New Gen MC's vs. Old Gen MC's part 1: Ichigo Kurosaki or Yuji Itadori?

Yuji Itadori > Ichigo Kurosaki: Why This Time, the New Gen Wins

I know a lot of people are gonna hate me for this, but what the heck. I am saying this plainly: Yuji Itadori is a better written main character than Ichigo Kurosaki — and also a better MC overall. I know people love to praise Ichigo for his aura, his cool factor, his hybrid bloodline making him the ultimate trump card, but if we strip it all down and look at character writing, internal conflict, and how the story positions the MC? Yuji clears. And I am standing on that.

At base value, most people do not even clock Yuji as a main character. He does not look like one they say. He does not act like one. In fact, if you put him next to flashy characters like Gojo or Tengen or even Jin-Woo from Solo Leveling, people will point at those guys as the real stars. Gojo has got the aura, the drip, the godlike powers, the covered eyes that scream “I’m that guy.” Meanwhile Yuji? He is “just” a regular high schooler — or that is what the early story makes you think.

But let us not forget: Yuji chose to die in episode 1. Not to save the world, not to be the chosen one. Just to stop some curses. That is not flashy — that is, in my opinion raw. And as the story unfolds, you start to see the depth[I know how that sounds]. This guy does not view himself as a hero or a protagonist. He literally calls himself a cog in the machine. A tool. Someone whose will does not matter — just kill curses and die.

Ichigo, on the other hand, was never normal. From day one he could see ghosts. And when Rukia shows up, the idea of protecting his family is noble, sure, but it is also textbook. That is a safe motive. We already knew Ichigo was built different. Bleach made it clear early on — this kid has got something. And it just escalated. Soul Reaper. Quincy. Hollow. Fullbring. Whatever you want, Ichigo is the jack in the box. He is the hybrid answer to every villain. And that is the problem. His impact on the story is engineered. Every major arc bends to Ichigo’s bloodline. He is important because the plot makes him important.

Yuji’s story is not like that. When we found out Kenjaku is his mother? It was not framed like: “This is why Yuji is special.” It was more like: “Damn. Even his birth was out of his control.” The story does not glorify that twist. Heck, even Yuji himself did not know. It just adds more weight on Yuji’s shoulders. He is not some Naruto copy with a demon fox; Sukuna is not Kurama. Yuji is not Naruto. Sukuna hates him. Yuji gets violated by Sukuna. Gets blamed for things he did not do. And what does he do? He pleads guilty. Not because he was guilty — Higuruma’s domain literally proved his innocence — but because Yuji felt guilty. That one act changed Higuruma. That is what impact looks like.

Yuji does the quiet things. The unflashy things. Tanking punches from Hakari just to get him to help. Going toe-to-toe with Mahito not because he wanted revenge, but because it was the right thing to do. He never once said, “I’m the only one who can stop them.” He just acted. And somehow people still call him mid? — because he is not the flashiest in his own series? What a weak argument. You cannot say you hate when MCs overshadow the cast, then turn around and hate Yuji because he does not. Pick a side nigga. 

Gege Akutami may have fumbled many things in JJK. I am not defending everything. But he did this one thing right: Yuji’s role was clear. Everyone had moments, right? Everyone got to shine. And in the end? Yuji still killed the villain. He did what Gojo could not do. He was not overshadowed — he was just never obsessed with the spotlight.

Now compare that to Bleach. How many characters had potential to go further but got shafted? Uryu, Chad, Orihime, Karin, Ulquiorra — the list goes on. Bleach is a story where Ichigo’s hybrid nature dictated everything. He did not grow into power — he discovered it. Yuji, on the other hand, trained. Bled. Lost. Carried the weight of people who died because of Sukuna — and still kept going. That is progression. That is writing believe it or not. That is heart.

So yeah. Ask 10 people, maybe 7 pick Ichigo. And most of them will still turn around and complain about MCs hogging all the relevance. E.g Sung Jin-Woo. I am not saying Ichigo is a bad character — far from it. But Yuji? He is real to be honest. He did not need 3 transformations or crazy lineage powers to stay relevant. He never felt like a plot device. He was never made to be “the chosen one.” He was just someone trying to help — even in a world that gave him no meaning. That is why I will ALWAYS pick Yuji.

And this time?

New Gen wins.

But what do I know? This is just my opinion. Let us know what you think down in the comments below. Cheers!