Highlights
- A Jujutsu Kaisen-inspired essay submitted to the 2026 Tom Rocks Maths Essay Competition explores Gojo Satoru’s Infinity through mathematical concepts.
- The paper demonstrates how anime and manga can serve as accessible frameworks for explaining complex STEM topics to broader audiences.
- Its inclusion in an Oxford-linked academic showcase reflects the growing role of anime in scholarly research, extending beyond cultural studies into other fields.
A mathematics essay inspired by Jujutsu Kaisen character Gojo Satoru’s Infinity cursed power has sparked discussion beyond anime fandom. The paper, titled Mathematics Behind Jujutsu Kaisen: Gojo Satoru's Infinity, was submitted by Achmad Roykhan Sabiq to the 2026 Tom Rocks Maths Essay Competition, which is organized in partnership with the University of Oxford.
Sabiq’s essay examines how Gojo Satoru’s Infinity can be interpreted through real mathematical concepts. Mathematics Behind Jujutsu Kaisen: Gojo Satoru's Infinity is currently part of the competition’s public showcase, with winners yet to be announced.
The Tom Rocks Maths Essay Competition was organized in partnership with Oxford Lifelong Learning at the University. Winners will be selected by Dr. Tom Crawford, the Mathematics lecturer behind the Tom Rocks Maths outreach project.
Sabiq’s Essay on Gojo’s Infinity and Anime as an Academic Subject
Sabiq’s submission highlights how anime is increasingly being treated as a gateway for explaining complex academic concepts. The essay uses Gojo’s Infinity as a framework to discuss established mathematical concepts, including Zeno's paradox, geometric series, Lebesgue measure, and Riemannian geometry.
The paper also shows how the character’s ability can help explain abstract mathematical ideas to a general audience. Mathematics Behind Jujutsu Kaisen: Gojo Satoru's Infinity also draws on a 2021 Jump GIGA feature, Jujutsu Kaisen : Abyss of Math Course, in which mathematicians discussed the logic behind Gojo’s technique.
The approach mirrors an academic trend, where universities and researchers use pop culture in academic disciplines such as literature, cultural studies, philosophy, media studies, and linguistics to examine complex cultural and scientific concepts.
Previously, MDPI's 2018 article, titled Anime in Academia, traced how anime entered Japanese studies programs as a way to teach students about history, business, and gender dynamics through popular media. However, anime’s entry into scholarship predates this recent wave by two decades.
Mechademia, University of Minnesota Press’s biannual academic publication launched in 2006, examines anime and manga alongside gaming and fan culture through a critical lens. Similarly, the Journal of Anime and Manga Studies, based at the University of Illinois, runs a peer-reviewed process specifically for anime, manga, and cosplay-related research.
Sabiq's Jujutsu Kaisen essay and Gojo’s technique may not settle unresolved questions in theoretical mathematics. Its inclusion, however, in an Oxford-linked showcase indicates how anime and manga are slowly becoming source materials for not only cultural studies, but STEM studies as well.
