Suguru Geto

Suguru Geto (Japanese: 夏油 傑, Hepburn: Getō Suguru) is a fictional character from Gege Akutami's manga Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Suguru Geto is a powerful sorcerer who was previously friends with the mentor Satoru Gojo, who seeks Curse of the undead Rika Orimoto chasing the protagonist Yuta Okkotsu. Geto also appears in the main series Jujutsu Kaisen series which, through flashbacks, further explores his friendship with Gojo and what caused his transformation into his enemy. In the main series, his corpse is controlled by Kenjaku (Japanese: 羂索, Hepburn: Kenjaku), an ancient sorcerer who uses a Cursed Technique of transplanting his brain into other bodies, pursuing the goal of evolving humanity through Cursed Energy to create a new golden age of Jujutsu sorcery paralleling the Heian period.

Suguru Geto
Jujutsu Kaisen character
Suguru Geto as drawn by Gege Akutami
First appearance	Suguru Geto: Jujutsu Kaisen 0 #2, "Deeply Blackened" (2017) Kenjaku / Pseudo-Geto: Jujutsu Kaisen #10, "After the Rain" (2018)
Created by	Gege Akutami
Voiced by	Japanese: Takahiro Sakurai English: Lex Lang

Akutami created Geto with the idea of prejudice against others, inspired by Shinobu Sensui, an antagonist from Yoshihiro Togashi's manga series YuYu Hakusho. The alter-ego Kenjaku instead was influenced by Naruto' antagonist Orochimaru due to the idea of having a immortal sorcerer who keeps living among generations using vessels. In the anime adaptations of Jujutsu Kaisen, the character is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai in Japanese and Lex Lang in English.

The character was praised by critics for his role in Jujutsu Kaisen 0, coming across as a striking villain in his fights against Yuta and his class, while also developing a deep relationship with Gojo upon the revelation of their connection. While their friendship was praised, the revelation of Kenjaku controlling Geto's body in the main series resulted in mixed responses for the effect it has on the narrative and Geto.

Creation

Gege Akutami was inspired to create Suguru Geto by Shinobu Sensui, an antagonist from Yoshihiro Togashi's manga series YuYu Hakusho. Although Akutami was moved by Sensui's role in the story, he could not feel the same Geto.^[1] The idea that conceived this character was that of a man who prejudges others quickly. His name originates from a Japanese snowboarding place known as Geto Kogen Ski Resort. In designing him, Akutami enjoyed drawing his forehead. When writing his backstory, Akutami wanted to empasize how different Geto became after leaving the Jujutsu Sorcerers and how he grew to hate common humans.^[2] One of Geto's scrolls from the series is a reference to Tite Kubo's manga series Zombiepowder. which he wanted to put in the original series.^[3]

Akutami intentionally chose the Satoru Gojo for Geto after researching Buddhist monk's robes and seeing the Gojo-gesa aligned with Gojo's name. He thought it would be fitting and a good way to connect them. Akutami thought it would be nice to show the differences in nuances with their names to match their characters. Satoru as the natural-born genius, and Suguru as the one who achieved genius through hard work and effort. Furthermore, Akutami had Geto dressed as a monk from the prequel as a juxtaposition between his character that was creating this false religious organization while masquerading as a monk, and how monks are regarded in the world, seen as trustworthy in the eyes of the public.^[4]

With the eventual reveal that the original Geto dies in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 and the one from the main series is another man possessing his body, Akutami also said that the body memory that activates from one of his arm when Gojo sees him is meant to give a hint that there was still a weak will fighting against Kenjaku. Akutami compared Geto's possession by Kenjaku similar to Orochimaru's body transfer from Masashi Kishimoto's manga series Naruto in order to explain the loss of the original Geto.^[5] Akutami also said Geto is a strong villain, believing he could have won his fight against Yuta if he had destroyed the supernatural barrier between Shinjuku and Kyoto.^[6] In regards to Geto's strongest technique, Uzumaki, Akutami used Junji Ito's manga series with the same name as the main inspiration. However, he wanted to avoid to referencing it too much to the point it might look more like a copy.^[7]

For the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie, writer Hiroshi Seko commented that for the movie to fit two hours of length he would need to add new material such as Yuta Okkotsu's past and relationship between Satoru Gojo and Geto.^[8] In retrospective, all the action scenes in the second half were exciting for the director, as were the scenes featuring Gojo, Okkotsu, Geto, and Rika.^[9] The inclusion of Gojo was to be taken naturally, especially focusing on his relationship with Geto, which is also explored in the television series. However, Park claimed the staff did not want to give such characters too much screen time due to how the narrative primarily focuses on Yuta and Rika.^[10] Seko said that the team expanded Yuta and Geto's final fight by adding a scene where the latter throws up blood.^[11]

