans”.
“Hahaha~! Would you prefer that I contemplate all the reasons for messing with their lives, and look remorseful the next time I kill someone?”
Mahito continuously points out the ironies that Itadori lives by - if Itadori is simply following his human instinct to save people and kill curses, then what’s wrong with Mahito following his cursed spirit instinct to kill humans? Is the wolf evil for following its instinct to hunt for prey?
Furthermore, if Itadori himself doesn’t contemplate all the reasons for exorcising curses, and look remorseful for taking the lives of curses, why should Mahito?
“Yeesh, no need to get so upset every time. ‘Tis just a curse spouting nonsense.”
Sounds familiar?
Sc. Manga ch 45, Anime S2E18, S1E18
It’s no wonder that Jogo had only one dream: “For cursed spirits to stand as people”.
Sc: Manga ch 93, Anime S2E10
10. Mahito: The reflection of humanity
Humanity in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen had countless opportunities to convince Mahito that human beings had value. Unfortunately, humans had failed, consistently, time and time again.
Because - the world of Jujutsu Kaisen is one of inherent evil.
A teacher looks away as a student is beaten up, pretending nothing was going on when he had the power to stop them. (Anime S1E9)
Adults imprison and curse two young children over things that they cannot understand. (Anime S2E5)
An entire crowd of faces smiles, applauding the death of a 14 year old girl. (Anime S2E4)
Two gangsters beat a homeless old man to death, simply because they wanted to prove they were capable of killing someone. (Light novel 1, chapter 3)
This is the humanity that Mahito is born from.
The old man’s soul was different, and it was the first time that Mahito saw a soul that held no ties, no feelings, no hatred towards anything at all. It was a soul unlike any other humans' that he had previously seen. However, the old man's death to humans and being consoled by a curse caused the old man's unique soul to falter, just like any other man's - what final emotion Mahito saw the old man’s soul metabolise, only he knows, but I would like to wager that it was a mixture of grief and gratefulness. In the end, the old man couldn't break his ties to society and transcend human nature after all.
In Mahito’s eyes, Junpei was foolish. Junpei falling for Mahito’s words and being encouraged towards violent tendencies simply proved to Mahito that humans are the same everywhere: that humans were violent, vengeful, cursed each other, and hated each other.
In our human eyes, we understand Junpei, because we understand what it is like to be weak, to taste injustice, to yearn for karma, and that everyone gets their just desserts, and, that if no one were to enact justice, then it is perfectly right to take things into our own hands, and act upon our hatred.
But is that how the world ought to work? In yearning for vengeance, for violence, in hating, aren’t we being the humans, those disgusting creatures, that Mahito believes we all are? Aren't we the reason why Mahito was even born in the first place?
Mahito was disgusted with Mechamaru’s behaviour, even voicing it out explicitly on multiple occasions. He called out Mechamaru for being selfish, being a double spy working against the side he was supposed to be on in order to benefit himself. This greed aligned with how Mahito already saw humans.
Mahito’s relationship with Itadori was complex, and probably deserves its own dedicated essay. However, Itadori failed to understand what Mahito meant throughout his entire speech, how they were mirrors of each other, how Mahito was simply Itadori’s reflection. If Itadori raised his right hand, Mahito raised his left; in the same way Itadori felt nothing for the curses he kills, neither does Mahito feel anything for the humans he kills.
Even when Itadori finally did understand Mahito’s words, Itadori still accepted the exact same narrative that Mahito had come to believe in, and even used Mahito’s own narrative against him: The purpose of humans is to curse each other, and to kill said curses that are spat out from deep within their viscera.
Mahito was a growing curse - open, learning, willing to hear and listen. He was always curious about humans - seeking first to learn more about them, trying his best to understand them, and, through understanding humans, understand himself.
However, every experience that Mahito had with humans only further cemented his understanding of how humans truly were the horrible creatures he was birthed from. There was nobody that Mahito had met that could disprove to him that humans were more complex than creatures who cursed and were cursed, who hated and were hated.
Everything that humans showed Mahito, he learned. Everything that Mahito saw of humans, he internalized.
“I knew that… After all, I was born from you.”
We birthed Mahito. Not just his existence… but the creature he became.
Because that was all Mahito saw of humans… that was what he therefore understood of himself.
He fell into the narrative of humanity… and fell into the narrative of the world.
He was, and is right - all humans are the same.
He is us. And we are him.
For all the ugliness that humanity spews, he embodies all of us.
We hate Mahito, because we hate the reflection of our true nature.
This may be a far-fetched point, but, if in another world, he met a human who was truly different - who did not belong in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen - he might have been more than willing to change his mind, unlearn everything he had taught himself, in favour of new, profound knowledge.
Mahito is simply a mirror of humanity, after all.
