...

10 Similarities Between Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen Explored In Depth

Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen are often compared to each other, both being iconic shounen mangas of late - so we compiled a few similarities here.

There are some shounen stories that get popularity for the correct reasons. The entire community either loves them or at least respects them for their impact.

A few of these stories turn into legends of their eras as well, inspiring people and aspiring-mangakas in their way.

When one thinks of such stories, without fail, one can name Naruto. Even now, people love the characters and the lessons that stay with them for life.

However, with every new age, there are new stories that hold the crown for being legends. And right now, perhaps, Jujutsu Kaisen is the most worthy of that title.

The love is one thing, but fans of both series have also pointed out many similarities between them.

So, we delve into the similarities between Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen in this article. This is gonna be a long ride, so probably get some coffee and sit tight!

Before you proceed, this article contains MAJOR spoilers from both the Jujutsu Kaisen manga and Naruto. Read ahead with caution!

1. Protagonists by fate: Naruto and Itadori

We know where to begin – the main characters, Naruto and Itadori, themselves. All of us love these protagonists and find their stories intriguing. The both of them share some things between them as well.

Without wasting much time, let’s dive into it.

Physical strength

When we speak of these two, the first commonality that comes to our minds is their superhuman strength.

Naruto has a massive reserve of life force and Chakra. To get an idea of how much of a beast Naruto is, take Kakashi’s statement. Kakashi mentioned that Naruto’s normal chakra reserves were four times his reserves.

In the same manner, Itadori also boasts imminent physical strength and agility. It translates into formidable battle prowess and ability.

Just like Kakashi, Todo and Choso’s testaments of Itadori’s strength have given us more than enough proof to believe in Itadori’s power.

In fact, both the senseis – Kakashi and Gojo – expected their students to surpass them someday. If that is not a praise of strength, then we don’t know what is!

Vessels for a fearful entity

We know, we know. This point is the one you had thought as soon as you saw or knew about Itadori, right?

Both Naruto and Itadori serve as fated vessels of fearful and ancient entities, Kurama & Sukuna, respectively. They can totally be looted as landlords, you know?

These entities have a lot in common as well. They both share their accolades of killing thousands of people invoking terror in them.

And they found the perfect vessel in the protagonists accidentally. Well, an unexpected shady person was behind their unfortunate situations.

It was Minato for Naruto, and Jujutsu Kaisen recently hinted that Kenjaku was the same person for Itadori. Talk about parent issues. Totally not a joke on how Itadori has like, actual, parent issues with Kenjaku being his mom.

What is more, these evil beasts became a reason for the protagonists making a bunch of enemies who were after their heads.

Along with their presence, they bring anguish and responsibility to their hosts. While we discussed the similarities between them, we must also discuss an important point of difference.

Naruto and Kurama ended up befriending each other and fighting for the same cause. This trope is pretty common, too; the antagonist is moved by some or the other quality of the MC.

On the other hand, as we have seen in Jujutsu Kaisen so far, there seems no conciliation between Itadori and Sukuna.

Sukuna is purely evil and selfish, as he has painstakingly displayed numerous times. However, we can speculate that he might face the same fate as Kurama.

Personality

What’s the first image that comes to your mind when you think about Naruto and Itadori? To us, it’s them smiling innocently, with all of their heart poured into that one smile.

They’re like rays of sunshine in a dark and wretched world for many characters in their respective series.

However, behind these smiles lies an unthinkable crisis both of them had to go through. The presence of the unlikable entities, Kurama and Sukuna, in their bodies sent them spiraling.

At some point in the story, they both had to face their dark sides and come to terms with uncomfortable truths.

They did not just have to face off the hatred society poured upon them. They also had to suppress their own devils from getting better of them.

Even then, both of them are exceptionally kind and selfless. We know this because they’ve weighed others more than their lives countless times. The two let their hearts do the talking, which many consider more like a vice than a quality.

Undeniably, Naruto has the power of talk no jutsu on his side. He has used his ability to overcome many a hurdle in the past.

Naruto has cared deeply even for his “enemies” over the course of the series; Zabuza, Haku, Gaara, and Nagato, to name a few.

While it did seem that Itadori was going to walk on the same path, Jujutsu Kaisen showed us that was not the case. He has had to change his mindset over time in the story painfully.

