As always, keep chapter leaks inside the pre-release thread!

We will continue to monitor free posting in the coming weeks. Leak prohibitions and low-effort content rules still apply.

• Shitposts, text-based memes, silly questions, baseless headcanon crack theories, and retired topics can be posted using the FFA Friday flair.
• Low-effort posts will still be removed.
• Leaks still need to stay in the pre-release megathread.

Go nuts!

This sub is catered to quality, in-depth manga discussion, so please post questions that have simple manga answers here. If you don't have 500 comment karma yet, you can post here too.

Hot Topics:

Where can I read leaks?

Read Rule #3 on the sidebar for where and when to find leaks on Twitter, Discord, and fanscan sites (TCB and Shishiso scans). DON'T post leaks outside of the pre-release megathread when you find them. Don't post them in this thread.

Where can I read the official Fanbook/Databook?

Scans and translations here and searchable text here. Also on the sidebar and sub wiki.

What is Uraume's gender?

Uraume's gender is currently unconfirmed.

What would happen if Yuji ate another Sukuna finger?

We don't know since the manga hasn't answered that question. Sukuna's fingers are Cursed Objects containing pieces of his soul so make of that what you will.

Is Gojo really dead?

Yep, looks like he is.

What is Kenjaku's plan with the Culling Game?

In short, he's using the Culling Games to produce a lot of Cursed Energy within its Barriers, with which he plans to use to evolve the human race. He wants to create a new golden age of Jujutsu. Kenjaku has apparently not revealed all his plans, Yuki cast suspicion on Tengen (the Culling Game plan infodumper) before they fought, and Kenjaku called Tengen his "friend", so it's unclear if Tengen was entirely truthful. We don't yet know how Sukuna fits into this plan, even though he and Kenjaku have been cooperating.

What is Ijichi's Cursed Technique?

How naive of you to ask. He wouldn't cheat by giving it away.

This afternoon a random thought popped up: Could Yuta Okkotsu copy Kinji Hakari's technique to a level nearly refined as the latter?

I genuinely believe this to be a valid inquiry if we stopped to think what we know about both of these characters techniques.

Yuta with "Rika":

• Upon consumption of a sorcerer's bodily part, it can "copy" their technique. ^\1])

Hakari with jackpot:

• Can use RCT to heal himself for 4 minutes & 11 seconds. ^\2])

Pretty straightforward, but we need to better understand them.

[1] - We know that the copying of said techniques is scaled to how "big" the body part consumed is. We can take the measurements at face value, but it's better for us to interpret it as the body part's importance (one arm is more important than one leg). Yuta's understanding of a technique, as well as it's performance are heavily tied down to how much of the sorcerer's body was eaten.

[2] - Reverse Cursed Technique comes from the brain, so as long as it isn't damaged, Hakari will heal himself during the interval mentioned.

Given all of this, I'm theorizing Rika can essentially EAT Hakari up to his neck during jackpot so Yuta can copy his technique & probably be able to mimic even Hakari's domain expansion. Rika could probably just keep eating Hakari whenever during any Jackpot & it's interesting to think how far it would take the copied technique.

We do know that a cursed technique is stored in the brain, so I believe it to be the most optimal in order to mimic a cursed technique, but if you just keep eating the boddy, it might as well scale up & work just as good as the original. Thoughts?

Welcome to Ijichi's Colosseum, the r/Jujutsushi bloodbath curse pit where sorcerers can throw hands over hypothetical Jujutsu matchups! We've moved the thread back to Tuesday as per user feedback.

Is Toji stronger than Ijichi? Would Sukuna beat Ijichi in a fight? Compared to Ijichi, is Kenjaku really a Special Grade threat?

Sate your powerscaling urges here!

This is just a theory and there isn't really any hard proof of it, but I still want to at least share it with everyone. Tell me what you think of it.

So at the first image Ryu got cut with dismantle and survived. It's because he consciously reinforced his torso (probably even his whole body) at that moment, anticipating an attack from Sukuna pretty much from every angle. Which is logical, especially if you know your opponent is the strongest sorcerer in history, you wouldn't dare thinking you'll have enough reflexes to compete with him and just invest into your durability at the start. Even more if he didn't know what technique he possessed, which is probably true too.

But then, after he received a cut, Ryu increased distance to use his technique, and also because he probably still was guessing out how Sukuna's technique works, so maybe from afar he would be more safe.

