The Sorcerers of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Look Back on the Magic of Friendship

io9: Even with Rika hanging around him, Yuta’s probably the most normal person in this universe. But he’s talked up as a big deal in the anime, and is expected to become pretty powerful down the road. What was your approach in keeping him relatable despite all that?

McKee: I knew characters had a certain energy when Yuta was mentioned, and when we first started recording lines, I could see that he’d start to come into his own. I was very interested in exploring that, but also making sure his evolution was as organic as possible. He’s a traumatized teen, and he knows he’s got a ghost protecting him and killing people. Going from that to learning that he can protect people kicks off something inside him gives him some hope for his own situation. Connecting with the other characters at Jujutsu High helps give him a new semblance of normal, and he starts to think that he can have a new life for himself.

io9: Kaiji, Lex, this movie peels back some of the history between Gojo and Geto. But the reason for the fallout between the two men won’t be revealed until season two, what was it like exploring their relationship in reverse order?

Kaiji Tang: It’s been… interesting. You don’t get a lot of insight on their relationship in season one, but now that it’s being introduced through the film, both the audience and us as actors have a better understanding about the whole story about Gojo. Geto’s been such a present force in the story so far, and once you recognize his ideology and viewpoint, and how it conflicts with how tight he and Gojo used to be, it’s really heartbreaking.

Lex: Geto’s in a different state of being for the series, and so for the film, we get to see him as he’s filled with life. Because he’s very ideological, you get a better sense of what he believes in, where he was disappointed in life, and where his life took a turn. There’s a few flashbacks where you discover what his and Gojo’s relationship is made out of, and how they were best friends at Tokyo Jujutsu High as classmates. You see how their previous experiences together really define where they are in the timeline of the film.

io9: Your characters are both incredibly powerful, but most of the fighting is done by their allies respective followers rather than themselves. Geto’s actively assembled followers, but Gojo just happens to be an instructor whose students are somewhat obligated to follow him. What is it about your respective characters that you think that makes Yuji, Yuta, Mahito, and so on so willing to follow them?

Tang: [laughs] Yeah, Gojo’s one of the most powerful Sorcerers in the world, nearly a messiah figure. But to the kids, he’s just a below average teacher, and it’s just the funniest thing in the world how they treat him with such disrespect!

Lang: Speaking for Geto, I would say that he’s got good intentions, but he’s really flawed. His ideology has taken him on a path outside of compassion and empathy. As a viewer, you can kind of relate and want him to get back on track. It’s touching because we connect with our hearts to what they’re going through. He’s not trying to be a villain, he’s just overwhelmed by his ideology because he’s been hurt and disappointed by humanity so many times.

Tang: For Gojo, I think being born with a crazy amount of Jujutsu energy made it hard for him to connect with people, he was basically in Gojo World. It’s a pretty lonely life, and when you come across another character on the same level, of course you’re gonna connect with them! Really powerful characters always draw a certain sect of people. I feel like a lot of their magnetism comes from the fact that they’re larger than life, but it can also isolate you. And that’s what makes Gojo’s split from Geto all the more tragic.

Both of these guys are two sides of the same coin: Geto thinks he’s correct, and Gojo thinks he’s correct. Ultimately, it ends up being worse for both of them, but that’s the weakness of personality and ego that they share with everyone. Being so rigid in life rarely rewards you in the end, and I think we see that play out for both these characters.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 releases in theaters on March 18.

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