Although the Jujutsu Kaisen anime is known for following its source material fairly closely, it changes several aspects when it comes to its protagonist Yuji Itadori, especially in terms of his grandfather’s death. Being completely divergent mediums, the manga and anime understandably have several key differentiators, the majority of which manifest in the form of trimmed plotlines and altered character details. In terms of Itadori’s eventual evolution into a jujutsu sorcerer, his grandfather’s death has a whole lot more emotional weight in the anime as opposed to the manga.
Both in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga and anime, Yuji begins the series with his grandfather being his only living relative, leading to the assumption that his parents are dead. A glimpse into the history of Itadori’s parents is granted by series creator Gege Akutami in Chapter 143 of the manga, which also features an eerie reveal about Yuji’s mother. Complex backstory aside, it is safe to state that Yuji grew up pretty much alone, relying heavily upon his grandfather, Wasuke Itadori, for comfort and emotional support.
The two share an endearing relationship and clearly care about one another deeply, a sentiment which is heart-wrenchingly highlighted during Wasuke’s final moments. Needless to say, Wasuke’s final words have an incredible impact on Yuji, who essentially embodies the instinct to help as many people out during his lifetime. This essentially manifests in his selfless decision to ingest Sukuna’s cursed finger in an attempt to save Megumi’s life. While the manga also touches upon how affected Yuji is by Wasuke’s death, the anime brings this to life with great nuance, capturing Yuji in his moments of utter grief, mourning the death of a dear loved one. This not only adds more layers to Yuji’s development as a protagonist but also manages to portray a more authentic version of events, given the somber nature of the scenario.
Moreover, the manga portrays the effects of Wasuke’s death in a very matter-of-fact manner, wherein Yuji’s life takes a turn for the worse after losing the only remaining family he has. While Yuji is definitely shaken, he does not spend much time processing his grief or reacting to it. In contrast, the anime spends quite a bit of time paying respects to Wasuke’s memory, highlighting the bond that he shared with his grandson. Episode 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen shows a grieving Yuji in the crematorium, wherein he picks his grandfather’s bones out of a pile of his ashes. As the manga does not feature this scene at all, the anime does a beautiful job of bringing this aspect of Yuji to life.
In essence, Wasuke Itadori’s death brings out a gut-level change in Yuji’s priorities in life, prime among them being the need to protect others and not live out a meaningless existence. This is reflected in Yuji’s readiness to face death after Gojo reveals that he is expected to absorb all of Sukuna’s fingers in order to defeat him for good, a process that will lead to his inevitable death. Despite being aware of this, Yuji lives life with a smile on his face, plunging selflessly into the heart of danger in order to rid the world of curses. While the end of Itadori’s arc in Jujutsu Kaisen is still in development, it will be interesting to see what lies ahead for everyone’s beloved pink-haired jujutsu sorcerer.