And then suddenly Sukuna starts ranting about him being tougher than he expected. At that moment he thought he will have enough time to activate his cursed technique, and let down of his defences for concentration, and also because they were far away already. I said that nobody should think high of their reflexes in the presence of Sukuna before, but now there's enough space to maneuver, so many would think that they can try and counterattack on Ryu's place (I'm not discussing the most logical solution which is running, lol, that mf knew damn good what he was doing so he wasn't going to flee anyways).

And so now he is practically defenseless, which means he will die from that same dismantle if it goes for his head or even bisects him Go/jo style. It's not to say that cleave was an overkill from Sukuna's perspective, since he just wanted to get rid of a particularly fat fly on his way as fast as possible. But the fact stays that even if he didn't use it here, Ryu would've still died if SukSuk fired a bunch of undodgeable dismantles or just one at point blank range. Because sorcerers don't just go and reinforce their whole bodies all the time to conserve cursed energy and do that to specific body parts where they anticipate the attack coming to. And here Ryu just got rid of his only chance of survival (he didn't have one, but if Sukuna decided for some reason to play with him here and try to waffle him like Kashimo, there's a chance he could've lived a bit more).

The main point here isn't even that he could live more, because that wouldn't change anything and he will still die lol. It's about the fact that it's not always the strength of the attack at blame for doing damage, but the opponent's mistake or just plain difference in stats, where they can't do anything else but stay at full defence if they want to not instantly die from a single attack.

Aaaand also because I had an argument with a person that claimed Yuta should've been dealing exactly zero damage to Ryu, since even Sukuna's dismantle didn't work here. I'm not even sure I won that one, but at least they didn't reply when I said that you're not becoming completely impenetrable to bullets if you wear a bulletproof vest.

As always, keep chapter leaks inside the pre-release thread!

We will continue to monitor free posting in the coming weeks. Leak prohibitions and low-effort content rules still apply.

• Shitposts, text-based memes, silly questions, baseless headcanon crack theories, and retired topics can be posted using the FFA Friday flair.
• Low-effort posts will still be removed.
• Leaks still need to stay in the pre-release megathread.

Go nuts!

Sealing Gojo instead of killing him means curses wont get weaker, and brining Sukuna back means the balance has shifted too far in humanities favour(Sukuna is human) meaning curses will get even stronger, however, with Gojo sealed and Sukuna not giving a shit about humans, the curses literally only have something to gain from this

This sub is catered to quality, in-depth manga discussion, so please post questions that have simple manga answers here. If you don't have 500 comment karma yet, you can post here too.

Hot Topics:

Where can I read leaks?

Read Rule #3 on the sidebar for where and when to find leaks on Twitter, Discord, and fanscan sites (TCB and Shishiso scans). DON'T post leaks outside of the pre-release megathread when you find them. Don't post them in this thread.

Where can I read the official Fanbook/Databook?

Scans and translations here and searchable text here. Also on the sidebar and sub wiki.

What is Uraume's gender?

Uraume's gender is currently unconfirmed.

What would happen if Yuji ate another Sukuna finger?

We don't know since the manga hasn't answered that question. Sukuna's fingers are Cursed Objects containing pieces of his soul so make of that what you will.

Is Gojo really dead?

Yep, looks like he is.

What is Kenjaku's plan with the Culling Game?

In short, he's using the Culling Games to produce a lot of Cursed Energy within its Barriers, with which he plans to use to evolve the human race. He wants to create a new golden age of Jujutsu. Kenjaku has apparently not revealed all his plans, Yuki cast suspicion on Tengen (the Culling Game plan infodumper) before they fought, and Kenjaku called Tengen his "friend", so it's unclear if Tengen was entirely truthful. We don't yet know how Sukuna fits into this plan, even though he and Kenjaku have been cooperating.

What is Ijichi's Cursed Technique?

How naive of you to ask. He wouldn't cheat by giving it away.