Just like Naruto, Itadori has shown respect for curses’ feelings as well, something which is extremely rare in the Jujutsu Kaisen world. However, he is slowly coming to the realization that curses are curses, nothing more and nothing less.

The two also share similar sentiments towards comrades. It is obvious that they’d sacrifice themselves to protect their comrades even in their sleep.

But this doesn’t mean that they’re just goofy, soft boys. Everybody remembers the aftermath of Pain impaling Hinata in Naruto.

And when it comes to Jujutsu Kaisen, we can’t miss Itadori’s “Berserk-like” rage scene after witnessing Junpei’s cruel and traumatizing death.

Let’s delve deeper into the meaning of death for them, as it is a recurring moment (and theme) in the protagonists’ lives.

The concept of death for the MCs

More than a happenstance, “death” turned into hard lessons for Naruto and Itadori.

Some of these deaths were painful enough to break even the readers down. But not all the deaths were that bad; some also left hope and wishes behind for the protagonists.

We cannot miss how Junpei’s death was a character-defining moment for Itadori. This death was his first up-close experience of the hardship Megumi and Gojo had advised him about.

Junpei was a symbol of Itadori’s resolution itself – to give people a proper death. But his death at the hands of Mahito shook Itadori’s very core and values.

Death suddenly became very real to him. It drilled the distinction between curses and humans in his head in the worst way possible. It also earned him a mortal enemy who would torment him for long.

But that was just the beginning; Itadori yet had more deaths to go through that would impact him. We will discuss Nanami’s death and its role further in the article.

Naruto had also witnessed some painful deaths.

In fact, his life started with the death of his parents, which pushed him into a tough place even as an infant.

Furthermore, the death of Zabuza and Haku showed Naruto the true strength of love, and he started to value his comrades even more than before; this phenomenon where people simply vanished had become very real for him.

Nagato and Neji’s deaths are similar in a sense as well.

Naruto’s talk with the fellow Uzumaki helped him form a stronger vision for the future and strengthened his already made of steel will power.

While Neji’s death is controversial, it does carry some weight for Naruto.

It was a moment that brought him close to the shinobi force (especially Hinata) spiritually. By this point in the series, Naruto’s fists were as heavy as a Kings’.

He had countless dreams clinging on to him, hoping that he’d fulfill them, that he’d live up to everybody’s expectations. As such, death has become an almost fearsome evil but necessity that the MCs must face.

It is a hurdle that they must cross over and over to see the world they think about.

And it is not a hurdle that once gone, would go away forever; it is just that they had to become used to experiencing and delivering it.

Another similarity that the main characters share is that they are part of a trio. Let’s discuss that aspect in detail:

2. The classic trio

The trope of basing a story on the life of a trio and their interaction with each other as they go through things is as old as they come.

Take our good ol’ classic stories like Gintama and Fullmetal Alchemist (and even Attack on Titan, for the record) – you will find a lovable trio right at the centre.

Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen both follow in the same footsteps. Their trios – Naruto, Sasuke, & Sakura and Itadori, Megumi, and Nobara follow the success formula of the main cast.

Well, the trio might have their differences too (you know we are talking about Sakura, don’t you?), but they are quite alike too.

Now, the similarity here isn’t as basic as both series having a three-person team. There is more to this group of main characters.

The two companions of the protagonist help him grow and are very precious to him. Moreover, one is sort of a rival to the MC and aids his journey to strength.

The protagonist serves as the knucklehead of the group, while another person is the cooler and rational one.

And the third companion also has a vital role in supporting the trio as a whole. They bring out the true potential of the group as well, becoming the backbone in a manner.

Just like we saw the similarities between Naruto and Itadori earlier, we will address the other companions further in the article!

Well, these trios might be a handful on their own, but two very cool figures lead them. These figures are the trios’ teachers, who also have many things similar.

3. Irreplaceable & incomparable senseis

The first thing that they have in common is something we don’t even need to tell you. Gojo and Kakashi have similar character designs.

Fun fact: Akutami stated in the official fanbook that Gojo is NOT inspired by Kakashi. Surprised? We were too! Let’s continue anyway.

These white-haired teachers cover their eyes and are even built in a similar manner. They both are lean, tall, handsome, but extremely goofy. And super strong.

Gojo and Kakashi share a power related to their eyes as well. Kakashi has the unassailable sharingan that allowed him to fight on par with the Gods.

