Now that Jujutsu Kaisen has officially sputtered to a halt, we can explore a question that no one in the Bayern Munich fanbase has thought to ask (or cares about). If you took the players on the current squad and matched them with their closest equivalents from the manga, what would you end up with?
Context: Jujutsu Kaisen is a manga series written by Gege Akutami and published in Weekly Shonen Jump since March 2018. It is absurdly popular — you can be sure that even in the Bayern Munich squad, a player like Sacha Boey (who’s actually an anime fan) has at least heard of it. The manga recently concluded with its final chapter on 29 September, 2024, which prompted the creation of this article.
You can read the whole manga online officially via Mangaplus or Viz.
For the sake of brevity, we won’t cover every single player in the 26-man Bayern Munich squad in this article. Frankly, Jujustu Kaisen was so light on characterization, that finding twenty-six proper counterparts for the entire squad would be a tough ask. Instead, here are some of the major highlights, plus bonuses.
Manuel Neuer — Ryomen Sukuna
The greatest keeper of all time, a man who has won almost every trophy in world football, and has been around for what feels like forever. As far as Jujutsu Kaisen concerned, there is no one in the series who fits him better than the main antagonist himself, Ryomen Sukuna.
Even after everything is said and done, Sukuna lives up to his billing as the strongest in history. During the last arc of the series, the Shinjuku Showdown, he ran a gauntlet consisting of most of the other characters on this list, back-to-back without a break, and almost came out on top. Some of it was a little contrived, narratively speaking (“World cutting slash”, seriously?), but the character’s sheer overwhelming presence in the manga cannot be denied. Almost everyone tried, but no one could stand up to him. Not on their own.
The alternative choice for this spot was Tengen, but honestly Tengen was such a terrible character that it seems like an insult to compare Manuel Neuer to her. Let’s move on.
Sacha Boey — Panda
Yes, JJK has an intelligent, talking panda as one of its characters. Is this explained? Yes, extensively, in great detail. Does it have any effect on the plot? Uhhh …
The thing is, Sacha Boey just got here, and he’s not had a chance to make a meaningful impact on the squad as of yet. Panda, early on in the series, seemed like a quirky inclusion in a colorful cast of characters, but aside from his early fight with Mechamaru, he never actually participated in the action. From the Shibuya Incident onwards, his presence in the series was negligible at best.
Unlike Panda, whose legacy is set following the completion of the manga, Boey has time to turn things around. Maybe, if we revisit this list in a year’s time, we could pick someone new for him.
Dayot Upamecano — Fushiguro Megumi
The fact that this starts with a Reddit slander meme should really tell you all you need to know.
Dayot Upamecano has all the talent in the world. His attributes should make him the perfect center-back. He has pace, physicality, height, exceptional technical ability on the ball, and is perfectly suited to a high-intensity, pressing based system. Despite all of this, in big games, the Frenchman was more of a liability to his team than an asset. After his performance against Manchester City in 2023, and the numerous other high-profile gaffes since, Bayern Munich fans cannot bring themselves to trust him.
This earns him the dubious honor of being comparable to Fushiguro Megumi, the series deuteragonist. Introduced as early as chapter one, Megumi was instantly hyped up by Gege as a truly exceptional talent. Blessed with the Ten Shadows technique, one of the best cursed techniques in the series, plus the innate talent to perform a Domain Expansion (an exceptionally advanced technique in the JJK world, reserved for only the top tiers), he seemed well ahead of his peers in Yuji and Nobara.
Despite everything going for him, Megumi turned out to be the catalyst for the Shinjuku Showdown when he got taken over by Sukuna and used as a puppet. His Ten Shadows technique was turned against the protagonists, and became the reason why Gojo Satoru eventually lost his crucial duel with Sukuna. Later, Megumi’s failure to respond to Yuji’s appeal allowed Sukuna to escape Jacob’s Ladder and eventually beat Yuta and Maki — another catastrophe for the good guys.