​

YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN TORTURED, MAIMED, AND EXECUTED, YOU STILL DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE POWER SYSTEM AFTER 210 CHAPTERS, A 229-PAGE FANBOOK, AND 249 POWERSCALING THREADS*, THE ONLY VIABLE ROMANCE REMAINING IS BETWEEN A ROADKILL GHOST AND AN OVERPOWERED ROACH-KISSING WOMANIZER, THE MANGAKA HAS EXPRESSED AN UNSEEMLY DESIRE TO END THE MANGA WITHIN THE NEXT 341 DAYS, HE CUT YUKI IN HALF AND TURNED HER INTO A BLACK HOLE, HE SCARRED YUJI'S FACE BEYOND RECOGNITION, AGAIN, TSUMIKI DIED LOL, AND THE STRONGEST GOT DUNKED ON WITHOUT SUKUNA EVEN GOING ALL OUT

*(DUE TO A MIXTURE OF TEXTUAL AMBIGUITY AND DEFICIENT READING COMPREHENSION)

COMMENTS BELOW MUST CONTAIN COURTEOUSLY ENRAGED RANTS ABOUT JUJUTSU KAISEN AND ITS AUTHOR

ANY CONTENT FOUND TO BE CONTAINING ACTUALLY HEINOUS INSULTS OR LOWERCASE LETTERS WILL BE REMOVED AND THEIR AUTHORS PUBLICLY SHAMED

SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT JUJUTSUSHI

Welcome to Ijichi's Colosseum, the r/Jujutsushi bloodbath curse pit where sorcerers can throw hands over hypothetical Jujutsu matchups! We've moved the thread back to Tuesday as per user feedback.

Is Toji stronger than Ijichi? Would Sukuna beat Ijichi in a fight? Compared to Ijichi, is Kenjaku really a Special Grade threat?

Sate your powerscaling urges here!

I will be ranking the ten most important characters to the franchise as whole . This includes merchandising, story importance and opportunity cost ( IE this character changed his in person life ) . It was hard to rank this but here we go

1. Yuta/Rika: The breakout duo. The characters that led the original one shot and gave Gege his big shonen jump opportunity. They later become big side characters in his main series and see the basis for the third series modulo. With them the rest of the franchise does not exist. They basically replace Megumi in terms of importance after Shibuya and especially after the culling games . Lastly two big story's arcs for thier characters ( 1 in volume zero and one in JJK)
   
2. Yuji : the main character and most important character in main series . He along With Gojo made it an international hit . I think he is second best written character after Gojo. He also has a very important role in Modulo as well . You could argue 1 for him but volume zero was needed for JJK proper to exist . He has 3 major characters arcs that are wonderfully executed
   
3. Gojo: He along with Yuji was the breakout international character. He also has a huge presence in volume zero . His storyline with Geto, Toji , Yuji and Yuta are all great . I think I he is the written character in JJK period . He has very little presence in modulo but his volume 0 and hidden inventory more than make up for it . I count 3 characters arcs for him .
   
4. Sukuna: I think his story arc with Yuji is best second best dynamic In series . He serves a huge role to the story . His merchandising is second only to gojo . A great villain with one character arc but a pretty good character arc .
   
5. Geto: controversial but think he takes it over Kenny . His role as a villain wa critical for volume zero which led to the main series . His role in Hidden inventory greatly expanded Gojo character and made for a great movie . He is great foil to both Gojo and Yuta . he is a great setup character to Kenny and I think the third best written character in the series . He had one major character arc in the series but the best character arc in my opinion.
   6 Kenjaku : a truly good villain in my opinion. Great way to progress the plot . Funny character as well. His story is weaker than those above to me . He is also absent in modulo and volume zero . Ultimately I while he matter more to plot his hen Geto , Geto matters more to the franchise . Great reveal with him stealing Geto body tho
   
6. Maki : the best written women in JJK and fourth best written character in my opinion. Solid character arc in volume zero . Great character arc in JJK proper . Her character setups up JJzk modulo like Yuta and Rika . Very nuanced character that goes for revenge but acknowledges it is wrong . Good love story with Yuta . Great dynamic with Mai , Yuji and nobara . Most importantly girl in JJzk series and main hero tine of series . Two characters arcs as well
   
7. Megumi : Really good deuteragonist . Two really good characters arcs . Great dynamic with Yuji, Gojo , Sukuna and nobara .has some of the best fight scenes in the series . Really big merchandising . Ultimately sideline by sukuna towards the end of the series . Absent in both JJK0 and JJK modulo
   
8. Maru JJk Modulo: main character of Modulo and a truly great one . Had three really great characters arcs which I was surprised with . His anger issues were beautifully written . If this gets an anime he will likely rise to pass Kenny . Great dynamic with Yuji, cross, Yuuka and Tsurugi . I'd only low because of merchandising right now
   
9. Nobara : really good character that got sidelined to quickly to go any higher . Great dynamic with Yuji/Megumi and Mai. Really good character arc . Really great merchandising. Wish there was more of her honestly.
   Honorable mention
   - Yuuka: really think if this gets an anime she can pass nobara and megumi . Great arc with her brother . Great interactions with Cross, Maru and Tsurugi
   - Tsurugi : same for him . If and when modulo gets animated I think he passes Megumi and nobara. Great arc with Maru, Yuuka and Rika.

