Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Release Date, Cast, Trailer, Plot And More Details
It often takes a long time for a fan-favorite manga to be adapted into an anime series or movie. For "Jujutsu Kaisen," that was not the case — only a year and a half after the manga started being published, an anime adaptation was announced. Debuting in "Weekly Shonen Jump" in March 2018, Gege Akutami's "Jujutsu Kaisen" is a dark fantasy story set in a world where "Curses," or evil spirits, run rampant, and people train as sorcerers to be able to defeat them. The series focuses on a teenage boy named Yuji Itadori who saves his friends by eating a Cursed object, becoming the host of a Curse called Sukuna.
The first season of "Jujutsu Kaisen" was very well-received. It currently holds an 8.5 rating on IMDb and it remains highly popular on My Anime List, with an impressive score of 8.65. Fans fell in love with the world building, the high-tempo action sequences, and the nuanced, realistic characters — especially the female ones. Although "Jujutsu Kaisen" is a shonen, a genre that has often been criticized for the way it portrays women, the "story lets [its female characters] disagree, and fight for their perspectives and their place," said Polygon. The young franchise has already made a big impact on the world of anime, and the second season is helping to cement the show's place at the top of the anime tree.
When will Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 be released?
Fans of "Jujutsu Kaisen" had to endure a long wait for a second season of the anime. Season 1 debuted on October 3, 2020 and it became a word of mouth smash over the next few months. By the time the final episode of Season 1 aired on March 27, 2021, "Jujutsu Kaisen" was the talk of the anime world.
A second season was never really in doubt — the first one ended with a "to be continued" tag, and the fact that Season 1 was such a runaway hit meant that a follow-up season was a sure thing. News that Season 2 was in development broke in 2022, but the announcement didn't include an actual release date, only confirming that it was penciled in for 2023. It wasn't until the AnimeJapan 2023 event in Tokyo (which took place almost two years to the day from the last episode of Season 1) that fans learned the release date of Season 2: July 6, 2023 in Japan.
It was confirmed that Season 2 would be released in two cours, to air consecutively but with a small break in between the two parts. "The 'Hidden Inventory/Premature Death' arc will air from July 6 through August 3, and then the show will air two compilation episodes on August 10 and 17," Anime News Network reported. "There will be no new episode on August 24, and then the 'Shibuya Incident' arc will start on August 31." Thankfully, fans in the United States didn't have to wait ages for Season 2 — Crunchyroll began streaming it in North America (as well as Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, and CIS) with English subtitles on July 6.
What is the plot of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2?
The first season of "Jujutsu Kaisen" primarily pulls from four arcs of Gege Akutami's manga: "Fearsome Womb," "Vs. Mahito," "Kyoto Goodwill Event," and "Death Painting." The second season won't cover as many, though one of the arcs that it's based on is considerably longer than the rest. Per an announcement on the official "Jujutsu Kaisen" website, Season 2 adapts two manga arcs: "Gojo's Past" and "Shibuya Incident."
Featuring two mini-arcs that are referred to as "Hidden Inventory" and "Premature Death," the "Gojo's Past" arc is about — you guessed it — Satoru Gojo's past. It takes place in 2006, when he was a second-year student at Tokyo Jujutsu High, and it covers his and Suguru Geto's efforts to get the Star Plasma Vessel to Master Tengen. According to the show's website, this part of the anime focuses on "the story of how Gojo and Geto parted ways." Yuichi Nakamura, who voices Gojo, told Animage magazine that he can't wait for fans to see how he became so powerful. "He has always had a high level of ability, but how did he obtain it?" Nakamura said. "I think that will be a highlight."
The second arc that Season 2 will adapt is the epic "Shibuya Incident," which covers a whopping 57 chapters of the manga — that's over 1200 pages of material. Described as a "spectacular story" in the official Season 2 announcement, it takes place on Halloween. When costumed revelers near Shibuya Station become trapped under a strange curtain, it soon becomes clear that something nefarious is happening. "Gojo ventures into Shibuya alone, but it is a trap set up by Geto, Mahito, and other cursed spirits," the synopsis reveals. "Itadori, Fushiguro, Kugisaki, and the students and sorcerers of Jujutsu Tech gather in Shibuya, and an unprecedented battle of massive scale is about to unfold."
Who is starring in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2?
