The manga, which was originally titled Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School,[b] was serialized in Shueisha's magazine Jump Giga from April to July 2017.

The series follows Yuta Okkotsu, a young student who becomes a sorcerer and seeks to control the Cursed Spirit of his childhood friend Rika Orimoto.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 received an anime film adaptation by MAPPA, which was directed by Sunghoo Park and premiered in Japan in December 2021.

Yuta Okkotsu is a timid, 16-year-old, high-school student who is haunted by Rika Orimoto, the Cursed Spirit of his childhood friend who died six years prior; they had promised to get married when they grew up.

During a mission, Maki motivates Yuta to fight if he wants to be accepted, which causes him to briefly control Rika to destroy a Cursed Spirit.

In a mission with Toge, Yuta is spotted by Suguru Geto, a powerful enemy sorcerer who was previously friends with Gojo, and wishes to eliminate all non-sorcerers.

Fearing for Yuta's safety, Gojo sends Panda and Toge to the school, where they and Maki clash with Geto, who severely wounds them.

In 2017, Gege Akutami suffered writer's block in regards to their manga, having lost the motivation they had when reading My Hero Academia and Hinomaru Sumo.

When Jujutsu Kaisen 0 was being written, the editor criticized the handling of Rika, believing a darker figure would be more suitable for the story, such as Oda Nobunaga.

While Yuta's unique white uniform was designed as a reference to problematic students, in the end he dons a black outfit to better fit in with his classmates.

Nevertheless, Akutami planned that once Yuta would return in Jujutsu Kaisen, he would once again wear a white uniform in hopes older readers would remember him.

The positive response to Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School, however, led him to turn the series into the main manga, Jujutsu Kaisen.

[8] Akutami included a line about Michizane Sugawara, a famous figure in Japanese history who is mentioned as Yuta and Gojo's predecessor, as a tribute to a late editor Yamanaka.

He also said Suguru Geto is a strong villain, believing he could have won his fight against Yuta if he had destroyed the supernatural barrier between Shinjuku and Kyoto.

[10] The four-chapter series Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School, was published in Shueisha's magazine Jump Giga from April 28 to July 28, 2017.

[18][19] A novel adaptation, written by Baraddo Kitaguni and based on a script by Hiroshi Seko, was published on the same day of the film's premiere on December 24, 2021.

Since it was released after the earlier volumes outside of Japan, Anime News Network and The Mary Sue evaluated the story as a prequel, calling the introduction of Yuta, often mentioned in Jujutsu Kaisen, intriguing.

[17][32] Manga News enjoyed the focus on Yuta's tragic romance and their deep bond in the story, and hoped he might return in Jujutsu Kaisen.

[38] Otaquest lamented the demoted roles of the supporting characters in the finale when they are defeated by Geto but noted the manga helps readers to further understand them.

[34] Despite Gojo being identical to his regular persona, critics found the pilot helps to further explore his past as a result of his tragic relationship with Geto, which reveals a major twist in the main series.

[32][34][33] Geto's link with Yuta through the late Sugawara no Michizane made Real Sound wonder if Akutami had planned to develop such character in the main series because it helps explain why the protagonist and his mentor are so powerful.

[39] Comic Book Resources stated the manga's artwork was well executed to portray the character's emotions and the story's dark elements.