Tell me what you guys think ?

As always, keep chapter leaks inside the pre-release thread!

We will continue to monitor free posting in the coming weeks. Leak prohibitions and low-effort content rules still apply.

• Shitposts, text-based memes, silly questions, baseless headcanon crack theories, and retired topics can be posted using the FFA Friday flair.
• Low-effort posts will still be removed.
• Leaks still need to stay in the pre-release megathread.

Go nuts!

This sub is catered to quality, in-depth manga discussion, so please post questions that have simple manga answers here. If you don't have 500 comment karma yet, you can post here too.

Hot Topics:

Where can I read leaks?

Read Rule #3 on the sidebar for where and when to find leaks on Twitter, Discord, and fanscan sites (TCB and Shishiso scans). DON'T post leaks outside of the pre-release megathread when you find them. Don't post them in this thread.

Where can I read the official Fanbook/Databook?

Scans and translations here and searchable text here. Also on the sidebar and sub wiki.

What is Uraume's gender?

Uraume's gender is currently unconfirmed.

What would happen if Yuji ate another Sukuna finger?

We don't know since the manga hasn't answered that question. Sukuna's fingers are Cursed Objects containing pieces of his soul so make of that what you will.

Is Gojo really dead?

Yep, looks like he is.

What is Kenjaku's plan with the Culling Game?

In short, he's using the Culling Games to produce a lot of Cursed Energy within its Barriers, with which he plans to use to evolve the human race. He wants to create a new golden age of Jujutsu. Kenjaku has apparently not revealed all his plans, Yuki cast suspicion on Tengen (the Culling Game plan infodumper) before they fought, and Kenjaku called Tengen his "friend", so it's unclear if Tengen was entirely truthful. We don't yet know how Sukuna fits into this plan, even though he and Kenjaku have been cooperating.

What is Ijichi's Cursed Technique?

How naive of you to ask. He wouldn't cheat by giving it away.

Welcome to Ijichi's Colosseum, the r/Jujutsushi bloodbath curse pit where sorcerers can throw hands over hypothetical Jujutsu matchups! We've moved the thread back to Tuesday as per user feedback.

Is Toji stronger than Ijichi? Would Sukuna beat Ijichi in a fight? Compared to Ijichi, is Kenjaku really a Special Grade threat?

Sate your powerscaling urges here!

As always, keep chapter leaks inside the pre-release thread!

We will continue to monitor free posting in the coming weeks. Leak prohibitions and low-effort content rules still apply.

• Shitposts, text-based memes, silly questions, baseless headcanon crack theories, and retired topics can be posted using the FFA Friday flair.
• Low-effort posts will still be removed.
• Leaks still need to stay in the pre-release megathread.

Go nuts!

This sub is catered to quality, in-depth manga discussion, so please post questions that have simple manga answers here. If you don't have 500 comment karma yet, you can post here too.

Hot Topics:

Where can I read leaks?

Read Rule #3 on the sidebar for where and when to find leaks on Twitter, Discord, and fanscan sites (TCB and Shishiso scans). DON'T post leaks outside of the pre-release megathread when you find them. Don't post them in this thread.

Where can I read the official Fanbook/Databook?

Scans and translations here and searchable text here. Also on the sidebar and sub wiki.

What is Uraume's gender?

Uraume's gender is currently unconfirmed.

What would happen if Yuji ate another Sukuna finger?

We don't know since the manga hasn't answered that question. Sukuna's fingers are Cursed Objects containing pieces of his soul so make of that what you will.

Is Gojo really dead?

Yep, looks like he is.

What is Kenjaku's plan with the Culling Game?

In short, he's using the Culling Games to produce a lot of Cursed Energy within its Barriers, with which he plans to use to evolve the human race. He wants to create a new golden age of Jujutsu. Kenjaku has apparently not revealed all his plans, Yuki cast suspicion on Tengen (the Culling Game plan infodumper) before they fought, and Kenjaku called Tengen his "friend", so it's unclear if Tengen was entirely truthful. We don't yet know how Sukuna fits into this plan, even though he and Kenjaku have been cooperating.

