A common sort of comment I see when folks are discussing tabletop RPGs, is whether or not a certain game could be used to run something from a particular media.

Since it’s still kind of popular in the zeitgeist, as of early 2026, I’m going to revisit a question I had awhile back about running something like the anime Jujutsu Kaisen using GURPS.

Specifically, I was asked about whether or not the Powers book would be useful for running a campaign based on Jujutsu Kaisen. The short answer to using GURPS for anything, is often “Only if you already know how to use GURPS.”

The Case For GURPS 4e

To be fair to GURPS 4e, while it has a lot of minutia, the most important, broad strokes are often included up front, with the finer details occurring as you go further into the text.

It explains the very basics of making a character, and how some basic rolls are done in the Character’s book. And for more specific rulings, you read the Campaigns book, find the section for what you’re looking for, and the most common scenarios are included up front, and more niche rules further.

A few GURPS books, such as Powers, do add a few extra mechanics, and explain how to use them to certain effects. And many other books explain how to use the rules available to certain effect, such as how GURPS Supers includes how to use the rules for a Superhero game, including some of the rules included in Powers.

It was in a video where I was discussing Supers and Powers that somebody asked me about Jujutsu Kaisen in GURPS, and truth be told, even the Basic Set of GURPS 4e can handle most Shonen Anime, since many of the special powers characters have in such shows can be represented by Advantages, and perhaps having the appropriate modifier.

Powers, meanwhile, included rules on how to group related advantages together. However, if you’re unfamiliar with GURPS, keep this in mind: you’re learning how to use three different rulebooks just to emulate your favorite anime. That can be a very difficult task, and one I’d only recommend if you and your friends are more into tabletop RPGs than you are anime

Otherwise, you’ll have a much better time learning a lighter game that more specifically matches what you’re trying to emulate. And luckily for fans of anime, since 2013, there’s been a massive influx of tabletop RPGs from Japan that fit that bill wonderfully.

The Case For Kami ga Kari

In the case of Jujutsu Kaisen, I could recommend the game Kami ga Kari; a modern day supernatural game about a hidden war between demons, humanity, and all sorts of supernatural critters in between. A theme that’s prevalent in a lot of Japanese media, games or otherwise: Jujutsu Kaisen included.

A common refrain I’ve heard when fielding suggestions for how to run a particular game to be like some certain show or other game, is that the person seeking suggestions doesn’t want to go through the trouble of learning a new game. This is where being very well versed in GURPS could come in handy, since emphasizing certain rules and mechanics can easily change the way the game plays out.

But, the approach of homebrewing or otherwise modifying rules in your game of choice to achieve a certain goal can get counter intuitive after a certain point. GURPS, HERO System, and many other generic systems have a wide array of mechanics with some sort of internal logic guiding their balance, and a great deal of freedom in designing characters.

The flip side to that, however, is that when everything is on the table, it can be daunting to sort out what’s relevant, and what isn’t. Which is why I recommend Kami ga Kari instead. It isn’t explicitly Jujutsu Kaisen, but it does have the explicit goal of being a game of conflict between supernatural beings.

And, has plenty of it’s own interesting ideas that aren’t necessarily explored in other game, such as various methods of improving one’s equipment that aren’t really exploring in games like D&D OR GURPS!