On the other hand, Gojo is the owner of the indefatigable Six-Eyes cursed technique. Using this power, he could become the strongest shaman in the Jujutsu Kaisen world.

Pretty badass, right? Well, their badassery aside, they are also caring (albeit sometimes stupid) mentors to their students.

You would think that a happy-go-lucky idiot like him would slack off in teaching. However, that is not the case.

Gojo is very skilled in bringing out the potential of his students. The quality of recognizing what a student needs to hear at a point in time is very crucial.

Gojo has displayed he is certainly a great judge of that; his pep talk with Megumi is just an example.

His bid to make his students strong is hard to miss. Although, he does choose some unorthodox methods sometimes, like taking Itadori to meet Mt. Fuji.

But one thing he sternly believes in is that his students have the ability to surpass him. He even wants them to surpass him and embody the new world of shamans he is envisioning.

His reasons to get into teaching were tragic like we saw in the Hidden Inventory arc. The experience of his best friend’s downfall made him realize that there was something wrong.

In fact, there was something really, really wrong with the jujutsu system. It was not enough for him to be strong alone; he had to make others strong enough to not cave in.

And what better than revolutionizing the rotten jujutsu system than teaching? He could foster young students into capable shamans.

At least capable enough of seeing what the elders and he himself had missed seeing.

The same goes for Kakashi as a teacher. Kakashi’s first set of teachings went on to form the base of Naruto’s ideals and his ninja style as well.

He was always unpredictable, and that part of him only grew under Kakashi. More importantly, Kakashi taught the value of teamwork as well as comrades to team seven on their very first day.

While Naruto always cared about his comrades, Kakashi’s teachings solidify them even more since he’s someone Naruto looks up to.

Throughout Naruto’s life, he faced numerous hardships, and Kakashi tried his best to help Naruto every time.

The Copy Ninja of Konoha could see Naruto’s potential from day one, and hence, did everything in his capabilities to make sure that the boy could see his own potential and achieve his goals.

Just like Gojo, Kakashi had his reasons to teach invaluable lessons to the new generations. He didn’t want anybody to end up like the White Fang or the “Heartless” Anbu Kakashi.

Kakashi had his way with words as well. He was an expert at handling stressful situations. For the better or worse, he let his student make the most important decisions of their life.

This wasn’t limited to Naruto; it included Sakura and Sasuke as well.

Well, there’s a reason why Kakashi is respected in and out of the Shinobi world. His sensei was a Hokage, he was a Hokage, and his student became one too!

4. Characters

Besides the main characters and senseis, Jujutsu Kaisen and Naruto also have some characters that can be seen as similar to each other. It is time we take them up one by one and see that.

Sasuke & Megumi

The first (ironically) characters we can see being similar from a mile away are the deutaerogonists, Sasuke and Megumi.

Well, you might say they are the “emo” boys of the group, but there is also much more similarity than that between them. For starters, both Megumi and Sasuke come from big reputable clans – Zen’in and Uchiha. In fact, they even went ahead to take over their clans. Naruto fans, are you laughing? We hope you did.

As we discussed before, Sasuke and Megumi are in essence, the rivals of the protagonists. They both are the force that pushes Naruto and Itadori towards not giving up and becoming stronger.

While they seem to use some rash ideas at times, they also serve as the brains of the group. Need an example? We have it for you.

For Megumi, he might have nearly given up his life to use Mahoraga earlier, but later he also figured out Kirara’s technique by himself.

When it comes to the identification of complex techniques like that of Kaguya, who better to rely on than Sasuke?

Talking further, these “emo” boys also share the pain of not having parents, in fact, they both saw their parent(s) die in front of them.

Sasuke’s experience of losing his parents was traumatizing, to say the least. He saw his role model, his elder brother Itachi kill his parents. Furthermore, he was the only Uchiha left after he woke up.

The same applies to Megumi too, although he is yet to open the Pandora Box of Toji Fushiguro. He is still unaware that just like Sasuke, Gojo killed his father. And not to mention that Toji’s suicide at Shibuya.

We were going to make a dark joke, but guess that will get us fired.

So, um, moving on to their powers. Both Sasuke and Megumi are considered as prodigies with their commendable abilities to support their wits.