Casting

 

 

Takahiro Sakurai (left) voices Geto in Japanese, while Lex Lang voices him in English

Takahiro Sakurai plays the role of Geto and was amazed by how cool the protagonists of the movie are.^[12] Sakurai read the original Jujutsu Kaisen 0 before recording the movie which surprised him due to a major revelation about Geto. He received lectures by the director during recording of the movie. Among multiple traits from the character, Sakurai was surprised by the friendly relationship between Geto and Gojo. Although it was the first time Geto and Yuta interacted, Sakurai already worked with Ogata multiple times.^[13]

Lex Lang enjoyed Geto's characterization as despite he being the antagonist of the movie, he possesses several values which provides his character hidden depths. Lang enjoyed the mix between horror and fights in the series which surprised him in the making of the movie as well as the powers he employs.^[14] Lang says that the movie does a good job at exploring Geto especially due to the flashbacks that explore his younger times as a sorcerer with Gojo. However, he refrained from talking more about the character due to events that happen to him in the movie's climax.^[15]

Appearances

Suguru Geto is a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer and former classmate of Satoru and Shoko, and thus a student of Yaga. His Curse Technique allows him to absorb and control natural curses and use them for combat. During his time at Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High, Geto was an excellent student, as well as considered to be the strongest along with Gojo. First introduced in the prequel series Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Geto becomes interested by the curse of the young girl Rika Orimoto chasing the sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu who is being trained by Gojo.^[16] When Gojo is not present, Geto attacks Yuta and his friends, taking them down easily.^[17] However, Yuta reveals his sorcerer power and combines it with Rika now under his control to battle Geto. Overpowered, Geto uses his strongest technique, Maximum: Uzumaki (極 ( ごく ) ノ ( の ) 番 ( ばん ) 「うずまき」, Gokunoban・Uzumaki), but is taken down by Yuta's spell. Losing an arm in combat, Geto escapes from the area and plans a revenge plan to take Rika again. He is then spotted by Gojo who reminds him of their past but Geto asks him to kill him.^[18]

Jujutsu Kaisen explores Geto's past. When he and Gojo were both sophomores, they were assigned a mission: to escort the Star Plasma Vessel Riko Amanai, a girl whose purpose was to merge with the immortal sorcerer Tengen.^[19][20] The day Riko was to merge with Tengen, Gojo and the others were attacked by mercenary Toji Fushiguro.^[21] Toji defeats the two sorcerers and kills Amanai.^[22] As Gojo recovers and kills Toji, Geto began to doubt his duties as a sorcerer, annoyed by the people he should protect, and became convinced that to break the cycle in which every sorcerer is stuck in, it was necessary to kill all non-sorcerers and prevent the birth of other cursed spirits.^[23] He breaks free from the school, causing a massacre in a village, with him being declared a curse user. Gojo confronts his former friend about his crimes, but is unable to kill him and lets him go. After the mission failed, Geto developed a strong hatred for people without magical powers to the point of wanting to exterminate them all to give life to a world of sorcerers only, an act that, according to him, it would prevent the creation of cursed spirits and consequently end the cycle in which all sorcerers are trapped.^[24]

Although Geto is seemingly alive in Jujutsu Kaisen, planning to face Gojo again, his true identity is revealed upon seeing him.^[25] The man then reveals that he is an impostor who controls Geto's body through a technique that allows him to possess the bodies by changing his brain.^[26] Pseudo-Geto explains his plan to use Geto's ability to control cursed spirits for his goals, having previously used the body of Noritoshi Kamo (加茂憲倫, Kamo Noritoshi).^[27] Pseudo-Geto uses a Idle Transfiguration though Geto's Uzumaki to manipulate the souls of everyone he has marked across the years under the name of, as well as unleashing his cursed spirits, all to return the world to the Heian era, and escapes. In the aftermath of the Shibuya incident, Tokyo is overrun by curses.^[28] "Kamo" has started a "Culling Game" that everyone with cursed energy will be forced into. His true identity is revealed to be Kenjaku, and that he plans to use Tengen's vulnerable state to fuse all of humanity with him, leading to chaos through the curses.^[29][30]

