Warning: Contains spoilers for My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen’s final arcs.My Hero AcademiaandJujutsu Kaisenbecame two of the biggest manga in the world in recent years, and they both ended roughly around the same time in late 2024. Both stories had similarly major impacts on the anime and manga community that will likely be felt for years to come, and seeing them end so close together was a surprising coincidence.
What’s also surprising aboutMy Hero AcademiaandJujutsu Kaisenendings is the similarly mixed reception of their finales. While the final arcs of both stories couldn’t have been more different,bothMy Hero AcademiaandJujutsu Kaisen’s final arcs were divisivebecause of their pacing, how certain characters were handled, and how they ultimately ended their respective stories, with some people even feeling the endings ruined the series, as a whole. There’s a lot of overlap between their receptions, and that, of course, invites the question of which one was better.
Why My Hero Academia’s Final Arc Was So Divisive
Did My Hero Academia End On A High Note?
My Hero Academiawas the first of the two to end, and there are several reasons why its final arc was so divisive. For starters, the fact that it took over two years to finish meant that it felt like it was dragging more often than not, especially with how the arc repeatedly teased climaxes only to suddenly reveal that there would still be more fighting. The choice of the series toshow different battlefields at the same timeduring the “Final War” arc inevitably impacted the pace, and that played a big part in its divisive reputation.
Another problem was how the redemption arcs of the villains were handled. The story’s attempts at redeeming its villains had always been contentious because of how far they went with their violence without showing remorse, and sinceMy Hero Academia’s final arcended with most of its major villains dying, itmade all the work the heroes put into helping them feel pointless. Even people who weren’t sympathetic to the villains saw it as a wasted opportunity.
Rounding out the problems with the final arc was the handling of its epilogue. The idea ofMy Hero Academiaspending its final chapters trying to properly close out the story instead of jumping straight to the finale was initially met with praise, but unfortunately,My Hero Academia’s epiloguedidn’t resolve muchbefore the series ended with a timeskip to when all the story’s problems were already resolved, the exact kind of cliche ending people hoped the story would avoid.
Why Jujutsu Kaisen’s Final Arc Was So Divisive
Did Jujutsu Kaisen’s Neckbreaking Speed End Up Hurting the Series?
WhileMy Hero Academia’s final arc was plagued by slow pacing,Jujutsu Kaisen’s final arcwas brought down by its excessive speed. The final arc started very abruptly when there was still room for plot and character development, and after Sukuna entered his incarnated form, it became a largely repetitive run of everyone struggling to do any damage.Jujutsu Kaisenhas always had problems with its fast pacing, and unfortunately, those came to a head in its final arc.
This had a negative impact on how the series handled many of its characters and concepts. Gojo died only a few weeks after his return and was barely acknowledged afterward, Kenjaku died without having a meaningful confrontation with Yuji, Nobara returned incredibly abruptly with only a fraction of fanfare, and despite all the buildup, the series ended without the Merger being directly dealt with.Many characters and story beats didn’t get their due inJujutsu Kaisen’s final arc, and for many people, that brought its quality down even further.
The biggest issue people had withJujutsu Kaisen’s final arc, however, was with its ending.Jujutsu Kaisenended without resolving any of its lingering plot threads, instead spending its last few chapters following Sukuna’s defeat showing everyone going back to their lives and simply setting up the idea that things would get better. Considering everything that needed to be addressed about the characters and the world in the fallout of Kenjaku’s machinations, it was disappointing to see things left so open-ended, and for many, it solidified the divisive nature of the final arc.
Why My Hero Academia’s Finale Was Better Than Jujutsu Kaisen’s Finale
My Hero Academia Ended On A Better Note Than Jujutsu Kaisen
While every fan will have a personal preference, judging the two series from a perspective that tries to be as objective and unbiased as possible,My Hero Academiawas the clear winner. While both final arcs happened while there was still room for character and plot development,My Hero Academia’s cast and world were far more developed going into its final arc thanJujutsu Kaisen’s, so the finale felt far more organic, at least by comparison. The flow of the arc still had its issues, but at least in execution,My Hero Academia’s final arc was far superior.
Another point inMy Hero Academia’s favor is how its final arc utilized its cast compared toJujutsu Kaisen.My Hero Academia’s final arc was good at giving every character at least one moment to shine, whether it was a big one or a small one, and addressing the majority of its plot threads, which is a far cry fromJujutsu Kaisen’s finale. Thanks to that, it felt like there was far more closure to the character arcs inMy Hero Academiacompared toJujutsu Kaisen.
Closure is another major difference between the final arcs of both stories. As divisive asMy Hero Academia’s epilogue was, it still tried to give closure to the cast and show how the world would change, even if a lot of it happened offscreen. The feeling is that Horikoshi took all the time that he needed to bring his story to conclusion. Even the Final War, once read all in sequence without waiting for weekly releases, feels much better and is full ofepic and memorable moments that theMy Hero Academiaanime is now showcasing.
Jujutsu Kaisendidn’t make as much of an effort in that field, at least partly due to the various health issues Gege Akutami went through in the second half of theJujutsu Kaisenmanga, but also because of the author’s choice to maintain his signature fast-paced narrative even during the finale. The difference was that contrary to what Horikoshi did, after the epic final battle against Sukuna, Akutami did not dedicate enough time and chapter to the aftermath, meaning thatMy Hero Academia’s final arc worked better thanJujutsu Kaisen’s because of the stronger sense of closure.
Jujutsu Kaisen’s final arc might not have been as good asMy Hero Academia’s for numerous reasons, but it was far from being bad enough to ruin the story.Everything great aboutJujutsu Kaisenwas still on displayin its final arc up until the very end, and when it came down to it, the biggest problem withJujutsu Kaisen’s ending was simply that it didn’t break the mold ofshōnenmanga endings. NeitherJujutsu KaisennorMy Hero Academiaare any worse stories because of their endings, and that’s sure to remain true for years to come.
My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is a multimedia franchise that follows a young boy named Izuku Midoriya, who dreams of becoming a hero despite being born without superpowers. These superpowers, known as “Quirks” are found in most people after birth, but Izuku wasn’t so lucky - until a fateful encounter with All Might, Japan’s greatest hero, Izuku inherits his Quirk and enrolls in U.A. High School to learn the true meaning of heroism. Alongside his classmates, each endowed with unique abilities, Izuku faces rigorous training and lethal threats from villainous forces.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisenis a Japanese anime and manga series created by Gege Akutami. The story is set in a world where Cursed Spirits, born from negative human emotions, prey on humanity. It follows high school student Yuji Itadori as he becomes entangled in the world of Jujutsu Sorcery after swallowing a cursed talisman—Ryomen Sukuna’s finger—and becomes the host for one of the most powerful curses. Yuji joins the Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical College to learn how to combat curses while searching for the remaining fingers of Sukuna to exorcise him permanently.
