Gojo Satoru's reputation precedes him in the anime fandom, signified by the fact that he has always dominated Jujutsu Kaisen character popularity polls by a landslide. It is unanimous, everyone loves Gojo - except for Jujutsu Kaisen's creator, Gege Akutami, that is.

Gege Akutami has not been shy about expressing his disdain for his series' most famed hero, but counterintuitively, Gege's hatred for Gojo has actually served his character well. He has often treated Gojo poorly in the context of Jujutsu Kaisen's story, banishing him to the Prison Realm in the Shibuya Incident Arc and even later killing him entirely, but these actions motivated by his dislike of the hero have only made him a better character.

Gojo Fits the Overpowered Hero Trope to a Tee

As Aspirational as Gojo May Be, an Indestructible Hero Poses a Problem From a Story Perspective

Saitama from One Punch Man, Dio Brando from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and finally, Gojo Satoru from Jujutsu Kaisen, are all examples of a common anime trope: the overpowered hero. These characters are almost invincible and able to defeat any enemy they encounter with ease. The major drawback to this archetype is that these heroes are so unstoppable that they never face substantial threats, and thus, their stories sometimes become boring because there is no element of challenge for them. If a character is the strongest in their universe, what else is left for them to overcome?

Gojo Satoru faces this same dilemma, and in Jujutsu Kaisen, he is even nicknamed "the strongest." Since he is so above every other character in of his physical abilities and powers, his constant presence in the story also poses a problem: no one else can possibly steal his spotlight, since he is the best. This is where Gege Akutami's hatred for Gojo actually becomes a benefit, rather than a disadvantage. Because his creator often diminished Gojo's role in the story, whether that was out of genuine dislike for him or not, other Jujutsu Kaisen characters were actually able to take a starring role.

Gojo Was Sealed Away For 131 Chapters of Jujutsu Kaisen

To Add Insult to Injury, After Escaping From the Prison Realm for Only 16 Chapters, Gojo Died and Didn't Return

In the Shibuya Incident arc of Jujutsu Kaisen, the villain Kenjaku hatched a plan to allow Cursed Spirits to rule over Japan. An integral component in his scheme was trapping the strongest sorcerer, since he assumed Gojo was the only person who would stand a chance against him. By luring Gojo in with an attack on innocent civilians and catching him off guard by using his former best friend Geto's body as a vessel, Kenjaku accomplished his aim and Gojo was locked away in the Prison Realm from chapter 90 to 221 of the manga, a whopping 131 chapters in total.

While Gojo was trapped, he was absent in the story and only referenced a handful of times. When he was finally set free from his captivity many months later, fans' excitement at seeing their favorite hero again was quickly destroyed by an even more unexpected occurrence: Gojo's death. In chapter 236, only 16 chapters after being unsealed, Gojo was killed by the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna. His body was cleaved in two, and although a portion of the fandom remained optimistic that he would be revived, Gege Akutami quickly made it clear that that favorable outcome was not in the cards.

Gojo's Absence in the Shibuya Incident Arc Was Actually an Advantage

Gege's Hatred of Gojo Paved the Way For Other Characters to Succeed

Had Gojo been Jujutsu Kaisen's main character, Akutami would never have had the opportunity to make such drastic choices when writing for him. Although he hypothetically could have removed Gojo from the story temporarily, like he did in the Shibuya Incident arc if he was the protagonist, it would have been more difficult to omit a main character from an anime for over one hundred chapters. Since Yuji Itadori is the protagonist instead, Akutami could essentially treat Gojo however he wanted to, since although he is the strongest, he is also a side character.

In Gojo's absence, the other Jujutsu Kaisen characters were forced to improve at a rapid rate since society's greatest protector was temporarily out of commission. Every other character, but particularly Yuji, grew stronger and more confident, since they had no choice but to take on villains alone, without leaning on Gojo's overwhelming might as a crutch. At first, all hope seemed lost without Gojo, but Yuji's advancement surprised everyone. When Gojo died, he ed the torch down to Yuji so he could finish what his mentor started, and it is precisely Gojo's removal from Jujutsu Kaisen that allowed Yuji to eventually conquer Sukuna.

Gojo Did Not Just Die Because Gege Hates Him, His Death Was Sadly Necessary

In Gojo’s Absence, Yuji Rose to New Heights of Accomplishment and Honored His Mentor's Legacy

It is extremely difficult to pull off the overpowered hero anime trope well, but because of his disdain for Gojo, Gege managed to do just that in Jujutsu Kaisen. There is some speculation that Gege's hatred of Gojo is just an exaggerated joke, but whether his loathing of the character is authentic or not, the fact remains that characters as tough to defeat as Gojo are the most difficult to write. The core of Gege's dislike of the strongest sorcerer is likely because he is so hard to incorporate into the story without overshadowing everyone else, but the Shibuya Incident and Gojo's death were excellent workarounds to this problem.

Gojo's impact on not just Jujutsu Kaisen, but anime culture as a whole, is remarkable. Eliminating him from the story so suddenly and completely was not just Gege Akutami's way of expressing his dislike for a character the entire fandom adores, it was an intentional decision that forced Yuji to improve in every way. Although there is still discourse surrounding whether Gojo should have been revived after his death, or let out of the Prison Realm sooner, his absence was unfortunately needed to elevate other characters and to raise the stakes of Jujutsu Kaisen, setting a high standard for Yuji to live up to.