Jujutsu Kaisen is the flavor of the month, and perhaps the entire Summer 2023 season with its current anime adaptation. Season 2 has been a spectacular showcase of production value, quality animation, and intimate character development for several of its core cast. But for the anime-only folks who don’t venture beyond what’s broadcast in episodic format, they might have one key question. How does Jujutsu Kaisen 0 factor in, and do you need to watch it before Season 2?
Should You Watch the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Movie Before JJK Season 2?
While you can get away with not having watched it before Season 1, you must watch Jujutsu Kaisen 0 before Season 2 Episode 8 of the anime. Ideally, you should watch it before starting the season or no later than after Episode 5, though. It fits chronologically with the storytelling (after Hidden Inventory, before Shibuya Incident) and will make the most sense to watch it before then.
Related: Jujutsu Kaisen Anime Season 2 Release Date Schedule 2023
But another case for watching it is that JJK 0 is just plain good. It’s got that signature MAPPA excellence in its finished product, it’s astoundingly well-animated and wisely focuses on fun supporting characters. The story focuses on Yuta Okkotsu with a heartfelt, tragic love story and an interesting perspective on curses in the series. JJK 0 also has highlights including Toge Inumaki and Suguru Geto after the events of the Hidden Inventory Arc.
Where Does Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Fall In the JJK Timeline?
To simplify events and distill them in terms of anime arcs, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is also known as the Cursed Child Arc and is placed after the Hidden Inventory Arc, before Season 1. The timeline is as follows:
- JJK Season 2 Episodes 1-5
- JJK 0
- JJK Season 1
- JJK Season 2 Episodes 8-23
You’ll notice I don’t list S2 Episodes 6 and 7, as they are recaps. In the worst-case scenario, you can watch these instead of 0 or even Season 1, but then you’d be deprived of the joy of watching this series.
Is There a Best Viewing Order for JJK?
You don’t necessarily have to watch the entire series in chronological order, and if you have the luxury to do so, watch it in the order by which it was released. This order is as follows:
- JJK Season 1
- JJK 0
- JJK Season 2
The common theme with these lists is that you should watch Jujutsu Kaisen 0 before getting too far into Season 2. This will cause certain character appearances and moments to make far more sense, and it’s available to watch on Crunchyroll!