In the manga, Megumi served as a tool to hurt the protagonists more than anything. He didn’t tame Mahoraga, he didn’t master his technique, he never got to stand shoulder to shoulder with his peers. Upamecano is on that same road, unless he turns it around. Maybe, if we revisit this down the line, the Megumi comparison won’t be applicable any more. Here’s hoping.
Kim Min-jae — Hanami
The cursed spirit Hanami, one of the so-called “disaster curses”, seemed like an absolute menace when they first appeared. They dominated the likes of Inumaki, Kamo, and Megumi, and almost killed Megumi and Maki straight-up. However, once Yuji and Todo showed up, the narrative flipped on Hanami and they were given a humiliating beatdown. Later, in the Shibuya Incident, Gojo Satoru effortlessly squished them like a grape.
Kim, who arrived from Serie A and initially made a good impression, suffered a similar fate last summer. Let’s hope things get a little better for him this season.
Alphonso Davies — Jogo
There’s no JJK character that fits Davies in terms of story, but attribute-wise he seems closest to Jogo. The volcano disaster curse effortlessly speedblitzed three other high-level characters, and the searing heat from his flame attacks turned most of Tokyo’s Shibuya ward into a sea of magma. Seems like a good fit for Davies, whose main attributes are his speed and attacking prowess.
Joshua Kimmich — Todo Aoi
THE best support in the series, always clutch, and took zero L’s.
Todo Aoi, the man with the (self-proclaimed) 530,000 IQ, acknowledged by both Gojo and Sukuna, who bailed out the protagonists numerous times. There’s really no better counterpart for Joshua Kimmich, who has come up clutch in so many Bayern Munich games over the years. The two also share a certain kind of insanity — Todo is borderline schizophrenic with his delusions, mirroring Kimmich’s over-the-top obsessive desire to win.
The Bruzzah of Bayern Munich? You be the judge.
Leon Goretzka — Zen’in Maki
Both Goretzka and Maki share only one thing in common — they are both incredibly gifted physically. In the JJK context, Maki has no cursed energy (basically magic), but instead has a “heavenly restriction” which grants her incredible strength and speed. Early on in the season, she casually catches a bullet during a fight, and only gets stronger from there.
The alternative choice was Fushiguro Toji (or Zen’in Toji, whichever name you prefer) but frankly, Goretzka lacks the sauce to be compared to him. If Robert Lewandowski were still at Bayern, he’d make a good Toji analogue.
If you’re still with me so far, congrats. There’s a lot more to go.
Aleksandar Pavlović — Nanami Kento
The exceptionally competent and businesslike Nanami Kento seems like an excellent fit for the young Aleksandar Pavlović, Bayern Munich’s new defensive midfielder. All we hope is that he doesn’t meet the same fate (in footballing terms) that Nanami did — being exploded by Mahito in one of the most gruesome and gut-punching deaths in the series.
Konrad Laimer — Choso
Choso, described by Tsukumo Yuki as “a man who’s hard working and muddy”, seems like a solid counterpart to Konrad Laimer, the relentless pressing engine of the Bayern Munich midfield. Choso never won a fight himself (unless the Yuji one counts, but he was still an antagonist at the time), but he was always there as a support, almost helping Yuki secure a W against Kenjaku, and later protecting Yuji from Sukuna’s Kamino technique at the cost of his own life.
Choso is fondly remembered by fans of the series for the sheer amount of work he put in.
Serge Gnabry — Hakari Kinji
Hakari Kinji, the gambler, is a man whose performance is based on luck. When his jackpot is active, his cursed technique gives him limitless cursed energy and makes him effectively invincible. Otherwise, he’s actually pretty mid. That’s pretty much what Gnabry is like whenever he plays for Bayern Munich.
If you’re an anime-only watcher, you probably have no idea who this is. Stay tuned for season three.
