Anime is no stranger to overpowered characters. Some shows even make it the core premise of the story, such as ‘One Punch Man’. Most shounen have at least one character that’s blatantly stronger than everyone else, be it a final boss or an unstoppable hero, such as Madara Uchiha in ‘Naruto’ or Yoriichi in ‘Demon Slayer’.
Recently, one particular character has managed to capture the limelight not just in his series, but the larger anime landscape as a whole. One who has quickly taken a place among the most beloved OP anime characters of all time. All in the span of two seasons and a movie.
I am of course referring to Jujutsu Kaisen’s master of infinity: Gojo Satoru. But what is it about Gojo that makes him so popular? Is it his all-seeing eyes that make fangirls and fanboys alike drop their pants? His excellent character design that more or less does the same thing? His awesome, flashy powers? Or do people just like to see bad guys getting absolutely demolished by a sassy man-child? Let’s have a look and find out!
Calling Gojo a powerhouse is an understatement in every sense of the word. He is the strongest character around and he knows it. Cocky, childish, and rude, he doesn’t just set out to defeat his enemies, but to utterly humiliate them. Why? Because he can and he thinks it’s funny. As such, every fight with Gojo involved is bound to be ultra-flashy and entertaining. For god’s sake, in his first ever fight in the series, he sits on Sukuna! Dude turned the deadliest Curse in the whole series into a chair just to show off!
But when he stops joking and takes the fight seriously? Holy hell, things get wild!
Every other character in the series knows how absurdly strong he is. As such, large chunks of the early arcs circle around him. Surrounded by powerful enemies? Our heroes have one goal: survive long enough for Gojo Satoru to arrive. Bad guys want to kill all the normal people in the world? Need to come up with an elaborate plan to get Gojo Satoru out of the way first. He’s so absurdly powerful that when he does something completely impossible, the only explanation anyone needs is, and I quote: “Because he’s Gojo Satoru.”
Very few things can stand toe-to-toe with Gojo in a fight. Which makes it all the more incredible and intense when something that can reels its head. Toji was already an incredible antagonist on his own right, but when he actually managed to defeat Gojo in their first brawl, he shot up the ranks to become one of the series’ most dangerous and memorable enemies! Half the reason Sukuna is such an incredible villain is that everyone agrees he’s the one thing that could actually stand toe-to-toe with Gojo! Satoru may be a god walking the earth, but that only forces his enemies to become stronger and more cunning still to overcome him.
As I said earlier, Gojo knows he’s at the center of the plot. He knows that all the good guys rely on him like a crutch and all the bad guys are focused solely on him. And he’s aware of something so much more important. Something no one else is willing to admit: he isn’t invincible.
Despite his incredible power, Gojo is no stranger to failure. Toji outsmarted him, thus nearly killing him. He failed to protect the girl he promised to keep safe, a girl who had basically become his kid sister. His strength drove Geto away, depriving him of his closest friend and creating his most dangerous enemy. He knows all too well that sooner or later, in one way or another, he’ll be defeated for good. And when he does, something far more terrible and dangerous than him will be left to do whatever it likes.
So he became a teacher.
Remember: all the villains are focused solely on Gojo. Every single bad guy in the series has underestimated the rest of the cast. In their eyes, Gojo Satoru is the only enemy worth their attention. They’re shocked when characters like Itadori, Fushigoro, Maki, and all the rest manage to get the better of them. They’re so busy worrying about the world-ending nuke that they forget guns exist.
But Gojo doesn’t ever underestimate his students. He fully believes they can be just as strong as he is, if not stronger. As such, he pushes them hard and far. He drives Fushigoro to break his limits, pushes Yuta to monstrous heights, and guides Itadori to ensure Sukuna’s Vessel will be strong enough to overcome the demon within. If him alone being strong wasn’t enough, then he’d just help those around him to keep up.
His voice certainly helps his charisma. Yuichi Nakamura provides his Japanese voice, and I can’t think of a better casting. The dude perfectly balances sassy childish Gojo, cocky bastard Gojo, and back-against-the-wall enraged Gojo. In English, he’s voiced by Kaiji Tang and… I haven’t seen the show dubbed at all, so I have no two-cents to throw here. But I’ll give the benefit of the doubt and say he’s really good probably!
Gojo Satoru really checks all the boxes. A great design, cool powers, a perfect voice, and depth of character befitting someone with eyes like his. It’s no wonder why he so quickly became a fan favorite. In every sense, he is an overpowered character done right.
Small wonder that manga fans got so upset over REDACTED FOR SPOILERS. But those guys get angry over just about everything, so I’m sure it’s actually fine. Right?
Anyways, I’m talkin’ about Sukuna next week, so I’ll see y”all then!
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