"Jujutsu Kaisen" boasts a number of experienced voice actors among its cast. Protagonist Yuji Itadori is voiced by Junya Enoki in the original Japanese version. Enoki is probably best known for voicing Takeru Takaishi in the "Digimon" franchise, though Disney+ subscribers may know him from the anthology series "Star Wars: Visions," as he voices Karre in the Season 1 episode "The Twins."
Deuteragonist Megumi Fushiguro is voiced by Yuma Uchida. He's best known for "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations," in which he plays Naruto Uzumaki's adoptive son Kawaki, and "Fruits Basket," in which he plays Kazuma Sohms's adoptive son Kyo. The main trio is rounded out by Asami Seto, who plays fellow Tokyo Jujutsu High student Nobara Kugisaki. She's famous for voicing Raphtalia in the popular isekai series "The Rising of the Shield Hero." Of course, the first cour of Season 2 focuses on Satoru Gojo and his former friend Suguru Geto.
Gojo, the most powerful jujutsu sorcerer on the planet, is voiced by Yuichi Nakamura, who has over 300 credits to his name. He has worked on everything from "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" and "One Punch Man" to "My Hero Academia." Geto is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai, best known for "Zatch Bell!" and "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion." The fact that Sakurai is returning for Season 2 has split the fanbase — the married actor recently admitted to decade-long affair, causing quite the scandal in Japan.
There were also some new additions for Season 2. Anna Nagase (Isabella from "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners") has been cast as Riko Amanai, the Star Plasma Vessel for Master Tengen's merger in the "Gojo's Past" arc. Risa Shimizu (Daenerys Targaryen in the Japanese dub of "Game of Thrones") is playing Misato Kuroi, Riko's caretaker. Takehito Koyasu (Dio Brando from "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure") is playing Toji Fushiguro, Megumi's father. A feared assassin who goes by the name The Sorcerer Killer, he's the big bad of "Gojo's Past." He's tasked with killing the Star Plasma Vessel by Shiu Kong, who is voiced by Hiroki Yasumoto (Bjorn in "Vinland Saga").
Who is directing Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2?
Most of "Jujutsu Kaisen" Season 1 was directed by Sunghoo Park, who is also known for helming the South Korea-set action anime "The God of High School." In an interview with Crunchyroll, Park revealed that working on this martial arts-themed series helped him a lot when it came to envisioning the action scenes of "Jujutsu Kaisen." It was a calling card for the talented director, who was thrilled when he was approached about "Jujutsu Kaisen." He said: "I was really happy to be involved in a 'Shonen Jump' title! I remember shouting, 'Yes!' in my head at finally landing a long-awaited 'Jump' title."
Getting the "Jujutsu Kaisen" job was a big moment for Park, but someone else took on the challenge for Season 2: Shōta Goshozono, who directed Episode 8 and Episode 17 of Season 1, was given the reins. It's a huge deal for Goshozono, who is a relative rookie when it comes to directing. After graduating from high school in Tokyo, he landed a job at Xebec Zwei, the Nerima-based office of the anime studio Xebec. The company was broken up and sold to various buyers in 2019 (Xebec Zwei was snapped up by Production I.G and renamed I.G Zwei), but it remains known for producing a number of highly respected animators and directors.
Ryohei Takeshita is among those who got their start at Xebec. When he directed the series "Eromanga Sensei," he brought Goshozono on board as an animator. Goshozono has since worked as a key animator on shows like "Fate/Apocrypha," "Black Clover," "Mob Psycho 100," and "Sword Art Online: Alicization." He only recently made the jump to directing himself, helming two episodes of the fantasy series "Ousama Ranking" and an episode of the award-winning show "Chainsaw Man" either side of his work on "Jujutsu Kaisen" Season 1."
Which studio is making Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2?
The first season of "Jujutsu Kaisen" was animated by MAPPA, a relatively new name in the anime game but a renowned one nonetheless. It was founded in 2011 by Masao Maruyama (MAPPA stands for Maruyama Animation Produce Project Association), an anime veteran who co-founded the famous studio Madhouse in the 1970s. MAPPA is behind such hits as "Terror in Resonance," Yuri on Ice," "Kakegurui," and "Dorohedoro."