Moreover, they both also use summons! Sasuke can call forth a hawk and snake, while Megumi is the proud owner of the Ten Shadows shikigami. Megumi and Sasuke did share the snake summon, but Sukuna destroyed that as a show of his powers at the very start.

And if that is not enough, they both also were the objects of interest of some antagonists. Pretty boys, what can we say?

Orochimaru wanted to take over Sasuke’s body because he was a rare prodigy. It seems that Jujutsu Kaisen is following in the same footsteps; Sukuna is awfully interested in Megumi for some unknown reasons.

Wait, did we just solve the puzzle? Very cool.

Geto’s similarity with Madara and Obito

Trauma alert?

Let’s talk about the main antagonists of both Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen. While I do call them the main antagonist, they were manipulated by someone else, which we’ll address later.

For now, let’s focus on Geto, Madara, and Obito instead. Firstly, the major turning point in the lives of all three was a person’s death. For Geto, it was Riko, Izuna for Madara, and Rin for Obito.

After they witnessed this particular death, they simply couldn’t remain the same; they didn’t want the world to be the same if we’re being precise. The major factor why this happened could also be how deeply they, especially Geto and Obito, felt things.

These deaths led them to envision a new world and set untoward goals.

Madara and Obito’s goal was the Infinite Tsukuyomi. This way, they felt like they could finally create a world where people coexisted perfectly; albeit in an illusion. Geto, on the other hand, wanted non-shamans to simply cease to exist, basically genocide.

And all of this was due to a chain of events, with the death of the people mentioned above being the breaking point for the characters.

Secondly, their ways of executing their plans were quite identical too. All three resorted to violence. to realize their ideal world. It seems like they just wanted to press the reset button on this corrupt world and start anew.

Madara and Obito started the 4th Shinobi War and Geto’s Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. As mentioned above, they resorted to such actions after witnessing personal losses and trauma. Hence, they were extremely vulnerable.

While Obito was manipulated by Madara, who was manipulated by Zetsu; Geto was manipulated after his tragic death. The three of them taught us a lot about morally gray ideals, in a way.

With that done, let’s now see how these manipulators are similar as well!

Zetsu & Kenjaku

Wait? These guys? They’re not similar at all! Well, that is what you’d say if you only look at them on the surface. Let’s take you into the details, though.

Starting off with the fact that Zetsu and Kenjaku are both ancient entities in Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen, respectively.

But more than that, both of them are some of the most clever, cruel, and manipulative beings to exist. They make cunning plans that heavily impact the plot, take the Culling Game by Kenjaku for example.

Moreover, their powers are slightly similar too.

While Kenjaku possesses people’s bodies, Zetsu can only do so partially. Zetsu can create an army of mindless zombies, whereas Kenjaku can possess a person and have complete control over them.

The only prerequisite Kenjaku seems to require is a dead or nearly dead person.

Nonetheless, both of them are absolutely crucial to the plot. Currently, Kenjaku is possessing perhaps his best weapon, Geto, to do his bidding. In the past, he also controlled Noritoshi Kamo to create the Death Paintings, making his actions a stain on jujutsu.

Zetsu, on the other hand, manipulated Madara into launching the Infinite Tsukiyomi and stabbed him in the back, revealing his true colors.

Both of these character’s reveals were major turning points in their respective series as well.

Nanami & Jiraiya

Really? Yes! Hear us out!

We do know that the two are polar opposites in terms of their character design and personalities. However, their impact on the story and MCs are very similar.

Both of them are idols for the protagonists and they teach our main characters some really important lessons.

Jiraiya taught the Rasengan to Naruto. He even helped the boy control Kurama to a certain extent and formed his ideology of peace. These lessons eventually led him to accomplish his dream all the while making this world a better place to live in.

As for Nanami, it’s obvious that he truly cared for Itadori. Sure, he looked like a stoic and cold man at first, starkly opposite of Gojo. But we quickly had to change our perception because he was the coolest person around.

He always made sure that Itadori wasn’t overwhelmed unnecessarily, and wanted to let him be in touch with his child self. He even almost sacrificed himself for Itadori without a second thought, as if he was someone very close to him.

It is despairing to know that both these characters are not in the story anymore. Nanami, especially, died a cruel death at the hands of Mahito.

