Jujutsu Kaisen creator Gege Akutami recently attended an exhibition where he answered several questions about his famed manga. The Japanese illustrator delved deep into different elements of the dark fantasy series, including one “huge mistake” he made with a particular character.
Gege Akutami reveals how Black Flash was created
According to the transcript of Akutami’s interview at the exhibition, as translated by @soukatsu_ on X, formerly Twitter, the iconic power originated after the manga’s editor wanted a “special move” for Itadori.
“Katayama, my editor at the time, told me he wanted a special move (for Itadori), but I didn’t really feel like anything fit. So I think Divergent First and then Black Flash were born as moves that not many others can do,” Akutami said.
“The image I had in my mind was the Flash from the game Onimusha. It’s a counterattack move you often see in Real Time Attacks,” he continued, adding, “I also liked the fact that it’s not a unique skill and that it can be used to increase voltage after just one use.”
Akutami went on to say, “It’s got a probability element to it, but can be used multiple times successively, which can lead to a turning of the tide in a fight, and by adding in how enemies (cursed spirits) can also use Black Flash, it generates higher tension.”
Gege Akutami admits making a ‘huge mistake’ with this character
While discussing the Culling Games arc, Akutami reflected on the relatives of Megumi, who was initially planned out to be one of the series’ main characters. One such relative was his sister Tsumiki, about whose backstory Akutami regrets the most. During the exhibition, he admitted that it was a “huge mistake” that Tsumiki was not introduced as an actual character.
“There just wasn’t enough information to flesh out Tsumiki’s background, so I think that was a total failure,” Akutami explained. “This is one part where I feel like it was a huge mistake. I should have had Itadori and Tsumiki have a proper meeting just once,” he added.