According to studio president Manabu Otsuka, MAPPA was very keen to work on "Jujutsu Kaisen" from the beginning. "It was a well-known comic series in 'Weekly Shonen Jump,' so there was strong branding potential for that story in both the domestic and overseas market," he told Crunchyroll. "If there is an opportunity to show that MAPPA is a good studio, then we will do it." The show is now seen as one of the jewels in MAPPA's crown, and fans were no doubt thrilled to discover that the studio was staying on for Season 2. However, the animators assigned to the show maybe weren't as happy.
While MAPPA's meteoric rise has been lauded by many, some people with knowledge of the studio have criticized its workplace culture. The issues seemed to come to a head when MAPPA took on "Attack on Titan" for its final season, with numerous sources claiming that staff were overworked. One freelance animator compared working for the studio to being in a "factory" and said that "about 80% of the employees had similar complaints at the time" (per Anime News Network), and an episode director revealed that they once didn't go home for three days straight during the making of "Attack on Titan" Season 4. "Jujutsu Kaisen" creator Gege Akutami has even expressed concern for the animators working on the show.
Which animators are working on Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2?
If it wasn't already clear that MAPPA sees "Jujutsu Kaisen" as the new jewel in its crown, the addition of acclaimed animator Arifumi Imai to the staff proves this beyond doubt. Imai is a freelancer who is best known for his work with Production I.G. and WIT studio. He gained a legion of fans for his work on "Attack on Titan," hailed as a key part of the show's first three seasons. Not only was he instrumental in figuring out how to best bring the ODM gear from the page to the screen, but he spearheaded some of the most memorable fight scenes in the show's history, including the iconic battle between Levi Ackerman and the Beast Titan.
Imai confirmed his involvement with "Jujutsu Kaisen" by sharing the second trailer for Season 2 on his Twitter feed, sending fans into a frenzy in the process. "The king on JJK wow it's a win for JJK fans," said @chocomaltcakie, while @evilsoreal added, "Pls animate the entire series your work is better than every mappa employee and that's real." Others begged Imai to return to "Attack on Titan" and "One Punch Man," another show he has worked on in the past. He's also been a key animator on the shows "Naruto: Shippuden," "Pokémon," and "Ranking of King," as well as the films "Boruto: Naruto the Movie" and "Doraemon the Movie: Nobita's New Dinosaur."
Imai is working under industry vet Junichi Higashi, who is on board as Art Director for "Jujutsu Kaisen" Season 2. Higashi, who was also Art Director on the "Jujutsu Kaisen" movie, has been around since the early '80s when he took charge of shows like "Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam" and "City Hunter." His most notable work is arguably the '90s classic "Cowboy Bebop," widely considered to be one of the best anime of all time.
Who is writing Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2?
Fans were surely ecstatic when it was revealed that Hiroshi Seko had penned all the scripts for Season 2 of "Jujutsu Kaisen" — Seko wrote the first season of the show and the hugely popular prequel movie "Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie." Speaking to Crunchyroll, the experienced writer (known for the likes of "Attack on Titan" and "Mob Psycho 100") revealed that he approaches every episode differently. "I always think about the theme for each episode," he said. "Of course, since it's a series, you try to create a crescendo at the end of each episode so people want to watch the next episode. I love watching overseas dramas like 'Breaking Bad' and 'The Walking Dead,' two shows I drew inspiration from."
Seko revealed that he only got the chance to meet "Jujutsu Kaisen" creator Gege Akutami a few times while working on the first season of the show, but the mangaka's editor would regularly drop in on them and "act as the conduit to Akutami-sensei." It appears as though Akutami has taken a more hands-on approach for the sophomore season. During the show's panel at Anime Expo 2023, Shueisha editor Ryota Ikeda revealed that the creator had been consulted on numerous occasions.
"Akutami-sensei is involved in writing the scenarios and checking the scenes and doing the storyboards as well," Ikeda said (via IGN). "MAPPA and Akutami-sensei are often in communication and make sure that if something goes out of line they can fix it." Perhaps the reason that Akutami has been involved this time around is that there will be more anime-original content — Toji Fushiguro's part in the story has been expanded for the show. The so-called Sorcerer Killer will be doing things that "you've never seen before," promised MAPPA CEO Manabu Otsuka.
Is there a trailer for Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2?