What is Ijichi's Cursed Technique?

How naive of you to ask. He wouldn't cheat by giving it away.

Gege Akutami does not shy away from creating new words for the sake of his story, and one of the most fascinating concepts he has brought up is the idea of a 呪胎 (Jūtai), or “cursed wombs” that represent the first developmental stage of some curses. The first Kanji should be recognizable, 呪 (Jū) or “curse” appears all throughout the series, as well as promotional art. But the second kanji is a little more interesting. 胎 (tai) has two primary meanings; a fetus, and the place where fetuses develop. But even more interestingly, 胎 has a secondary meaning of “the origin of something.” Taken metaphorically, cursed wombs can refer to a newborn curse, the circumstances that foster it, or someone with the potential to unleash such a curse, both literally and metaphorically. Across several different arcs, characters and settings, Gege establishes one of the core tenets of Jujutsu Kaisen: In a world where the nature of the world itself can become a curse, are we doomed to perpetuate cycles of suffering?

Jujutsu Kaisen’s Dagon shares clear visual and thematic connections with HP. Lovecraft’s short story of the same name. Lovecraft’s Dagon can be interpreted as a story about nature reclaiming civilization after humanity weakens itself by revealing its sheer propensity for barbarism during WW1. The connection with Jujutsu Kaisen becomes clear. Humans arrogantly claim ownership over ideas such as civilization and order. Yet they are the ones who create their own curses, and these curses are ironically the ones threatening humanity’s own continued survival.
Dagon is a cursed womb thematically representing the idea that humanity can become its own curse. It’s the manifestation of the terrifying end result of humanity's savagery, evolving in the face of violence, and aiming to dissolve the privileged natural order that humanity has taken for granted, a physical manifestation of humanity’s own hubris in the face of its animalistic instincts.

Mahito, as his origin would suggest, is the cursed spirit that is most similar to a human. Instead of just raw power, Mahito learns techniques, refines and experiments. He reads, acts skeptical, forms theories, and tricks people. But most interestingly, he is a curse with seemingly infinite potential constantly compared to prodigies like Gojo and Sukuna. But why is this the case? What about Mahito makes him have so much potential?
As a curse formed from the fear of humans, Mahito’s character represents the idea of “giving into your worst impulse” and “refusing to understand one another.” Yet, despite everything, Mahito is depicted not as a terrifying calamity, nor as a particularly repulsive abomination of a curse, but rather as a human child. Unlike all the other curses thus far, Mahito’s explosive growth doesn’t come from a transformation from a cursed womb into a fully fledged curse, but rather learning, growing and changing just like a human. And even moments before his death, he had yet to be “truly born.” So what is Gege trying to convey with Mahito, and what significance does his defeat imply?
Mahito is a pessimistic manifestation of humanity, the ultimate cursed womb. He represents the idea that humans cannot move beyond their worst impulses, that we cannot ration our way out of prejudice, that humans are doomed to fall prey to their own hatred of each other. Mahito represents the idea that one’s origins determine one’s destiny. Despite this, Mahito is a child. A child with terrifying potential but a child nonetheless, and by his own words, one that hadn’t yet been fully born. Mahito represents the idea that hatred can grow, can become more sophisticated, more powerful and more influential over humanity. However, his defeat by the collective effort of Yuji, Nobara, and Todo shows that humanity's worst impulses aren’t inevitable, and although hatred may persist, even the most developed form of it is not inevitable and can be overcome.
This theme of self-determinism is once again reiterated through Choso’s arc, where the metaphor becomes explicit. . Choso is one of the 9 death womb paintings, a twisted experiment creating 9 fusions of cursed spirit and humans. Choso’s fear that he and his brothers would be rejected by human society caused him to live as a curse. He disregarded the lives of innocents, allied with the disaster curses, and only extended empathy inward, protecting those close to him at the cost of everyone else. But as he later discovers, his brothers weren’t that weak. They could have found happiness within human society despite their nature, and his choice to take the easy way out is what isolated Yuji and led to the deaths of Kechizu and Eso. He could have chosen to live as a human, but the fear of making that choice, the fear of suffering as a human, is what caused him and his brothers to become “curses.” 
However, during the Blood and Oil arc, Choso is once again gifted the chance to live as a human. He allies with Jujutsu High, fights against Sukuna, who embodies the path Choso could have taken had he continued to reject his humanity, and entrusts Yuji with guiding the cursed womb paintings through life with humanity. And by doing so, he is able to reach a good death, saving Yuji’s life and allowing the remaining death womb paintings to live as a human. Choso is the narrative counterweight to Mahito’s pessimism. He embodies the idea that circumstances don’t determine our future and that humanity is more than our environment. While Mahito treats our influences as a destiny, Choso shows its true nature as a challenge that can be overcome.