Deaths are a recurring form of “curse” for people in Jujutsu Kaisen, take Grandpadori, Yaga, and Geto for example. Even then, Nanami tried to soften his last words to Itadori to not become a burden.

BRB, getting our tissues.

You can even say that Nanami holds the same fate as Jiraiya. The impact they created on the protagonists is undeniable, and the two also created a possibility of change in the most crucial moments.

While Jiraiya’s words helped Naruto convince Nagato, Nanami’s words let Itadori overcome Mahito. Nanami’s words also gave a reason for Itadori to continue living.

Mahito & Orochimaru

The antagonists you want crushed into dust and revived just to be crushed to dust again. But you also can’t bear to hate them because they are excellent villains.

Orochimaru is the not-so-friendly neighborhood snake, while Mahito strolls around the city’s sewers after hunting for humans like a snake.

The first similarity to cross your mind would be, well… tongues.

Uh, yeah, something’s up with them and their want to taste things like blood. They’re usually pretty nonchalant and creepy, to say the least.

Furthermore, both of them are curious by nature. Orochimaru wants to master every single jutsu that exists and understand everything that one could possibly know about the human body.

On the other hand, Mahito is obsessed with the shape of his soul, in line with his technique. Every fight and every person he kills seems important to him as he’s on a journey of self-exploration.

Both of them have angered the protagonists to the point where even these clowns themselves were intimidated to fight. The only difference is that Mahito’s death also played a very crucial role in the plot.

Maki & Rock Lee

Now, let’s talk about everybody’s favorite side characters! We seriously don’t know a single person who hates characters like Rock Lee and Maki.

Both of them lack something essential in their worlds. Rock Lee can’t knead chakra to use ninjutsu/genjutsu, and Maki can’t use cursed energy or see curses.

As one would expect, both of them were considered failures in their world. Even though the two were constantly mocked and made fun of, they never gave up and struggled to achieve their goals.

Rock Lee went on to master the 8 Gates Technique, which almost killed Juubi Madara; a feat that even the God of Shinobi Hashirama couldn’t achieve.

Maki, on the other hand, singlehandedly annihilated the Zen’in Clan, including the new leader Naoya with ease. But is Noaya dead yet? We think not. However, you could say the awakening of her Heavenly Restriction came at the cost of the life of her twin sister, Mai.

Despite that, these characters’ climaxes left fans satisfied. There is no doubt that Gaara vs Rock Lee and the Zen’in Clan Massacre have become classic moments in the minds of many shounen fans.

Danzo & Gakuganji

Hey, look who we have here! It’s the duo of the most hated old men! Both of these grandpas are as conventional as someone can be, and show almost zero regard for people’s lives.

Their hate for the protagonist is very deep-rooted as well. They either see our beloved protagonists as a tool and/or as a menace to society. Gakunganji went so far ahead to even make his students kill Itadori in the school tournament.

Their conventionality stems from their ego to an extent. Both are fairly arrogant and believe in their elder’s ideologies wholeheartedly. While Danzo despises Hiruzen, he believes in Tobirama’s “ideology”; or at least his take on the Second Hokage’s ideology.

He is one of the main reasons behind the Uchiha massacre, and also managed to dethrone Tsunade.

Similarly, Gakuganji even killed Yaga for so-called treason and the valuable but complex Puppet Manipulation technique. So much for having an electric guitar. Well, Gakunganji is just the poster boy of the conventional higher-ups in Jujutsu Kaisen.

Did that leave a bitter taste in your mouth? If not yet, we have more old men to offer:

Naobito & Raikage

Strong, old, fast men. That is about it, no? Wait, we forgot they are hella conventional as well.

Naobito was the fastest shaman except for Gojo Satoru when he was alive. On the other hand, Raikage was the fastest Kage of his time.

The Raikage’s outlook on the world was quite conventional as well, especially when it comes to Jhinchurikis.

However, he wasn’t opposed to ideas if someone were to prove them properly (if they get the chance to prove it against his lightning-like attacks, that is).

Naobito would probably share his sake with Raikage if he knew about that. That is because Naobito, as the head of the Zen’in clan, cast away not just one, but two shamans with Heavenly Restriction.

Moreover, he fostered a clan (and a child, Naoya) that was the epitome of misogyny and megalomania.

Oh, and both of their name’s first initial is N (the Raikage’s name is just “N” but we’ll let that slide). Can you tell we have run out of ideas yet?

