Warning: Contains spoilers for Witch Hat Atelier episode #8.If there’s any anime character who could be called the most popular character of the decade, it would have to be Jujutsu Kaisen’s Satoru Gojo. Between Gojo’s good looks, charismatic personality, and how he constantly justifies his status as the strongest character in Jujutsu Kaisen in increasingly dramatic ways, Gojo has quickly risen in popularity to the point that even people who don’t watch Jujutsu Kaisen recognize him, and it’s safe to say that he’s a major part of why the anime has become a worldwide phenomenon.
Gojo’s massive rise in popularity cannot be understated, and with him being absent from the anime since Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 and outright dying in the final arc of the manga, a question that needs to be asked is who, if anyone, can replace him in the anime fandom. At long last, one of Crunchyroll’s best new anime seems to have provided the perfect replacement for Gojo, and surprisingly, it does so by making a character who’s Gojo’s exact opposite.
Witch Hat Atelier Gives Fans The Villainous Gojo We’ve Been Waiting For
If there’s any character who can fill the same role as Gojo, it would have to be Qifrey from Bug Films’ Witch Hat Atelier. Not only are they both attractive magic users with blue eyes, white hair, and some sort of black eyewear, but they also act as teachers to a new generation of magic users and directly oppose the strict rules of their society, as well. That sort of writing isn’t unique, not even for Gojo, but the overlap between Gojo and Qifrey is still impossible to deny.
Witch Hat Atelier was first published in 2016, a year before Gojo’s debut in Jujutsu Kaisen 0.
What actually is different between Gojo and Qifrey, though, is how much more morally dubious Qifrey is than Gojo. From the start, Gojo was nothing but a hero, but by comparison, Qifrey is far more willing to manipulate people who are supposed to be his friends; he took on Coco as an apprentice less to help her and more because she was a lead to the Brimmed Caps, and in Witch Hat Atelier episode #8, he even erased the memories of Nolnoa, one of his oldest friends, so he wouldn’t go to the government and rob him of another lead.
Qifrey does care about people, and while he had his own agenda, his desire to protect Coco and teach her magic was genuine at the end of the day. That being said, the fact that he’s so willing to manipulate others for his goals still paints him in a far more negative light than anything Gojo ever did, and depending on how far the Witch Hat Atelier anime is willing to go with it, he might end up becoming an outright villain, even if he’s one with good intentions.
Why Witch Hat Atelier’s Gojo Replacement Is Its Best Character
Qifrey couldn’t be any more different from Gojo, and that’s what makes him one of the best characters in Witch Hat Atelier. The world of Witch Hat Atelier thrives on gray morality, with the villains often having genuine reasons for going against the system, and the ones in charge often supporting a blatantly unjust system to a degree that doesn’t justify the positives in the slightest. Because of that, Qifrey is someone who stands in the middle of both extremes, and it makes every action he takes all the more interesting to watch.
Crunchyroll’s Frieren Replacement Is Already Here, and It’s 2026’s Most Exciting New Fantasy Anime
A beautiful anime conveying the wonder at the core of fantasy magic, Witch Hat Atelier sets up a uniquely promising start for the Spring 2026 season.
What makes that even better is the emotional depth given to Qifrey at every turn. While the anime hasn’t fully delved into things, it’s clear that Qifrey’s actions are motivated by something tragic that happened between him and the Brimmed Caps, so even without the full context, there’s sympathy to be had in how Qifrey feels compelled to act the way he does when he clearly does love his friends and students. It all does a lot to flesh him out, and it’s already made him a major highlight of the series.
It’s hard to say if anyone will ever truly replace Gojo when it comes to popularity and relevance, especially when the Jujutsu Kaisen anime hasn’t ended yet, but from both their similarities and differences, Qifrey is one of the best-written and most entertaining substitutes a person could ask for, and it will be great to see what else Witch Hat Atelier does with him.
Witch Hat Atelier releases new episodes Mondays on Crunchyroll.
- Release Date
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April 6, 2026
- Network
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Tokyo MX
- Directors
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Ayumu Watanabe
- Writers
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Hiroshi Seko, Shirahama Kamome
Cast
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Natsuki Hanae
Qifrey (voice)
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Rena Motomura
Coco (voice)