I really enjoy these deep dives of yours! This newsletter reminded me of a quote attributed to Shakespeare about how he had to kill Mercutio in the third act to avoid being killed by him (spoilers for Romeo and Juliet, I guess? Lol). I haven’t written too many pieces with an ensemble cast, but I tend to spend the most time with whichever character has the strongest arc or the most influence over other characters’ arcs. 😄
So glad you enjoy them--thanks for reading! And that's a really good reference point re: Romeo & Juliet. It absolutely feels similar here with Gojo and Sukuna.
I've only watched the JJK anime (but I'm up-to-date on the manga spoilers because, you know, the internet exists) and I LOVE Gojo. JJK is full of great characters, but Gojo is a major scene stealer, and not just because he's so overpowered. I think you explained the contradictions of his character really well and that's what makes him so compelling. He's an unhinged, cocky little git but he's ultimately on the side of good and clearly cares about his students, and he really helps them grow, even if his methods are a bit unconventional and they all think he's a a bit of an idiot.
A character like Gojo taking over the story is quite a common problem I think. Chuuya Nakahara in Bungo Stray Dogs is similar to some extent (though he never takes over the narrative... but totally could) as he's massively overpowered too, which is probably why he's kept out of the main plot quite a lot. He's also a massive fan favourite, even though he rarely appears in the story, because, when he does rock up, he makes a huge impact. One of the biggest risks with writing is accidentally making your secondary characters more interesting, fun and compelling than your primary characters. I try to treat all my characters as equals (they're the protagonists of their own personal stories) even if they're not all equally important to the plot of the one I'm telling. Every character should feel like they have layers to them (which is something I think JJK does pretty well actually... maybe too well in Gojo's case?... even some of the 'bad guys' are likeable and sympathetic to a degree, like Jogo and Hanami... or maybe that's just me??). Sometimes l find it helps to treat my MCs as side characters so that I don't start to take them too seriously and remember to have fun with them: I don't give them all the witty lines, they don't win every point and they don't solve every problem or have all the good ideas. Some characters always end up more fun to write than others though... usually the ones who are complete arseholes or who have crappy personalities, or who have contentious dynamics with other characters... I kind of love writing those ones the most. And I think if a character is fun to write they're usually fun to read.
This became more of an essay than a comment... sorry about that! Love this publication, by the way! Always look forward to your posts.
You bring up a ton of good points here, things that expand even further on this Gojo theory. You're spot on with him being a scene stealer. It's such a blessing and a curse to have those kinds of characters because yeah, the minute they enter, it's all eyes on them. And I think that's an important distinction, because JJK being too reliant on Gojo does have two fronts. The first is just the fact that he's more entertaining than anyone else, the second is how important he is to the structure of the story. Conceivably they could have done just fine with just one or the other, but since Gojo is both, that's the issue. Completely agree about Togo and Hanami too. I was surprised how much I liked Jogo. Mahito too, he's straight up despicable, but he has a reason to be, and that's all that matters.
I will say, I really like Yuji, a lot. He's not a conventional main character, granted, but I also feel like they really lost track of him and his arc. He might as well not even be there at this point. And that was part of the issue with Gojo disappearing is Gojo was the vessel required to help Yuji grow. Which made quite the conundrum.
Oh, and Chuuya! It's so weird, I want to love Bungo Stray Dogs, I've tried so many times, both reading and watching, but I just can't get into it. I am very cognizant of Chuuya though, which must mean he's made an impression.
I always welcome essay comments, so never apologize! I write these to be a discussion, and part of having discussions is it can't be just me, lol. Thanks so much for reading, and for the kind words!
Oh yeah, I totally agree with you on Yuji. I really like his character. He starts off as an outsider to the JJK world, who no one expects much from, so he's a great vehicle for the audience to learn through about curses and sorcerers etc. And he's also just really likeable as an MC, partly because he's NOT the strongest or the prophesied chosen one. Gojo was the only person to see any potential in him and encourage his growth, so removing Gojo from the picture seems to have stalled Yuji's character arc, which is a real shame. I feel like more attention is given to other characters and the balance is a bit off. Yuji is the one who we start the story with so he's really the one we want to stick close to as the plot unfolds.