CONCLUSION
Jujutsu Kaisen is a story about consequence, about a world where humans unwittingly hurl curses and hatred at one another, and the karma we receive for those actions. Mahito played his role perfectly on this stage, as the prime representation of a humanity that curses itself.
If Mahito was born in a world that was not Jujutsu Kaisen, he would have grown and developed very differently. From the start it was clear that he was set apart from the rest of his kind, as a gentle and curious spirit by nature, as far as cursed spirits go. His tendencies to discard reason in favour of instinct are mainly because Kenjaku manipulated him into being a bloodthirsty creature, pushing and later encouraging him to kill and strengthen his instincts, urging him to maximise the use of his cursed technique and persuading him into violence.
If we didn’t have Kenjaku, and if Mahito did not constantly face threats to his life, and, if he had someone in his life whose very existence and being could prove Mahito wrong on his ideas of human nature being evil - Mahito could have grown in a very different, and much more neutral direction than he did in Jujutsu Kaisen.
He was baby and these images are proof
Thank you for getting this far! I hope my 2-years-old brainrot was at least entertaining.
One of the videos I was listening to and referenced quite a bit for this section on how evil the world of Jujutsu Kaisen is is "Jujutsu Kaisen's World is built on Evil" by Petrol and Coffee. It was criminally underrated when I first watched it, and delves very deep into the differences between JJK's world and power system in contrast to other shounen manga. I highly recommend giving it a watch if you're into story analyses.
If you're here, I wish you a good day and lots of Mahitos! Or if you don't like Mahito then uhh idk insert your wish here
Mahito: A very long analysis of his character and the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, PART 4
If you're seeing this post first, please check the very first part for more context!
For those who are here for part 4, this is a more lighthearted section before I go back into the extreme deep end again.
Table of contents:
Part 1:
INTRODUCTION
1. Mahito is well-read.
2. Mahito WAS a gentle cursed spirit, and used to exist as a simple, curious creature.
Part 2:
3. Regarding Junpei.
Part 3:
4. Mahito genuinely cherishes his friends.
5. Mahito was used by Kenjaku.
This post:
6. Mahito, unlike the allegations, appreciates cleanliness.
7. Mahito loves movies, and is very much a nerd about them.
8. Mahito appreciates human aesthetic.
Part 5:
9. Mahito is terribly aware of his status as a cursed spirit, and the deriding attitude humans have towards cursed spirits.
10. Mahito: The reflection of humanity.
CONCLUSION
6. Mahito, unlike the allegations, is a clean character.
6.1 Mahito’s “sewer” is actually a water supply system that leads treated waste water back into the rivers.
Japan has some of the strictest requirements for treated waste water, and most treated water undergoes the Johkasou system, where purified wastewater is clean enough to be used for daily purposes such as watering gardens, washing cars, or flushing toilets.
Mahito likes the air in the pipe, because it reminds him of spring rain.
6.2 He dislikes the smell of mold. (S2E6)
6.3 In the official mobile game (Phantom Parade), when receiving a negative status effect, he comments “What the hell is that? Gross.” (T/N credits: MinLoaf)
BONUS: Just for fun, but he’s the only character that we see bathing twice in the anime, even though it’s probably the same scene.
Sc: S1E14, S2E10
7. He loves movies, and is very much a nerd about them.
Mahito takes many, many references from the movies he’s seen.
Mahito’s idea about the body forming around the soul is not actually his own idea.
Although not shown in the manga, it is hinted in the anime (S1E9) - from “Human Earthworm 3: Creating Humans”, Mahito references the doctor’s philosophy and applies it to his own technique.
His hammock was also inspired by yet another movie… (If anyone knows the actual movie, please tell me)
And it’s very likely he’s seen Freddy Kreuger while watching A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Sc. Anime S2E19, http://nightmareonelmstreetfilms.com/0/3p/nightmare3promo10.html, manga ch 123
Mahito has a tendency to take the literary works of humans far too seriously, and sometimes literally.
There’s definitely far more examples of movies and shows he’s watched, these are only a small handful of easy-to-see examples.
Recycling this image again, but it’s a fantastic example.
Sc: Jump Festa 2019, Manga ch 34.5
8. Mahito has taste! And it’s good taste at that.
In the light novel 1, chapter 3, Mahito speaks to Jogo on why he dislikes the office (that was previously used by a scamming organization) that Kenjaku chose as their base of operations. He talks about keeping up with the current trends, critiques the aesthetics of the room, and even points out the specific furniture he dislikes.
It’s an explicitly human thing to be able to appreciate and critique art and living space arrangements. Mahito even ends up convincing Jogo that the place that was chosen by Kenjaku was ugly.
Mahito: A very long analysis of his character and the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, PART 3
Hello! If you're seeing this first, please check the first part for all the context!