Third Hokage & Itadori’s grandfather

For the last pair, we have some ossans to compare. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen, and Grandpadori look terribly similar. It seems like the Third Hokage died and transmigrated to Jujutsu Kaisen.

Only to die early again. OKAY, he also decided to play a significant role in the other protagonist’s life too.

Both Naruto and Itadori looked up to these old men while they were alive. It is true that Hiruzen’s decisions were not the very best, though. In the same way, Grandpadori also riddled Itadori with a near curse before dying.

So, well, you could say they both kinda cared for the protagonists? We guess.

That was it for the details of different characters that we could think about. Of course, there are many more characters with more similarities that might come to your mind.

But this list perhaps establishes what we had to say. Also, there are a bunch of characters that could be very loosely linked to each other.

We did not find a rationale in connecting every character, so we ignored them for the sake of our sanity simplicity of this article.

5. Mythological and cultural references

Jujutsu Kaisen and Naruto both are stories that find their roots in many mythological and cultural references. It seems that Masashi Kishimoto and Gege Akutami both are fond of incorporating many disciplines in their stories.

Both of these stories have elements of different religions like Hinduism and Buddhism, to begin with.

If we’re talking about Naruto, then the very base of Naruto’s power system is influenced by Mythology!

Firstly, Chakra, the very base of Naruto’s power system, is a concept in Hindu mythology as well. The concept refers to the energy points in a human’s body (just like the eight gates and 64 chakra points).

Secondly, the five basic natures are a concept in both Hinduism and Buddhism.

Mudras in Hinduism and Buddhism are similar to hand seals as well, as both help people to concentrate their energy. While Mudras are mainly used to help one control their breathing and other functions to achieve a higher state of meditations; certain mudras are said to allow one to have the gods fulfill their wish.

I’m pretty sure that everybody knows about Ying and Yang, the Taoist concept of complementary opposites.

Then, we have the Rinnegan’s famed Six Paths of Pain. While these paths are capable of mass destruction in Naruto, they’re the realms where all beings reside. The actions of one’s past life decide which realm they’d end up in.

This is an endless cycle. Quite ironic if you ask me since Nagato was trying to break an endless cycle himself.

Furthermore, Naruto and Sasuke’s fated are tied together by another part of Hindu mythology. In Hindu texts, Asura and Indra are divine beings. While Asuras tend to be evil, there’s no such connection in the Naruto verse.

The Uchihas share a few references here and there as well, as Amaterasu is one of the most well-known Deities, and Lord Shiva had a third eye as well.

Kaguya seal

This eye could turn anything into ash, which loosely ties it to Madara and Kaguya’s third eye.

Even now, we’re barely scratching the surface of mythological references in Naruto! The names of many characters, jutsus, etc., are connected to real-life concepts that you’ve probably never even heard of!

Moving on to Jujutsu Kaisen, the very basis of the story is Buddhism itself. In fact, the story mentions that Tengen spread the teachings of jujutsu much like Buddha.

The shamans, usually called onmyoji, and curses are very real things that are still prevalent in Japan.

The story does not stop at that and has a ton of references to dig up. Even the cursed techniques have the principles of a number of disciplines behind them.

Speaking of which, characters like Sukuna and events like the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons are directly taken from mythology.

Feeling these instances are too ancient? Worry not, because Akutami has you covered. He has used physics laws in the Projection Technique. And astronomy for Love Rendezvous technique.

Even the latest arc of the Culling Games is inspired by a geological phenomenon. Moreover, domain expansion hand signs are taken from Buddhism.

Sometimes, Akutami even draws character arts as metaphors. For example, Gojo’s iconic upside-down panel is borrowed from tarot cards.

Gojo tarot card

And we cannot NOT speak of the pop culture references; we have seen Itadori wanting to shoot a Kamehameha. And Akutami using FMAB and HxH’s art styles in a few chapters was a cherry on the top as well.

There is no doubt that these references make the stories even more enjoyable. Plus, they enrich their readers with knowledge unknowingly.

It also goes to show that the mangaka put incredible effort into writing. We can say that for both the stories, the harder you look, the more interesting references you will find.

If we were to list all those down, this article would probably turn into three articles. And then our editor won’t publish it. So, we will stop here.