I really hope the ending of the JJK story rectifies some of that imbalance because it had such an incredible start and there's so much to love about it.
I'm watching the Windbreaker anime too and absolutely loving that, so I've been enjoying your posts on the manga.
Interestingly, and I wrote about this earlier too, Akutami also hates Yuji, but I think he hates him in a different way than he hates Gojo. I think he just genuinely doesn't like Gojo, which is super weird, but he didn't like Yuji because he didn't know what to do with him. I find it so funny that his two best character arcs are characters he doesn't like/hates. Especially lately in the manga, Yuji might as well not exist, and it's really sad. He completely tapered off the moment Gojo left the story.
There also doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to what characters stick around and which ones don't. I think that really helps with being unpredictable, but it also leaves the story in dire straits when it actually needs to move forward.
I'm dubious about JJK's ability to land the plane for the ending... I hate to say it. It was my favorite manga and anime for so long, but I just don't have faith in it anymore.
Wind Breaker though! Now that one is only getting better and better. The anime is tremendous, it makes the manga even better. You're in good hands there. I have another piece about it coming out in two weeks.
That's so weird, I didn't know Akutami felt that way about Yuji. Seems like a big mistep to not know what you want to do with your MC... like, aren't they the MC for a reason? I guess it depends on what drives you as a writer though... plot or concept or character? I'm so sad about Gojo's arc. It's such a waste that it hurts my poor little writer's heart. I guess this is why people turn to fan fiction... to fix the stories that don't go the way they hoped they would!
Good to know that Windbreaker delivers! Looking forward to the next post on it.
Yeah knowing that he hated both Yuji AND Gojo sent me on a spiral to find out if other creators had hated their best characters, and it's pretty rare, but Sir Arthur Conan Doyle hated Sherlock Holmes, but for a much different reason. If you're at all interested: https://mangacraft.substack.com/p/jujutsu-kaisen-main-character-mixed
I'm sad about Gojo's arc, but I'm still in awe of how great a character he is/was. And in a sense, having that arc completed (at least I think it's completed) let's me rest easy knowing that I can see the fullness of his character, and it's still really good.
I really enjoy these deep dives of yours! This newsletter reminded me of a quote attributed to Shakespeare about how he had to kill Mercutio in the third act to avoid being killed by him (spoilers for Romeo and Juliet, I guess? Lol). I haven’t written too many pieces with an ensemble cast, but I tend to spend the most time with whichever character has the strongest arc or the most influence over other characters’ arcs. 😄
So glad you enjoy them--thanks for reading! And that's a really good reference point re: Romeo & Juliet. It absolutely feels similar here with Gojo and Sukuna.
I've only watched the JJK anime (but I'm up-to-date on the manga spoilers because, you know, the internet exists) and I LOVE Gojo. JJK is full of great characters, but Gojo is a major scene stealer, and not just because he's so overpowered. I think you explained the contradictions of his character really well and that's what makes him so compelling. He's an unhinged, cocky little git but he's ultimately on the side of good and clearly cares about his students, and he really helps them grow, even if his methods are a bit unconventional and they all think he's a a bit of an idiot.
A character like Gojo taking over the story is quite a common problem I think. Chuuya Nakahara in Bungo Stray Dogs is similar to some extent (though he never takes over the narrative... but totally could) as he's massively overpowered too, which is probably why he's kept out of the main plot quite a lot. He's also a massive fan favourite, even though he rarely appears in the story, because, when he does rock up, he makes a huge impact. One of the biggest risks with writing is accidentally making your secondary characters more interesting, fun and compelling than your primary characters. I try to treat all my characters as equals (they're the protagonists of their own personal stories) even if they're not all equally important to the plot of the one I'm telling. Every character should feel like they have layers to them (which is something I think JJK does pretty well actually... maybe too well in Gojo's case?... even some of the 'bad guys' are likeable and sympathetic to a degree, like Jogo and Hanami... or maybe that's just me??). Sometimes l find it helps to treat my MCs as side characters so that I don't start to take them too seriously and remember to have fun with them: I don't give them all the witty lines, they don't win every point and they don't solve every problem or have all the good ideas. Some characters always end up more fun to write than others though... usually the ones who are complete arseholes or who have crappy personalities, or who have contentious dynamics with other characters... I kind of love writing those ones the most. And I think if a character is fun to write they're usually fun to read.