Reception

Critical response to Geto has been favorable. Polygon liked the character of Suguru Geto, labeling him an entertaining villain who fights the lead Yuta who becomes incredibly energetic in the process.^[31] Geto was often compared by several critics with Marvel Comics villain Magneto due to their similar desires for supernatural individuals to rule.^[32][33][34] IGN instead compared him to Gellert Grindelwald from the Harry Potter due to how their beliefs involve the improvement of mankind which are questionably immoral in contrast to more kind character's method of thinking like Gojo or Okkotsu. This is explored in the movie where Geto explains that he does not care about humans who lack powers in his need to create his own utopia.^[35] The Fandom Post enjoyed Geto's story in the movie and looked forward to see his relationship with Geto. However, his own role as the villain was not seen as striking when compared with other famous series.^[36] Manga News looked forward to more focus about the relationship between Gojo and Geto.^[37] The Fandom Post acclaimed the English voice acting of Lex Lang as the best one in the movie.^[38]

Polygon praised MAPPA's most fight appealing ones scenes, mainly Yuta and Suguru Geto, to the point they are superior to most of their past works such as The God of High School.^[31] Comic Book Resources enjoyed the handling of Yuta's Curse and his relationship with the antagonistic Geto.^[39] While finding the fight between Okkotsu and Geto enjoyable, Yahoo believes that former and Inumaki's fight against a Curse in the film was better executed.^[34] Comic Book Resources noted the that while the film several changes, the inclusion of the first anime series characters but only as cameos. Meanwhile, Gojo's relationship with Geto was edited too in the final scene when compared to the manga which makes the former less emotive and tragic than in the original manga.^[40] In another article, the same site considered Geto and Itadori as parallels of the hero archetype based on why they become sorcerers to help others but often faced failures. However, the two characters were noted to have had different reactions to their failures which led them to take different paths with Itadori's friendship with Megumi Fushiguro giving him a more positive road in contrast to the loner Geto.^[41] Following the anime adaptation of the flashbacks that deal with Geto and Gojo's youth, Polygon noticed that there were several fans who made dojinshi stories with them and became hot topic in social media.^[42] Both Anime News Network and Why Though praised the handling of their relationship and the portayal of Geto's fall into madness.^[43][44]

In the climax of the movie, Yuta manages to overpower Geto who escapes after suffering severe wounds. As he tries to leave, Gojo appears and kills him. This scene confused the viewers of the movie due to Geto still appearing in the television series set a year after the movie. The nature of Suguru Geto's survival is not explained either in the first season of the anime and, instead, writers claimed that fans have to read the main series as the manga explains properly the nature of Suguru Geto once Gojo meets him again.^[45][46][47] With the eventual reveal that the Suguru Geto from the main series was Kenjaku, Comic Book Resources wrote that there was a chance of Geto somehow retaining his memories in a clash against his parasite when Gojo confronts him in the main series forcing Geto's arm to attack Kenjaku.^[48] Real Sound praised the complex story involving Geto and Gojo as well the plot twist that former was already dead in his introduction and instead was being used by Kenjaku.^[49] Manga News was negative to this twist as it ruins Geto's character due to previous focus of his backstory in previous volumes to be replaced by Kenjaku. However, another writer from the same site felt the twist was effective as it comes with a way to defeat Gojo since he was one of the most powerful characters in the story.^[50]

In promoting Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Uniqlo produced a series of shirts that have Geto's image.^[51] In a popularity poll from the series made in 2021, Geto took the 12th place.^[52] For the second poll, Geto's popularity rose, taking 4th place.^[53] Akutami also commented on Geto's popularity during a Valentine's Day where the author noted that it might be related to the release of the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie.^[54]

References

1. "Jujutsu Kaisen Creator Reveals His Secret Homages to Bleach and Yu Yu Hakusho". Comic Book. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
2. Akutami, Gege (2021a). 呪術廻戦 公式ファンブック [Jujutsu Kaisen Official Fanbook] (in Japanese). Shueisha. pp. 71–72. ISBN 978-4-08-882636-3.
3. Akutami, Gege (2021a). 呪術廻戦 公式ファンブック [Jujutsu Kaisen Official Fanbook] (in Japanese). Shueisha. p. 178. ISBN 978-4-08-882636-3.
4. "バラエティ". Fushi TV. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
5. Akutami, Gege (2021a). 呪術廻戦 公式ファンブック [Jujutsu Kaisen Official Fanbook] (in Japanese). Shueisha. p. 75. ISBN 978-4-08-882636-3.
6. Akutami, Gege (2021a). 呪術廻戦 公式ファンブック [Jujutsu Kaisen Official Fanbook] (in Japanese). Shueisha. p. 175. ISBN 978-4-08-882636-3.
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