If you're here for part 3, thank you again for reading this far! This part goes further into the deep end.
Table of contents:
Part 1:
INTRODUCTION
1. Mahito is well-read.
2. Mahito WAS a gentle cursed spirit, and used to exist as a simple, curious creature.
Part 2:
3. Regarding Junpei.
This post:
4. Mahito genuinely cherishes his friends.
5. Mahito was used by Kenjaku.
Part 4:
6. Mahito, unlike the allegations, appreciates cleanliness.
7. Mahito loves movies, and is very much a nerd about them.
8. Mahito appreciates human aesthetic.
Part 5:
9. Mahito is terribly aware of his status as a cursed spirit, and the deriding attitude humans have towards cursed spirits.
10. Mahito: The reflection of humanity.
CONCLUSION
4. Mahito genuinely cherishes his friends.
4.1. Jogo
The pipe that Jogo is seen to smoke is a transfigured human - made for him and given to him by no one else other than Mahito.
When Jogo was fighting Gojo and losing, Mahito asked about Jogo and how he was doing, chiding Kenjaku for putting Jogo in danger, expressing his concern for him. When Jogo and Hanami returned, he said that he was glad that they were okay - he was relieved that they were safe.
When Kenjaku derided Jogo when Mahito was casting the veil over Satozakura High, Mahito didn’t acknowledge the praise Kenjaku directed to him, instead, he defended Jogo’s behaviour in his own way.
Mahito also cherishes their friendship - in Shibuya, Mahito explicitly stated that he does not want to fight Jogo over their differing opinions, and instead proposes a game as compromise - it’s even a game that he ends up losing, as Jogo is the first to reach Itadori. Contrary to popular opinion, Mahito exhibits maturity when he deals with his friends.
Most wikis and official descriptions of Mahito refer to him as “immature”. However, this word is used in the sense that Mahito is “immature” because he is young and has not reached his full potential and growth. It is likely that it does not refer to his personality, but rather his state of growth.
Sc: Manga ch. 16, 25, 32, 93
4.2. Hanami
After escaping from Gojo’s hollow purple, Hanami is almost killed by Haruta - it was Mahito who stepped in to stop Haruta, threatened him, and then helped Hanami to walk. In the anime, in the JP dub, his voice is much more gentle with Hanami in contrast to when he was speaking to Haruta.
Mahito also encouraged Hanami to be stronger - and was happy to see that they had grown.
4.3. Dagon
In Shibuya, Mahito let Dagon have more humans because it would have helped him to grow and mature from being a curse womb, even if it disadvantaged him later during his own fight. Mahito was even cheering Dagon on, and in the anime, it’s clearer that he was happy for Dagon, even cheering with his signature “Yay~” when Dagon had successfully consumed the humans.
One could argue that maybe he was simply happy to see all those humans die - but I disagree - on top of him finding joy in tormenting humans, there’s so much evidence that Mahito cherishes his friends, to the point that he’s happy to see them grow, and this was clear when he was encouraging Hanami, even being happy for them when they got stronger.
Furthermore, it’s likely due to the friendship that Mahito’s group shared, that Dagon himself cherished Mahito’s group. Dagon’s evolution from being a curse womb was only pushed forth due to the trauma of Hanami’s death, and, throughout the fight, Dagon insisted on their names - not only his own, but also those of his friends.
“Calling someone by their name shows that you actually recognise them.” (Kotoha Tachibana, Wind Breaker). A name is a proof of one's existence, an acknowledgement, and to call someone by their name is to validate that existence, to grant it recognition.
To be addressed as “cursed spirit” throughout that fight, would be akin to a cursed spirit addressing every sorcerer as “human”, brushing off and invalidating their existence no matter the circumstances.
These curses cared more about each other and their friendship more than some humans do with their own friends.
Sc. Manga ch. 107, 122, 123, Anime S2E18
BONUS: In Shibuya, this scene of Mahito in the photo booth occurred right after Jogo died to Sukuna - at this point in time too, Hanami and Dagon are dead. Mahito is alone. This is one of the only times he shows an expression like this, curled up and hugging his own legs in a photo booth. One could argue that he was simply bored, however, throughout the manga, he’s always found ways of entertaining himself, and he’s still always boisterous, even if he’s bored.
5. Mahito is a victim. Kenjaku used Mahito, even conditioned him, hoping to refine his cursed technique and awaken it before he absorbed him.
We know that Kenjaku was planning to absorb Mahito right from the start. During the fight with Mechamaru, when Kokichi Muta’s attacks were shown to be effective against Mahito, it was already hinted that Kenjaku was looking forward to absorbing him.
Furthermore, Kenjaku long since had, and was applying, the knowledge that violence and fighting served to refine one's understanding of cursed energy, and hence their cursed technique.
