Warning: Contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen and Jujutsu Kaisen 0.
The way that Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is structured allows it to avoid the biggest problem that Demon Slayer: Mugen Train had. Both movies were the latest installments to come out of Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, respectively, but each of the two films relate to their franchises in different ways. Mugen Train’s relation to the wider Demon Slayer series ended up causing some problems for both viewers and season 2 of the anime - but the way that Jujutsu Kaisen 0 does things makes it far less likely for the same issues to emerge.
While most anime movies are essentially noncanonical filler, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train was a direct continuation of where Demon Slayer season 1 left off, and as successful as the film was, that still resulted in some problems. Since the movie was the latest installment of the story, that made it essential viewing for the anime, so anyone who didn’t see it would be completely lost on what was happening. Demon Slayer season 2 tried to work around this by spending its first half recapping Mugen Train, but that was criticized by many people, as well. Mugen Train was written to be viewed as a movie, and Ufotable’s attempt at breaking it up into a single hour of anime resulted in the pacing slowing to a crawl, which made people wish that they had just skipped right to the Demon Slayer Season 2 "Entertainment District” arc, especially since the original movie was already available for streaming and would see a physical release not long after Demon Slayer season 2 began.
Mugen Train’s placement in canon caused a variety of problems for both the anime and its audience, but Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is unlikely to cause the same issues. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a prequel to the original Jujutsu Kaisen anime, so that means it doesn’t have to be seen for someone to understand what happens next in the story. Because of that, once Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 starts, Studio MAPPA likely won’t spend time recapping the film as opposed to getting right to the new content.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is important to the overall series, especially in showcasing Yuta’s character and later revelations about Geto - but even in the manga, the events of the story aren’t given a large amount of focus. The basic details of Geto being Gojo’s best friend who he had to kill after he turned evil are still covered in the main series, so people can understand the basic parts of his character without Jujutsu Kaisen 0; the manga having an entire flashback arc starring Geto, in addition to the reveal that the Geto in the main series is actually the sorcerer Kenjaku possessing his body, also helps with that. For Yuta, while his later appearances in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga do make more sense for anyone familiar with the prequel story, the manga still provides enough details and characterization for someone to understand his character, so it still ends up not being entirely vital to the overall experience.
Even if someone doesn’t see Jujutsu Kaisen 0 because it’s a prequel story, it’s not essential viewing for the anime, so people can choose to skip it and not miss out on anything too important. This is the exact opposite of Demon Slayer: Mugen Train which, because of its importance to Demon Slayer’s story, caused problems for the people who didn’t see it and the anime for trying to work around that. All of that means that once Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 comes out in 2023, it will be much easier for people to be transitioned into new material than it was for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
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