This became more of an essay than a comment... sorry about that! Love this publication, by the way! Always look forward to your posts.
You bring up a ton of good points here, things that expand even further on this Gojo theory. You're spot on with him being a scene stealer. It's such a blessing and a curse to have those kinds of characters because yeah, the minute they enter, it's all eyes on them. And I think that's an important distinction, because JJK being too reliant on Gojo does have two fronts. The first is just the fact that he's more entertaining than anyone else, the second is how important he is to the structure of the story. Conceivably they could have done just fine with just one or the other, but since Gojo is both, that's the issue. Completely agree about Togo and Hanami too. I was surprised how much I liked Jogo. Mahito too, he's straight up despicable, but he has a reason to be, and that's all that matters.
I will say, I really like Yuji, a lot. He's not a conventional main character, granted, but I also feel like they really lost track of him and his arc. He might as well not even be there at this point. And that was part of the issue with Gojo disappearing is Gojo was the vessel required to help Yuji grow. Which made quite the conundrum.
Oh, and Chuuya! It's so weird, I want to love Bungo Stray Dogs, I've tried so many times, both reading and watching, but I just can't get into it. I am very cognizant of Chuuya though, which must mean he's made an impression.
I always welcome essay comments, so never apologize! I write these to be a discussion, and part of having discussions is it can't be just me, lol. Thanks so much for reading, and for the kind words!
Oh yeah, I totally agree with you on Yuji. I really like his character. He starts off as an outsider to the JJK world, who no one expects much from, so he's a great vehicle for the audience to learn through about curses and sorcerers etc. And he's also just really likeable as an MC, partly because he's NOT the strongest or the prophesied chosen one. Gojo was the only person to see any potential in him and encourage his growth, so removing Gojo from the picture seems to have stalled Yuji's character arc, which is a real shame. I feel like more attention is given to other characters and the balance is a bit off. Yuji is the one who we start the story with so he's really the one we want to stick close to as the plot unfolds.
I really hope the ending of the JJK story rectifies some of that imbalance because it had such an incredible start and there's so much to love about it.
I'm watching the Windbreaker anime too and absolutely loving that, so I've been enjoying your posts on the manga.
Interestingly, and I wrote about this earlier too, Akutami also hates Yuji, but I think he hates him in a different way than he hates Gojo. I think he just genuinely doesn't like Gojo, which is super weird, but he didn't like Yuji because he didn't know what to do with him. I find it so funny that his two best character arcs are characters he doesn't like/hates. Especially lately in the manga, Yuji might as well not exist, and it's really sad. He completely tapered off the moment Gojo left the story.
There also doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to what characters stick around and which ones don't. I think that really helps with being unpredictable, but it also leaves the story in dire straits when it actually needs to move forward.
I'm dubious about JJK's ability to land the plane for the ending... I hate to say it. It was my favorite manga and anime for so long, but I just don't have faith in it anymore.
Wind Breaker though! Now that one is only getting better and better. The anime is tremendous, it makes the manga even better. You're in good hands there. I have another piece about it coming out in two weeks.
That's so weird, I didn't know Akutami felt that way about Yuji. Seems like a big mistep to not know what you want to do with your MC... like, aren't they the MC for a reason? I guess it depends on what drives you as a writer though... plot or concept or character? I'm so sad about Gojo's arc. It's such a waste that it hurts my poor little writer's heart. I guess this is why people turn to fan fiction... to fix the stories that don't go the way they hoped they would!
Good to know that Windbreaker delivers! Looking forward to the next post on it.
Yeah knowing that he hated both Yuji AND Gojo sent me on a spiral to find out if other creators had hated their best characters, and it's pretty rare, but Sir Arthur Conan Doyle hated Sherlock Holmes, but for a much different reason. If you're at all interested: https://mangacraft.substack.com/p/jujutsu-kaisen-main-character-mixed
I'm sad about Gojo's arc, but I'm still in awe of how great a character he is/was. And in a sense, having that arc completed (at least I think it's completed) let's me rest easy knowing that I can see the fullness of his character, and it's still really good.