Ok, with the World Trigger reboot announced and the possibility of it drawing more people into this fandom; I have some concerns.
Mainly: Gojo fans.
Before you get mad, hear me out, and I’ve discussed this with @xvxblahhhxvx , Gojo fans like to assume that since “Gojo is the greatest, he came first and every other character that even remotely shares a character trait is a copy of the Chosen One.” That’s all great and good and everyone is entitled to their opinion however close minded it is BUT—
Yuichi Nakamura voices Jin Yuichi.
Who else does Yuichi Nakamura voice? You guessed it!
Gojo Satoru.
Now, in my (professional) opinion, the similarities between these two characters end there.
And I’m actually concerned because I can already see people comparing Jin to Gojo once the reboot comes out.
They’re going to be like: “Oh look, it’s another Gojo wannabe!”
NO.
World Trigger started serialization in 2013. Jujutsu Kaisen started in 2018. Jin Yuichi existed for FIVE YEARS before Gojo Satoru entered the manga world.
We cannot be doing this.
And even ignoring the timeline, Jin and Gojo are fundamentally different characters. They have different personalities, different relationships with the people around them, different motivations, and completely different roles within their respective stories.
Jin can’t even really be considered a mentor figure. Yeah, he’s the one who technically “recruits” Osamu, and yeah, he sorta takes Yūma under his wing, BUT he’s much more of an older-brother figure than a mentor.
He doesn’t really train them in the traditional sense. He’s not standing over Osamu giving him lectures about becoming stronger or personally teaching Yūma how to fight. Half the time, Jin is just… there. Watching. Interfering when necessary. Giving them information when he feels like it. Casually manipulating events because his Side Effect told him something was going to happen.
He’s less “master who guides the next generation” and more “older brother who somehow knows exactly what you’re about to do and has decided to let you figure it out yourself.”
Kazama is more of a mentor figure than Jin is.
Jin is that weird, elusive guy who somehow exists MAJORLY within the story while simultaneously being someone we know remarkably little about. He appears, causes problems, gives people cryptic information, smiles like he knows something everyone else doesn’t, and then disappears back into the narrative fog.
And we love him dearly for it.
He isn’t “the overpowered mentor who teaches the protagonist how to be cool.”
He’s the mysterious bastard who already knows how the story is going to go and refuses to explain himself.
And I JUST KNOW some people are going to watch the reboot and go:
“Wait, why is this guy so strong?”
“He’s funny.”
“He’s kind of an asshole.”
“He’s mysterious.”
“HE’S VOICED BY YUICHI NAKAMURA.”
“THEY COPIED GOJO AGAIN.”
PLEASE.
The fact that Yuichi Nakamura voices both of them is literally the strongest connection these two characters have.
And frankly, considering how many characters voiced by Nakamura have already been accused of “copying Gojo,” I fear we are about to have this conversation AGAIN.
At some point, we need to accept that not every attractive, powerful, sarcastic, mysterious man voiced by Yuichi Nakamura is secretly Gojo Satoru in disguise.
Sometimes a character is just…a completely different character.
And if we’re going to start accusing every character who vaguely resembles Gojo of being a Gojo copy, we’re going to have to start asking some very uncomfortable questions about where Gege got HIS inspiration from. cough Quifrey. cough Dazai. cough Kakashi. cough cough
But I digress.
My point is: when the reboot comes out, PLEASE let Jin Yuichi be Jin Yuichi. He is a very important character with a lot of depth. Don’t reduce him to “Gojo but in World Trigger” because you watched JJK first.
And PLEASE do not start acting like Ashihara somehow went back in time, watched Jujutsu Kaisen, and decided to steal Gojo five years before Gojo existed.
Because I cannot emphasize this enough: THE TIMELINE DOES NOT SUPPORT THE ALLEGATION.
Thank you for attending my completely unnecessary but extremely important TED Talk.