Kinsgley Coman — Kashimo Hajime
Another character who has yet to appear in the anime, Kashimo was the strongest sorcerer of his era before being reincarnated.
His lightning cursed energy and incredible speed, as well as his opening duel with Hakari makes him a solid counterpart to Kingsley Coman, who is similarly speedy and competes for a spot with Serge Gnabry.
Leroy Sané — Hana/Angel
Despite having an incredibly useful cursed technique, Hana/Angel (technically, Angel is an ancient sorcerer possessing the body of a modern era teenager named Hana) is derided by the fanbase for being unnecessarily useless. They could have killed Sukuna but fumbled, their technique is better in the hands of Yuta Okkotsu, and given the chance to kill a half-dead Sukuna for redemption, they fumbled it AGAIN.
This is another case of an unflattering comparison, given Sané’s tendency to completely disappear for large sections of the season.
Michael Olise — Higuruma Hiromi
The man with “talent to rival Gojo Satoru”, Higuruma Hiromi was only a sorcerer for a few months but quickly rose through the ranks to become top tier, earning recognition from even Sukuna himself.
This is similar to the case of Michael Olise, who’s only been at Bayern for a few months but has already wowed everyone with his performances. Hopefully, he doesn’t become another “potential man”.
Thomas Müller — Kenjaku
It was difficult to choose between Kenjaku and Takaba for a character who best embodies the spirit of Thomas Müller, a man who is unique in professional football. So here’s the reasoning for this particular choice.
Kenjaku is fundamentally goofy guy. He’s always affable and pleasant while on screen. He loves comedy, to the point that he can go toe to toe with a career comedian in Takaba, and keep coming out on top. In their battle, that is difficult to describe here, Kenjaku expertly countered Takaba’s reality altering cursed technique thanks to his own sense of humor and strange personality.
Kenjaku is smart. He has 1,000 years of jujutsu knowledge. He understands cursed energy better than anyone. His barrier techniques are some of the best in the series, and he’s the only person aside from Sukuna to have an open Doman Expansion. He has been plotting and scheming for centuries, waiting for the right time to strike. He is the mastermind behind the events of the entire manga, from the birth of the protagonist Yuji Itadori, to the revival of Ryomen Sukuna, the Shibuya Incident, the Culling Games, and so on.
Kenjaku is ruthless. He’s arguably the biggest villain in the story, which is seriously impressive given his competition includes the cannibal mass-murderer Ryomen Sukuna, and cursed spirits who were the embodiment of human fears and natural disasters. Actually explaining what he did in the series would probably breach SB Nation writing guidelines, so let’s move on.
Kenjaku is powerful. With Geto Suguru’s body, he earns the title of “special grade”, which only four sorcerers in the series can boast. He is widely considered a top three character in terms of strength, only behind Gojo and Sukuna. During the Shibuya Incident, he easily fended off an attack from Choso and the Kyoto school, hardly breaking a sweat in the process.
He later fought a 3v1 vs Tsukumo Yuki (another special grade), Choso, and Tengen, and came out on top with minimal injuries. The protagonists had to send Takaba to distract him, then had Yuta ambush him with Todo’s help just to guarantee victory.
Even with the series over, there’s a chance he may have survived — Gege hinted at it in the penultimate chapter.
With all of this in mind, there’s no one else that really comes close to being comparable with Thomas Müller. Both Müller and Kenjaku are smart, funny, ruthless, and a complete terror to their opponents. Also, much like Kenjaku, Müller seems to be headed for a disappointing end to his career, thanks to the next person on this list.
Jamal Musiala — Okkotsu Yuta
Okkotsu Yuta is sometimes derided as an overpowered isekai MC by fans of the series, because his list of powers and accomplishments is just a little too long.
