Gege Akutami, creator of Jujutsu Kaisen, revealed that the character Toji Fushiguro was inspired by actor Jason Statham and Emiya Kiritsugu from Fate/Zero.
Akutami discussed the influences behind Fushiguro’s character in a Q&A, which was part of a catalog handed out during the recent Jujutsu Kaisen exhibition which was held at Shibuya in July 2024.
While considering Fushiguro’s character, Akutami initially envisioned him as similar to Kenny from Attack on Titan. However, the character’s appearance shifted after being influenced by the aura of voice actor Kazuhiro Yamaji.
Yamaji is a Japanese actor & voice actor who has dubbed the voice of Jason Statham in Japanese. This influence made Akutami resemble Fushiguro close to Jason Statham, known for his roles as a tough and professional figure.
Akutami also drew parallels between Fushiguro and Emiya Kiritsugu from Fate/Zero. Both characters share traits in their approach and actions that are often deemed unacceptable by others in their respective worlds.
Both Emiya and Toji are known sorcerer killers in their respective universes and both used methods and means that were looked down upon by their counterparts.
Emiya’s influence can clearly be seen in Toji, as he uses a range of weapons and tactical brilliance to take down his opponents.
“At first I thought of making [Toji] something along the lines of Kenny from Attack on Titan, but then I was drawn to [voice actor Kazuhiro] Yamaji-san’s aura and he ended up looking more like work professional Jason Statham. He’s also pretty similar to Kiritsugu from Fate/Zero in the sense that he does things jujutsu sorcerers find repugnant,” Akutami said.
The author also delved into why he created Toji, explaining that he was developed to address Akutami’s concerns of Megumi’s character being too lacking.
As the story evolved, Akutami decided to introduce Fushiguro’s father to deepen the character dynamics. This approach, suggested by editor Katayama, helped establish connections within the narrative.
“When the serialization first began, there was always the issue of whether or not Itadori was too weak as a character…? but as the story progressed, I started to question whether it was Fushiguro’s character that was too lacking so I introduced Fushiguro’s father. This was a technique I learned from editor Katayama to build connections.”
Toji Fushiguro gained popularity among fans after he featured prominently in the Hidden Inventory arc of the manga. Known for his exceptional combat skills and formidable presence, despite lacking cursed energy, Toji quickly became a fan favorite.
His actions set the tone for what would follow in Jujutsu Kaisen, with his assassination of Riko Amanai turning out to be one of the most crucial points in the story.
The Q&A’s from the exhibition’s catalog also provide interesting insights into Megumi, Itadori and even Yuta Okkotsu.
Jujutsu Kaisen manga, which began serializing in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 2018.
As of July 2024, the chapters of the manga have been collected into 27 tankobon volumes, with over 90 million copies in circulation. The ongoing Shinjuku Showdown arc is reportedly the final arc/part of the manga according to Akutami.
Source: Jujutsu Kaisen exhibition via Soukatsu