6. The shounen formula

On a broad basis, the demographic of both the stories is shounen. Well, we can’t really call that a similarity, but hear us out.

There are some tropes that are classic and loved that shounen stories use even today. Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen have this factor in common without a doubt.

Having already discussed the characters, we established that both of them use those tropes with their characters. So, it is time to look at the plot structure and progression of Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen.

The standard setting of a school with a teacher and students is where it begins. Be it the Ninja Academy from Naruto or Jujutsu High from Jujutsu Kaisen; these places are the origins of much of the plot.

The characters strive to become stronger under mentorship to face an abnormally strong villain later on. This path to growth also includes a training arc of sorts and a showdown between characters.

Teamwork is an important concept for both stories as well. And so is the presence of an indecipherable antagonist.

When we talk about concepts, flashbacks also play an important role in the story. In fact, much of the plot is propelled by strong flashbacks of not just the MCs but also the other characters.

We are pretty sure you see the similarities of tropes now, so we don’t need to go on.

Naruto being a legend, had a significant role in popularizing these tropes, for sure. The Naruto impact is too massive even to measure.

Whilst Jujutsu Kaisen DOES use the same old tropes; it blends some original elements that add flavor to the same.

Take the fates of Naruto and Itadori, for example. While Naruto has kind of a happy ending, Jujutsu Kaisen decided Itadori’s unfortunate fate in the first chapter itself.

Even when we talk about flashbacks, the length and frequency of them in Jujutsu Kaisen are far from those of Naruto.

Hence, in the bigger picture, Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen are not that similar even though they rely on the shounen formula.

7. Hierarchy of ninjas and shamans

Jujutsu Kaisen and Naruto concern shamans and ninjas at the center of the story. They deal with how these shamans and ninjas function in society and the challenges they face.

The ninjas and shamans are undoubtedly strong. But even amongst the sorcerers and ninjas themselves, some reign superior over others.

This difference arises out of the power one wields, combat ability, and battle prowess among other things. Thus, the ninja and jujutsu societies have classifications as per their skills.

The ninjas and shamans get “ranks” assigned to them according to different criteria. This ranking helps one to comprehend the scale of the power difference between characters.

For example, Special Grade shamans can be considered an equivalent of Kage – the highest ranks in both the series. From this top rank, there are several ones below it like Genin & Chunin for Naruto and 1st Grade & 2nd Grade for Jujutsu Kaisen.

The ninjas and shamans can obviously climb their way up this ladder to the extent their capabilities allow them to. So, in a way, the societies of ninjas and shamans have a similar hierarchical structure.

8. The Big Three factor: Clan system

You must already know that both of these series have a clan system. As one would assume, hierarchy exists between these clans as well.

The three main clans in Jujutsu Kaisen are the Zen’in Clan, Kamo Clan, and the Gojo Clan. While the Naruto series has never stated the top 3 clans like Jujutsu Kaisen, it is rather easy to make out which clans reign supreme.

In our opinion, the Uchiha Clan, the Senju/Uzumaki Clan, and the Hyuga Clan reside at the upper echelons of the Naruto world.

We say so because the clans mentioned above hold the most importance in terms of their legacy in the shinobi world, and their direct connection to the godly Otsutsuki Clan. Here, we’re not considering the Otsutsuki Clan since they are celestial beings.

In both of the series, the clans mentioned above hold a lot of political importance and are equally strong. Most small clans believe that they’re better off under these clans, as fighting them would only lead to their annihilation.

While that is true, these three clans are not hostile. At least not on paper. In the current world of both series, laws exist. And all clans have come together to form a society where they can co-exist.

However, as is the running theme in Jujutsu Kaisen, where there are people there are evil deeds.

And these so-called reputable clans are not free of this filth. Some of them are even proud of their vices. But this does not apply to a large extent in Naruto.

If we were to loosely connect these clans, then the Zen’in and Uchiha Clan would be similar. The biggest similarity between the two would be their “end”; as both of the clans here had their people massacred by their own, and that too for a bigger cause.

Senju/Uzumaki Clan and the Gojo Clan are a bit similar since there’s only a handful of known members from both clans, but they hold a lot of importance in the series.

Finally, the Kamo and Hyuga Clan are some of the oldest clans in both of the series. They can hold their own against the other clans and are usually quite conservative in their ways.