Yuta has second highest cursed energy reserves in the series (second to Sukuna), he achieved “special grade” status only a few months after joining Jujutsu High, he beat fellow special grade sorcerer Geto while still just a teenager, his ability lets him copy cursed techniques almost at-will, and he was arguably the MVP of the Shinjuku Showdown after Gojo was defeated. We haven’t even mentioned Rika yet.
Now, with the other special grades dead and Sukuna defeated, Okkotsu Yuta is the strongest sorcerer left standing, and also the centerpiece of the next generation. Can you tell that Gege wanted him to be the original MC of the manga?
Absurdly talented, making a huge difference at a young age, and hailed as one of the best of the upcoming generation. The parallels to Jamal Musiala are uncanny.
Harry Kane — Gojo Satoru
Media: If you transferred from Spurs to Bayern Munich, would you finally win a trophy?
Kane: Well, if Thomas Tuchel coaches the team, it might give me some trouble.
Media: But would you lose?
Kane: Nah, I’d win.
Speaking of parallels, here’s another one. Harry Kane is perhaps one of, if not THE most talented strikers of his generation. Despite this, and a long career at the top level of football, he has failed to achieve anything worthy of his reputation.
This ties perfectly into the story of Gojo Satoru. When he was born, the world of jujutsu itself stood up and took notice. He was blessed with the Six Eyes and the Limitless cursed technique, making him effectively invincible in a fight. During his life, he was forever hailed as the strongest, because no one could stand up to him.
Despite this, Gojo’s life is a long string of failures and tragedies. As a teenager, he failed in his duty to protect Amanai Riko, leading to her assassination at the hands of Toji. This directly contributed to Geto Suguru’s mental collapse and subsequent psychotic break, which caused Gojo to lose his only friend to a dark path that would lead to his death.
If that’s not enough, Gojo failed to rescue Geto’s body from Kenjaku, and got sealed in the process. The sealing lead to the Shibuya Incident and the Culling Games, causing the murder of countless innocent civilians, as well as the execution of his mentor Yaga Masamichi, who was blamed the failure.
After being unsealed, Gojo promised to kill Kenjaku and save Megumi from Sukuna, and failed at both. Sukuna used Megumi, someone who Gojo practically raised from childhood as a surrogate parent, against him in their fight, leading to his death. Doing so also prevented Gojo from saving Geto’s body, thereby unable to give it a proper burial. After his death, he had no one to mourn him — with Geto dead he had no other friends, and only his student Yuji Itadori was shown thinking about him in the final chapter.
The worst part is, all of this happened because of Gojo’s inherent sense of compassion and fair play. He pushed himself to the limit to allow Amanai Riko to have a final few days at a normal life, which directly contributed to his loss to Toji and Riko’s death. His guilt caused him to overwork himself to protect innocents in the following months, which is why he wasn’t there to support Geto during his mental breakdown. He chose not to cremate Geto’s body after his defeat to Yuta (out of respect for his former friend) which allowed Kenjaku to take over the corpse and cause the events of the series.
His decision to spare Yuji from the execution demanded by the higher-ups directly lead to the resurrection of Ryomen Sukuna, which caused untold chaos and mayhem, including the suffering of his students (who he cared deeply about) and Gojo’s own eventual death.
Okay, maybe Harry Kane hasn’t had it as bad as Gojo. Still, in a footballing context, it’s comparable. Here you have someone with all the talent, someone hailed as the “strongest”, but with none of the achievements to show for it. There’s a tragedy in that — demonstrated by Gege’s handling of Gojo’s character.
And, if you’re a goalkeeper, this is the last thing you want to see.
Bonus:
- Sven Ulreich — Uraume (simps for Sukuna)
- Eric Dier — Kusakabe Atsuya (the knowledgeable veteran type)
- Josip Stanišić — Itadori Yuji (a never-give-up attitude)
- João Palhinha — Tsukumo Yuki (Kompany/Gege won’t let them participate)
- Uli Hoeneß — Gege Akutami (the man who’s really in charge)
