When Jujutsu KaisenThe manga finally wraps up in 2024, the feeling is less bitter than complete relief. Gege Akutami’s megapopular shonen juggernaut certainly packs a punch with its battles, but its story is thin. At worst, iIts fights can be difficult to fathom, whether from poor health trying to keep up with the strict weekly schedule of shonen crunch or its labyrinthine power system that needs to be explained with the complete mid-bout exposition it compares to. Whitening.

So when Jujutsu Kaisen Moduleits sequel series, which debuted soon, I’m getting ready for a Boruto-style continuation that only duplicates errors. But, after catching up—curiosity finally won—I admit Module not only surprisingly strong but, dare I say, better than its predecessor because it avoids the complaints that weighed down the original.

From jumping, Jujutsu Kaisen Module—written by Akutami and illustrated by Yuji Iwasaki—makes a bold move that few shonen sequels have made: it is set in its own years removed from its predecessor and embraces the fact that the old heroes have ended, clearing the stage for a new generation. Sure, nostalgia lingers in the nods, cameosand blinked at the past. But these moves never overshadowed the new cast with the hollow “what if they were adults now?” fanfare most sequel shonen series pigeonhole themselves into.

while Jujutsu Kaisen TRUEuntil its end, it always felt like it was building its power system as it went along, without taking off the training wheels with explanations and shocking deaths (was heavily leaked/defaced online by fans) that are never deeper than their archetypes in a cool fight manga, Module actually sets the series pushing early and lets its story take center stage. And then there is a paradigm shift in its introduction, which is full Giorgio A. Tsoukalos by adding aliens to the cursed series fighting spirit ‘narrative gumbo.

According to your comments and responses, we are back.

(via Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo) pic.twitter.com/psypZUNji2

— Shonen Jump (@shonenjump) September 8, 2025

Set 68 years after Culling Game, in 2086, Module sees Japan at a dangerous crossroads where a humanoid alien race called the Simurians have arrived on Earth as refugees from a distant world, using a power system similar to jujutsu sorcery. The central tension of the manga thus far lies in whether the coexistence or conflict between wizards and Simurians will define the future of Earth.

The first chapters follow a delicate tightrope as Japan—acting as de facto extraterrestrial representatives of Earth, thanks to its supernatural magicians—seeks to understand the runaway aliens and examine whether developing prosperity is in the cards without provoking anger. Meanwhile, the Simurians themselves are trying to build new lives after years of subjugation under brutal colonization.

At the heart of this narrative are the sorcerer brothers Yuka Tsuguri Okkotsu, joined by their Simurian ally, Maru. For JJK fans, Yuka channels Yuta’s gentle essence with a playful edge; Tsuguri mixes Maki Zen’in’s grit (best attitude; argues with a wall) with Megumi’s calmness; and Maru embodies an alien spin on Yuji Itadori’s golden-retriever exuberance. They make a compelling trio as they venture into a back-to-basics supernatural battle of the week that turns out to be early. JJK it’s so fun to read each week before the series dovetails back into the intergalactic elephant in the room that feels planned rather than improvised each week. And layered on top of the intricate is a miraculous genius combo of Akutami and Iwasaki, whose past works make such a story impossible to come together without highlighting the past pitfalls of the creators.

Cipher Academy is full of Japanese words that simply break the official translation, I’m amazed pic.twitter.com/qAo9ZHGPp9

— Rukasu (@RukasuMHA) February 12, 2023

As already mentioned, when Module was first announced, I was a little worried whether the series would be consistent given the pedigree of its creators. While I wax the poem late stage Jujutsu Kaisen enough, Yuji Iwasaki’s first work—Cipher Academya series of death games previously considered almost untranslatable—suggesting a potential for even greater opacity. On paper, their pairing seems destined to be even more indescribable. But the collaboration proves the opposite, which consists of what Chainsaw Man Creator Tatsuki Fujimoto always wished for himself: the freedom to focus on the writing while another artist handles the visuals, allowing each creator to rely entirely on their strengths.

The result is an excellent team-up game that is very readable. Iwasaki’s panels are clean, readable, and full of personality, never drowning the reader in infodumps, while Akutami’s world development and character dynamics unfold without the threat of power escalation. Together, their return to the sandbox JJKThe world takes things back to basics even as the premise expands into extraterrestrial territory—and in doing so, they come together in something unexpectedly profound. With a series that has a narrative bone structure to support its emotional catharsis and fight hype, Module is Akutami and Iwasaki cooking at the peak of their powers in a way that isn’t as canned or forced as many sequel manga series that chase the hype of their predecessors too often.

Failing to see eye to eye, the humans and Simurians have reached a dangerous point of no return.

Read the Jujutsu Kaisen Module, Ch. 13 of Shonen Jump for free! https://t.co/fVTvWf9rcg pic.twitter.com/PlxXCR4O1p

— Shonen Jump (@shonenjump) November 30, 2025

Within the first 20 chapters of the manga so far, its characters are deeply written, my favorite being Yuka and her unlikely relationship with the Maru’s. Triangle-esque meaner brother, Cross; any callbacks to the original series are less of a show for cheap fanservice pops and more in the service of writing a deeper narrative that is basically an immigrant tale with all the anxiety that comes with it wrapped up in a shonen package. There is real tension and friction Module that is not limited to its battles, where there is almost nothing—a decision that only adds to their magnificence and status. The story feels carefully crafted rather than an afterthought to get you into the next more complex fight. Like wrestling, it’s always fun to watch a guy take his shit by doing gymnastic flips, but unless there’s a story reason why they’re about to break their neck for people’s entertainment, it’s pointless. Module formed anything but, and I’m glad that my ideas about the series were proven wrong.

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