Kenjaku raised Mahito to be violent, in order for Mahito to quickly refine his cursed technique, such that, when Kenjaku absorbed him and extracted his technique, it would have been refined enough for Kenjaku to use in order to start the Culling Games.
Sc: Manga ch 134, 136
Mahito, being a child spirit, was susceptible to manipulation, especially by a creature as twisted as Kenjaku. Kenjaku used Mahito’s thirst for knowledge, the worst of his nature as a cursed spirit born from humans, and his and his friends’ desires to create a new world (where curses could live as humans), in order to gain a hold over Mahito. Unfortunately, Mahito was too late in taking action on his suspicion of Kenjaku’s true motives.
Kenjaku was shrewd in manipulating Mahito, and Mahito’s curious nature was also his downfall. Mahito was especially intent on understanding what it meant to be a cursed spirit, what it meant to be a human cursed spirit, and what it meant to be the only creature who could perceive and manipulate the soul. Mahito was well on his way to finding his own answers, however, Kenjaku directed him into a much more violent direction that suited Kenjaku’s own goals.
Contrasting Mahito’s behaviour in the anime, especially in S2, to his actions and character in the light novel (which takes place before the events of the manga), is especially jarring. Mahito went from a curse who hesitated to take a human life, to a true curse who no longer questioned his roots and existence as a human curse, and simply followed his basal instincts. His words to Hanami and his actions in Shibuya go against how he used to act in the past, all because 1. Mahito realised that there were threats to his life in this world, 2. Kenjaku made sure that Mahito got caught up in the thrill of feeding his base instincts of being a curse.
Mahito: A very long analysis of his character and the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, PART 2
Hello! If you're seeing this first, there's a post before this! Link to it here.
If you're here for part 2, thank you for reading this far!
Table of contents:
Part 1:
INTRODUCTION
1. Mahito is well-read.
2. Mahito WAS a gentle cursed spirit, and used to exist as a simple, curious creature.
This post:
3. Regarding Junpei.
Part 3:
4. Mahito genuinely cherishes his friends.
5. Mahito was used by Kenjaku.
Part 4:
6. Mahito, unlike the allegations, appreciates cleanliness.
7. Mahito loves movies, and is very much a nerd about them.
8. Mahito appreciates human aesthetic.
Part 5:
9. Mahito is terribly aware of his status as a cursed spirit, and the deriding attitude humans have towards cursed spirits.
10. Mahito: The reflection of humanity.
CONCLUSION
3. Regarding Junpei.
3.1. Junpei was the one who sought out Mahito, and he even asked if he could do what Mahito did (kill people via Idle Transfiguration). Junpei looked to Mahito in his troubled state, seeking to obtain an evil power in order to change his fate. Even Mahito was surprised by Junpei’s demands.
Sc: Manga ch. 19
For some reason, that panel was not in the anime - it likely served to give the impression that Mahito had gone out of his way to “catch” and manipulate Junpei.
However, at the end of the light novel, there’s multiple things hinting that this takes place at the start of the anime. For one, Mahito was experimenting on how big he could transfigure a human - an experiment he showed Junpei. And - there were students in the cinema.
There was no mention of Junpei prior to this, no mention of Kenjaku’s plans - Mahito was on his own, feeling like watching a movie, and it just so happened that Junpei went after him.
3.2 Mahito “manipulating” Junpei was simply him stating what he himself believes in.
In his entire speech to Junpei, Mahito was simply quoting his own beliefs. Being the only person who can see the soul, this is Mahito’s life philosophy. To Mahito, due to his cursed technique, the soul is akin to any other organ - just like how the heart, brain, or stomach might function, so does the soul - it is simply there, and there’s nothing inherently special about it.
Mahito telling Junpei to live how he wants to, and to follow his desires without limiting himself to a philosophy of being indifferent, is also something he himself lives by - “No matter how off-kilter or inconsistent, we always act in accordance with our true desires. That’s what it means to be a curse.” (S2E10)
BONUS: Stating one’s belief as if it is fact is also classic ENTP behaviour - I see a lot of people agreeing that Mahito is an ENTP, but delving into his MBTI opens up another whole can of worms, so I’m not going too much into this.
Sc: Manga ch. 21, 49, 91, 93
One’s cursed technique dictates their worldview:
More evidence of Mahito’s view of life and living: (had to replace one word so the powers that be would not beat me to death)
“We might have gained reasoning… but that doesn’t mean we should deny our impulses.”
3.3 Mahito originally did not want to kill Junpei, and wanted to just use him as a hostage when fighting Itadori. Kenjaku was the one who forced Mahito to kill Junpei. Mahito wanted to keep his newfound toy (Junpei) around.
Bonus: look at him all disappointed when Kenjaku tells him “no” explicitly