The first trailer for Season 2 dropped at the AnimeJapan convention in March 2023, giving fans a good look at Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto during their days as students at Tokyo Jujutsu High. As those familiar with "Jujutsu Kaisen" know, Geto was expelled from the school after developing a hatred for non-sorcerers and killing a bunch of civilians, while Gojo went on to become a teacher at Jujutsu High. After seeing the first trailer, "Jujutsu Kaisen" writer and illustrator Gege Akutami (whose real name and gender remain a mystery) revealed that they were thrilled about the work MAPPA is doing with their prized property. "I can clearly feel their enthusiasm to make it even better based on the first season," they said in a note shared on the anime's official website.
Excitement reached a fever pitch when a second trailer dropped in May 2023. Discussing the second trailer on Reddit, viewers waxed lyrical about the art style and the shots of Gojo in combat. "The panel of Gojo floating in the sky is amazing," said u/_doctor-strange-, while u/go_home_cook_rice added, "That last shot of Gojo using Cursed Technique Reversal RED.. Goosebumps!" Fans were equally as excited when the first trailer for the "Shibuya Incident" arc hit YouTube in August 2023. Season 2 was five episodes old at the time, and the new footage added to the feel-good factor circulating in the fandom. "As a manga reader this actually looks way better than I was expecting," @marshmellowd3640 said, while @NiceuRiceu praised Season 2's director, saying, "I really love Shota Goshozono's style, the compositing and animation look so clean. We're about to witness one of the best modern Battle Shonen arcs."
The fight scenes will be 'fundamentally different' in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2
A shonen show is nothing without memorable fight scenes, and the first season of "Jujutsu Kaisen" certainly delivered on that front. However, according to Yuichi Nakamura (the voice of Satoru Gojo in the Japanese version of the show), the fight scenes in Season 2 will be "fundamentally different" to the ones that we saw in Season 1, and that's down to where his character is in terms of his development. We're going back to Gojo's time as a student, so it stands to reason that he won't be the powerful jujutsu sorcerer fans have come to know and love.
"The abilities he can use are comparatively less," Nakamura told Animage magazine. "There is a sense of playfulness in the fights, as if he is using a technique he has never used before, but is trying it out for the first time in a real fight. Even if he fails, he has the leeway that he can handle it." According to the voice actor, Gojo will be more like Yuji Itadori in Season 2 — he's a talented kid, but a kid nonetheless, and he still needs to learn the ropes. "It's similar to that scene from Season 1 where he brings Yuji to learn while dominating a strong character like Jogo in a fight with ease. But, ability wise, it looks like he has a lot to do."
That's not to say that the fight scenes in Season 2 will be tame. In fact, fans have been hyped about the prospect of Gojo going toe to toe with Toji Fushiguro ever since the latter featured prominently in the second Season 2 trailer. Despite his status as a killer of jujutsu sorcerers, Toji is a fan favorite character, and his battle with Gojo is a real barn burner. "The Gojo v Toji fight looks SO GOOD," Twitter user @sugurugetowo said.
There will be some 'sad exchanges' in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2
Get ready for Season 2 of "Jujutsu Kaisen" to tug at your heartstrings as it details the breakdown in the friendship between Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto. While the "Jujutsu Kaisen" movie gave us a glimpse into their history, the second season of the show will take a deep dive into the reasons why Geto fell out with Gojo and went down an evil path. Speaking to Animage magazine, Gojo voice actor Yuichi Nakamura promised that it was going to be an emotional experience for viewers. "In the movie we know that Gojo was opening his heart to Geto, but Geto had some parts that he didn't reveal," the voice actor said. "The story is depicted in reverse order, so we have to see some sad exchanges in the 'Hidden Inventory/Premature Death' arc."
In many ways, the friendship between Gojo and Geto resembles that of Yuji Itadori and Megumi Fushiguro, with one being easy going and the other being very serious. They don't seem like they would make good friends on the surface, but they just click. "Since Gojo was born with everything, there weren't many people who understood him or people with whom he could communicate properly," Nakamura said. "In other words, he had to lower his level to have a talk. Although Geto started out as a First Grade Sorcerer during the 'Hidden inventory' arc, he had the ability to sync with Gojo and have heart to heart conversations. In that sense, I felt that it was inevitable that they became friends."
Fans will get to see things from Geto's perspective in Season 2 — the first 90 seconds of the upcoming sophomore season were shown at Anime Expo 2023, and they focus on the future villain. "He is somehow even more intimidating than we've seen him before," IGN reported.
