Jiu-jitsu Kaisen is a notoriously gross anime — in the second episode, Yuji Itadori eats a shriveled, chopped-up finger. This Jiu-jitsu Kaisen and weird things you can eat go hand in hand. So when I heard that McDonald’s was partnering with the show to bring a new sauce to consumers, I had to try it.
It’s called Special Grade Garlic Sauce, a term that refers to the highest ranking for a fighter, cursed tool, or cursed spirit in the world of the anime series, and it’s available as part of a larger partnership between McDonald’s and Jiu-jitsu Kaisen which started on Tuesday.
According to McDonald’s, the sauce will allow consumers to “harness the immense power” of the show’s beloved jujitsu wizards.
Image: McDonald’s
The name of the sauce implies that it has a high level of dark sorcery in the world. For example, one of the Special Grade fighters in Jujutsu Kaisen, Gojo Satoru, can alter space-time. So the Special Grade Garlic Sauce should be just as powerful.
The only thing this sauce did was change the scent of my room. After carefully peeling the foil off of Sukuna from its small plastic wrapper, I immediately smelled a hint of garlic, soy, and a sweet, syrupy aroma, even though the sauce was more than a foot away from my face.
Unfortunately, the sauce’s cursed techniques ended there. I put some on my chicken sandwich, for starters. The first thing I noticed was that it tasted very garlicky, but that flavor quickly disappeared behind a wall of sugar. The sweetness of the sauce overshadowed any flavor I got from the soy and garlic ingredients. McDonald’s claims that “even Sukuna would eat this,” but I’m not convinced it’s potent enough for the almighty villain.
I was ready for a sauce so overwhelmingly intense that the flavor would linger for days. Instead, it was just fine. If I had the choice between this sauce and nothing, I would choose the sauce — but knowing how great the Jiu-jitsu KaisenMcDonald’s could have put a little more effort into this.
I know Jiu-jitsu Kaisen for its blood-curdling monsters and the willingness of its manga creator Gege Akutami to push even his most beloved and charming characters into the depths of hell. I want to dip Sukuna’s finger in the sauce — or, better yet, eat something inspired by the Frankenstein-esque monstrosity of MahitoMcDonald’s Special Grade Garlic Sauce failed to live up to the potential the show promised.
I understand that McDonald’s officially has to sell edible food, but this sauce just wasn’t good enough.