Every martial art in the world was designed for a specific context. Before you can try to compare two different martial arts, you need to understand the context in which the arts were developed -- whether they were intended for war or self defense or sport, and against what types of threat, or under what set of rules. Brazilian jiu-jitsu developed from the ancient art of classical jujutsu, but the two are very different.
Classical Jujutsu
Classical jujutsu was just one small part of the battlefield education of the Samurai warriors of ancient Japan. The Samurai normally fought in armor and with weapons, but it was always possible that a weapon could be dropped or broken in combat, so it was important for samurai to know how to grapple effectively in armor, find or expose a weak point in the opponent's armor, and kill him as quickly as possible. Classical jujutsu was developed for this purpose. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is designed for the very different purpose of safely forcing an opponent to submit in a sporting context.
Gendai Jujutsu
After the era of the Samurai ended in 1868, several schools of Japanese jujutsu were developed for modern use. Of course, these schools no longer emphasized the skills needed for grappling in armor on a medieval battlefield. Instead, they aimed to teach self-defense. However, they were often still taught in a highly traditional way, including the use of "kata" or formal exercises. These schools are known as "gendai" or "modern" jujutsu styles. One gendai jujutsu style was Kano jujutsu, which is now known as the sport of judo. Judo, as it was practiced in Brazil, later developed into Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Judo
Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, had studied two classical jujutsu styles before creating his own system. Unlike the traditional jujutsu systems, Kano emphasized sparring. To do so, he had to remove many of the classical techniques, which were designed to kill an opponent by getting him in a hold and then strangling him or stabbing him through a vulnerable spot in his armor. Judo became a modern sport that could be performed safely with realistic speed and power. One of the early students of judo was a man named Mitsudo Maeda, who brought the art to Brazil. The Gracie family developed judo into their art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which has gone on to become a dominant force in Mixed Martial Arts.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
If you compare Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the oldest classical jujutsu styles, it is really an apples and oranges comparison. The classical styles were invented for survival on a type of battlefield that no longer exists. Brazilian jiu-jitsu can be compared to gendai jujutsu to some extent because they both claim to train for modern self-defense. Many martial artists believe that the groundfighting methods of Brazilian jiu-jitsu are second to none, and that the art's emphasis on sparring is a far more realistic training method than the kata practice of most jujutsu styles. In the end, the most important question is the context in which the art was designed. Unlike classical jujutsu, Brazilian jiu-jitsu was designed for modern self-defense and sporting competition, and it excels in those arenas.
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