Who is singing the opening song of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2?
As the first theme song of the "Jujutsu Kaisen" anime, "Kaikai Kitan" by Eve is the track most synonymous with the series, and it's adored by fans: Redditor u/sfcn12 called the show's first opening "one of the best OPs in anime." The first theme song of Season 2 — which is called "Ao no Sumika" (Where Our Blue Is) — perhaps isn't quite as catchy, but it still makes for a great opening. It's being performed by Tatsuya Kitani, a vocalist, bassist, guitarist, composer, arranger, and programmer, Kitani is a multi-hyphenate who started uploading his own music to the internet around a decade ago. He's been involved in some memorable anime openings, writing and composing the music for shows like "Mob Psycho 100 II," "Warlords of Sigrdrifa," and "A Certain Scientific Railgun T."
Speaking to the official "Jujutsu Kaisen" website, Kitani discussed the song he created for Season 2 and what inspired him to write it. "A day when I was overwhelmed by a mistake that I could never recover, and a loss that I could never touch again," he said. "Sometimes I take out and look at the irreplaceable memories of spring in such a life. Reflecting both the color of sweet recollection and the color of bitter regret, it becomes a stick for the heart after becoming an adult. It is a song of a human being who walked like that." "Ao no Sumika" was released as a single on July 19, 2023.
Of course, there's more than one opening song for "Jujutsu Kaisen" Season 2. The "Shibuya Incident" arc has its own opening, and the song for that is called "Specialz." It's performed by King Gnu, a Japanese band that will be familiar to fans of "Jujutsu Kaisen" — they performed the ending theme song of the film "Jujutsu Kaisen 0."
Who is singing the ending song of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2?
The ending song of "Jujutsu Kaisen" Season 2's first cour — which is titled "Akari" (Lantern) — is performed by Soushi Sakiyama. The Hamamatsu native isn't as prevalent as OP performer Tatsuya Kitani when it comes to anime, with only two shows ("My Hero Academia" Season 5 and "Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team") to his name. However, he's no stranger to the music industry.
After cutting his teeth as a street performer, Sakiyama shot to prominence with some memorable variety show appearances, getting particular praise for a foot-stomping rendition of his song "Samidare." He signed with Sony and released his first major album (titled "Find Fuse in Youth") in 2021, which went down well in his home country. The Glow called the record "complex and profound," adding: "Sakiyama's quest for a variety of different kinds of music has made his work more colorful than ever before."
In an interview published on the official "Jujutsu Kaisen" website, Sakiyama said that he was "very honored" to be involved with the hit anime and offered some insight into the Season 2 ending track. "'Akari' is a song with the theme of the emotional change that is born at the end of the accumulated experience and suffering of the character Suguru Geto, and the characters' feelings for Suguru Geto," he explained. "I think the mind is more delicate and ambiguous than we imagine, like a tightrope walker. To respect my heart, my loved ones, and others. That is my wish for this song."
Where to watch Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1
If you haven't seen the first season of "Jujutsu Kaisen" yet, or you just want to re-watch it, then you can stream it on Crunchyroll, where it has a five-star rating (the average user score is 4.9). There are plenty of dubs to choose from: On top of an English language version, there's German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Russian, as well as Latin American Spanish and Portuguese. If you prefer to watch the original Japanese version with subtitles, it's available in all of the languages mentioned above as well as Arabic and European Portuguese.
The show is free to watch on Crunchyroll if you don't mind a few ads. If you want an ad-free experience, then subscriptions start at $7.99 a month. The Mega Fan package is just a few dollars more at $9.99 a month, while the Ultimate Fan tier (which includes an annual swag bag along with other benefits) is $14.99 a month. There's also an option for a 14-day free trial, which should be enough time to binge the whole first season.
If you can't decide whether to watch the English dub of the show or the original with subtitles, then you might be interested to know what fans of the franchise have been saying on Reddit: While the general consensus is that the dub is pretty good, most people prefer the subtitled version. "I usually watch anime in dub, but JJK is one of very few anime that has me watching sub by choice," u/Salt_Tax9017 said. "I think the sub voices are a lot more playful in terms of comedy (which is something really important to my viewer satisfaction), and just does better in every other department."