The anime series adaptation of Jujutsu Kaisen has been one of the recent breakout successes for the medium, leaving many fans to wonder whether a video game adaptation is also in the works. The Jujutsu Kaisen manga was published originally in Shōnen Jump, and many other popular franchises from the publication, like Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, and One Piece, have spawned multiple video games. Currently, the only officially announced Jujutsu Kaisen game is a mobile title. Given the track record of other similar series receiving adaptations, it may only be a matter of time until a console game is announced as well.
Jujutsu Kaisen takes place in the modern world, where a secret battle takes place between Curses, embodiments of the negative emotions of humans, and Jujutsu Sorcerers, humans who have learned how to channel the Cursed Energy they produce into supernatural powers. The protagonist of the series is the athletic high-schooler Yuji Itadori, whose promise to his dying grandfather compels him to stand up for others and live a life where he will “die surrounded by others.” Circumstances cause Yuji to eat the finger of Ryomen Sukuna, a legendary Curse, which unlocks Yuji’s potential as a Jujutsu Sorcerer but also places him under a death sentence of sorts.
The society of Jujutsu Sorcerers agrees to spare Yuji long enough that he can consume all the fingers of Sukuna, each of which contains a portion of the Curse’s power - similar to the body parts of the lich Vecna in Dungeons & Dragons lore. Once he has collected them all, the society plans to kill Yuji, thereby also eliminating Sukuna once and for all. Yuji and Sukuna exist in a symbiotic relationship, much like that of Eddie Brock and Venom from Marvel comics, where Yuji and others often bargain and goad Sukuna into lending his power to fight against other Curses, while Yuji struggles to maintain control of his body at other points.
A Mobile Jujutsu Kaisen Game Is Scheduled For Japanese Release
Jujutsu Kaisen follows some classic beats of many other Shōnen series, introducing an interesting cast of allied Jujutsu Sorcerers, enemy Curses, and corrupt Sorcerers. There are a lot of potential ways a Jujutsu Kaisen game could be handled, but the only official video game in development is Jujutsu Kaisen: Phantom Parade, which, according to Anime News Network, is a mobile RPG from Suzmap scheduled for release in Japan. The developer’s prior works include a mobile adaptation of the anime and manga series KonoSuba, which is planned for a US release. Given the popularity of Jujutsu Kaisen, it is reasonable to expect Phantom Parade may also be localized for English app stores at some point.
The mobile game appears to be structured as a free-to-play game with microtransactions, likely following the gacha model of many mobile RPGs. If Jujutsu Kaisen’s popularity continues to build, there is more likelihood of a console game in the future. Other Shōnen Jump series have been adapted as arena fighters, which is a common trend for anime-based titles at present. Some have received the musou large scale 3D brawler treatment, with series like One Piece: Pirate Warriors. The Dragon Ball Z series has had a variety of game adaptations over the years, and recent ones include the action-RPG Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot and the 2D fighting game Dragon Ball FighterZ.
Any of these genres could theoretically apply to a future Jujutsu Kaisen game. Anime-based videogames tend to either retell the events of the series or delve into non-canonical side stories that do not impact the central plot, so a Jujutsu Kaisen game that includes a series of original Curse investigations, perhaps alongside retelling the series’ central conflicts to date, could offer more surprises for series fans and set it apart from the sometimes cut-and-paste nature of recent arena fighter anime games. Given the series’ focus on investigating Curses as much as battling them, an RPG with a similar structure to the Persona series might make a compelling game, as could a 3D open-world game with both combat and detective adventure mechanics, like the Yakuza spin-off Judgment. At this point, the possibilities are endless.
Source: Anime News Network