When is ‘Jujutsu Kaisen 0’ set in the anime?

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 has taken the world by storm, delivering exciting characterization and action for fans of the Jujutsu Kaisen TV anime and welcoming newcomers to the world of curses alike. Given its numbering convention, you’d be correct to assume that the film is set before the events of Jujutsu Kaisen we’re already familiar with. But just how long ago does all the action take place?

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a prequel film set a year before the events of Sunghoo Park and studio MAPPA’s acclaimed serialized anime, Jujutsu Kaisen. The film is itself an adaptation of another manga by Jujutsu Kaisen creator Gege Akutami: Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School. 

Akutami, a pen name, wrote Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School in Shueisha’s Jump GIGA magazine in 2017 before later writing Jujutsu Kaisen as a sequel. After Jujutsu Kaisen became a hit in Weekly Shōnen Jump, however, the earlier story was retitled Jujutsu Kaisen 0.

So, despite being their first, Jujutsu Kaisen 0’s film adaptation takes the role of prequel film in how it treats its characters. Since the film occurs a year before Yuji Itadori’s enrollment at Jujutsu High, second years Maki, Toge, and Panda appear as first years alongside the film’s protagonist Yuta, though the three come from backgrounds that offer them more knowledge and experience in the world of curses and magic. Like Yuji, magic is new to Yuta, though he quickly catches up to and is even able to surpass his peers. 

If you’re looking to stay up to date on Jujutsu Kaisen, you’ll want to check out Jujutsu Kaisen 0 in film or manga form. The current arc of the manga reintroduces Yuta, 0’s protagonist, back into the fold, while an after-credits scene in the film teased his return to the screen in the next season of the anime, expected some time next year. 

Jujutsu Kaisen is available to stream on Crunchyroll and read on Viz Media’s Shonen Jump app.