5 Reasons Why Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo is Better Than Jujutsu Kaisen, Explained

Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, which is a sequel set 68 years in the future, featuring aliens and the grandchildren of Yuta Okkotsu, felt like an obvious failure and a desperate attempt to milk a manga that had already ended. Yet, by the release of Chapter 19, the sentiment of fans has changed completely.

Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo succeeds by actively correcting the storytelling flaws that plagued the original manga. By refining the power system and grounding the stakes, Gege Akutami, as the writer, and Yuji Iwasaki, as the illustrator, have created a manga that feels superior in fundamental ways.

1 JJK Modulo Focuses More on Politics Instead of Just Brawls

The original Jujutsu Kaisen was defined by the Shibuya Incident, Culling Game, and Shinjuku Showdown arcs that were essentially nonstop combat. While visually amazing, the original series often ignored world-building for the sake of whatever fight was in line next. Modulo does not make this mistake. Set in 2086, the manga introduces the Simurians, an alien race seeking refuge on Earth, shifting the conflict from a simple conflict between humans and curses to complex politics.

The story of Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo explores the friction between human sorcerers and the aliens who arrived on Earth possessing their own form of Cursed Energy, and even some history with their own kind of Cursed Spirits. The plotlines involving the “Special Grade Incident” and the black market trafficking of children as “batteries” for Cursed Energy demonstrate a level of societal complexity and depth that the original manga rarely showed.

The threats here are not just physical, but also political, requiring the protagonists, Yuka and Tsurugi Okkotsu, to navigate the mission they’ve been given by not just using their hands but also dialogue. It adds a layer of tension that pure physical violence cannot replicate.

2 JJK Modulo Uses Dialogue With Action, Which JJK Originally Lacked

One of the biggest problems with the original Jujutsu Kaisen, particularly during the Shinjuku Showdown, was its reliance on heavy information dumps. Narrator boxes would frequently interrupt the flow of battle to explain complex techniques, often confusing the readers as well. Gege Akutami has learned from this mistake.

The combat sequences in Modulo integrate the lessons on Cursed Techniques directly into the character interactions. When characters like Dabura Karaba face off against Mahoraga, the mechanics of the fight are revealed through their real-time tactics and thoughts, rather than paragraphs of text by the narrator.

Even when the fight involved characters with complex and strong cursed techniques, for example, Maru, who may as well be on a path to be the next Gojo or Sukuna, they discover the rules of the fight alongside the reader, creating a natural learning curve that the original manga often ignored in favour of encyclopedic explanations.

3 JJK Modulo Feels and Looks Like Gege Akutami Planned the Story

The final stretch of the original manga often felt weird, with plot points appearing to be decided week-to-week. Modulo, conversely, feels like it was planned out before the artist even picked up the pen. It feels like that even Gojo Satoru’s true legacy has survived, which the original manga couldn’t show properly.

Akutami’s collaboration with Yuji Iwasaki allowed for a more structured storytelling process. Theories regarding the origins of Cursed Energy and its connection to space are now paying off in ways that feel earned. Even the story structure involving the merge of technology and jujutsu, hinted at with Mechamaru in the original, is now fully realised as a central theme. The story moves with a confidence that suggests the ending was written before the first chapter was drawn.

4 JJK Modulo Balances Nostalgia With New Characters

Sequels often struggle to step out of the shadow of the original manga, either relying too heavily on cameos or disrespecting the legacy characters. Meanwhile, Modulo is perfectly balanced. The protagonists are descendants of fan-favourites Yuta and Maki, who inherited their techniques, yet they possess their own personalities and flaws.

The sequel manga utilises nostalgia as an elevator of what already exists in the manga, rather than using it for everything. For example, how the appearance of Rika is treated with narrative weight, serving the plot rather than just generating hype, and the return of Yuji Itadori was hinted at. By placing the story nearly 70 years in the future, the manga creates enough distance to allow the new cast to breathe, while the legacy of figures like Gojo and Sukuna serves as historical mythos that shapes the current world, rather than active plot devices that steal the spotlight.

5 JJK Modulo Has Much Better Pacing Than JJK

The pacing of Jujutsu Kaisen was often all over the place, switching between lightning-fast action chapters and slow setup chapters. Modulo, perhaps due to its planned shorter run or Akutami’s evolved skills, moves with a lot more consistency.

Each chapter advances both the character arcs and the central mystery of the Simurians and their background. There is a lack of “filler” fighting; every moment serves to reveal information about the enemy or progress the political side of things. By avoiding the “villain of the week” trope, Modulo maintains a tension that keeps readers engaged with the plot, not just the power scaling.

Are you excited to see where the story goes? Tell us your theories in the comments.

Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo is currently being published weekly by Shueisha