9. Power systems

It is time for us to discuss our favorite element from both the series: the power system. On the surface, it does look like they are different (and they are, don’t hold us) but they share some things as well.

The power system is based on cursed energy and Chakras for Jujutsu Kaisen and Naruto respectively.

At the very basic level, both of these elements come from within a person. While cursed energy is the energy from negative emotions, Chakra is a substance that every person in the shinobi world has.

However, unlike Chakras, not every person can tap onto cursed energy that easily. These elements are essential for shamans and ninjas to even build their techniques.

But there are some more common powers from both the series we can take note of. The first commonality can be seen between Reverse Cursed Technique and Medical Ninjutsu.

Reverse Cursed technique is basically the application of boosted negative cursed energy to heal human bodies. Its output is close to positive energy.

On the other hand, Medical Ninjutsu is a branch of Ninjutsu where a ninja can manipulate their own or someone else’s body. At its pinnacle, Medical Ninjutsu can heal massive damages to the body too.

Both Reverse Cursed Technique and Medical Ninjutsu require extreme control over cursed energy and Chakra.

The shamans who can use Reverse Cursed Technique are as rare as they come in the series. But that is not the case with Medical Ninjutsu. Instead, 90% of the people who use it are not as proficient as one would like to think, making it precious.

Next, we have Inherited Techniques and Kekkei Genkai to compare.

Kekkei Genkai essentially are genetically passed-on techniques. These are exclusive to clans and come in many forms. The most common forms are Dojutsus and Nature formations.

And as one can understand from the name, Inherited Techniques in Jujutsu Kaisen are the same. The clans or families have certain techniques (rare or not) that are passed on randomly to generations.

For example. just like Inumaki’s Cursed Speech Technique, the Nara Clan’s shadow possession technique allows the user to control a victim’s body, depending on the user’s strength.

Similarly, The Six Eyes and the Sharingan are passed on techniques that don’t come by occasionally. While the Sharingan is far more common than the Six Eyes, only a few in the history of the Uchiha Clan have ever awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.

So, some of these techniques are Kekkei Genkai are rare and precious, while others are relatively more common.

Lastly, we can trace some similarities between dimensions and domain expansions as well.

Both dimensions and domain expansions are spaces that have some special features, usually helping the one who cast it.

They both are made of Chakra and cursed energy as well, respectively. Moreover, the only way to get out of dimensions and domain expansions is similar too.

For a dimension, one should be able to either overwhelm it or transport oneself. On the other hand, a shaman should summon a stronger domain expansion and beat the earlier domain in a battle.

In fact, dimensions and domain expansions can only be cast by a few people because they need massive Chakra and cursed energy.

10. The concept of Cursed Spirits and Tailed Beasts

Huh? What? Yeah!

Tailed Beasts and Cursed Spirits (especially Special Grade Curses) are organisms formed solely out of energy (Chakra and Cursed Energy respectively).

Hence, they’re unkillable. Well, they do die, but they’re going to come back to life after a certain period of time, as energy can’t be destroyed. Hello there, physics lessons.

Such entities are widely known for their raw strength and hatred towards humankind, making them some of the biggest and scariest threats known to man. You just cannot forget the ravages of the Shibuya Incident in Jujutsu Kaisen.

While they’re similar in ways, they’re equally dissimilar.

The Tailed-Beasts were created by a celestial being known as Hagoromo. He initially created them out of the Ten Tailed Beast and hoped that they and the humans would live together in harmony.

However, this isn’t the case for Cursed Spirits. Curses only exist due to a human’s negative emotions and hence are completely evil.

While they have shown other feelings like brotherhood, it only extends to their fellow curses and flora & fauna, not humans.

Furthermore, the Tailed Beasts can only be compared to Special Grade Curses like Sukuna, its finger bearers, Jogo, Hanami, Mahito, etc. since the beasts in Naruto are fixed in number.

Even in these, the Ten-Tails and Sukuna are the cruelest of all. They have zero regard for any form of life and do as they please. We are pretty sure you can correlate their infamy at this point.

Well, that was all we could think about the similarities between Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen. Let us go rest our brains now after this long article. And take a week’s leave, we suppose.

Did you also think of these common things? Or do you have something else you want to share? The comments section is waiting for your opinion!

Related posts

1 thought on “10 Similarities Between Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen Explored In Depth”

Leave a Comment