I mean Megumi from JJK exists and hes a potential man as well.
Am I the only one who thinks that Mahito honestly fits tbe "potential man" meme better than Megumi? His whole shtick is "Oh look at me! I started off kinda ass, struggling against a somewhat above average Grade 1 sorcerer in a 1v1 (despite having hax that should have made that an easy fight, since he couldn't even hurt me), but I'm actually rapidly growing! Yeah, one day I'll grow to be some unstoppable monster that nobody can hope to challenge! One day! If I dont get bitched by a couple of Grade 1 sorcerers before that happens! But what are the odds of that?". Lol.
Jogo and the other curses propped him up as "the leader" despite him being the weakest because of his "potential". His rapid growth, his "potential" is his primary character gimmick. When he fought Yuji in Shibuya and he came up with his "true form" he talked such a big game about how it was his "birthday" and how he would go on to become so much more blah blah blah. The FANDOM even did this, because of shit like Sukuna's multiple mouths/sets of arms. "OMG, imagine if Mahito knew about this, OMG he could have been so much stronger! If he knew! Potentially!".
It doesn't help that immediately after he dies that Gege introduces a bunch of characters who should all be able to hurt him for the same reason Yuji can, and most of the notable reincarnated sorcerers would probably low diff him at worst (given how much he was struggling with half-dead Shibuya Yuji, just stat wise).
Even when he came back in Modulo, he got hyped like he was going to do something, BE something....... only to get bitched out. 😭😭😭
Not that I blame him on that last one, it was a mismatch, but its just funny. Mahito constantly got hyped for what he MIGHT become, but the reality is the only 1v1 fight he decisively won was against MECHAMARU of all people. And even then, if Mechamaru wasn't so distracted by having to fight Kenjaku afterwards and stayed focused, he might have actually beaten Mahito. He came pretty damn close. 😅