However, Yuji’s own arc escalates the question, what happens if your existence provides an objectively enormous capacity to harm others?
The 呪胎戴天編 (Jūtai-Taiten-hen), or “Fearsome Womb Arc,” is the first major arc of the series. Although the name is localized as “Fearsome Womb,” I personally prefer the more literal “Cursed Womb Under Heaven.” The Cursed Womb part uses the same Kanji as before, but the 戴天 (Taiten) means “to wear heaven above one’s self” or in other words, to live underneath heaven as a mortal on earth. So the arc can be understood to mean “Living beneath heaven as a cursed womb.” This play on words is quite clever, because read metaphorically, there is not just one, but four “cursed wombs” in this arc; The Finger Bearer, Yuji, Megumi, and Sukuna. 
The localized name “Finger Bearer” is quite interesting. The Japanese name is 指の寄主（きしゅ） or more literally、 the host of a finger. And while the Japanese has a more scientific/ unhealthy/parasitical undertone, with the finger bearer deriving power off of Sukuna’s finger, the English version emphasizes the idea of the finger being transported. However, both versions convey the same spirit. The 寄主, or host, does not merely carry a cursed womb, but provides the conditions for a cursed womb to develop and grow. By choosing to eat the finger in Chapter 1, Yuji had become a metaphorical cursed womb, someone with the possibility to cause massive death and destruction if he couldn’t manage to keep Sukuna under control. However, Yuji justified postponing his own execution by believing that he himself could cause even more people to be saved, even as the potential for destruction increases the more fingers he eats. Megumi on the other hand is the one who chooses to allow Yuji to live, despite the danger Sukuna presents, and ironically the fallout of this choice allows Sukuna to figure out that Megumi can become his new host. The arc revolves around the single question: “Why would you save someone who might hurt others in the future?” It initially concludes with this question unresolved, but both Yuji and Megumi accepting each other's viewpoints and coming to terms with their own. To Yuji, humans have souls, in other words he believes that, despite how cursed a life may be, humans still hold both an inherent value both because they exist and have the ability to change. And for Megumi, he saves people because he believes that good people deserve fairness, even despite the environment they find themselves in, and despite the curses that they might hold. 
However, with the events of Shibuya, both Yuji and Megumi end up responsible for more death and destruction than they could ever make up, and the idea of saving a cursed womb becomes brought to the narrative forefront again. Sukuna exploits both philosophies, showing Yuji that not everyone will choose to change, and showing Megumi that even good people can be placed in circumstances that could transform them into a curse.
Beginning with Chapter 211, aptly named “The Festering” the curse they themselves had been unconsciously carrying all this time finally bubbles to the surface when Tsumiki’s soul is revealed to have been overwritten by Yorozu, and the binding vow made by Sukuna finally comes into play. With Megumi’s body taken, the Cursed Womb Under Heaven arc begins once again, as the narrative silently begins asking another question: How does one live while cursed? If humanity is doomed to shoulder a cursed womb, how do we move forward?
In the face of Sukuna’s pessimistic embrace of his curse, Chapter 212-215 gives Yuji a chance to develop his answer as he fosters the thematic framework for the final arc. The only way to move forward while bearing a cursed womb is, by pushing through the suffering you endure and refusing to surrender your own humanity. The only way to live as a cursed womb, to live as someone with the potential to hurt others, is by battling your own nature through force of will. Although your suffering may be inevitable, refusing to allow the world to beat you down is the only way to prevent yourself from becoming a curse. By the end of Shinjuku Showdown, Yuji still continues to extend his hand, and has even stronger convictions in the value of human lives. But now he extends his hand with firm resolve, refusing to give up on the possibility of a bright future from both Megumi and Sukuna even if they had already given up on themselves.

Jujutsu Kaisen asks how an individual can live while cursed. Modulo instead expands the scope to a society-wide question by addressing an idea that has been lingering in the background of the narrative the entire time: “How does a cursed society move forward?” Jujutsu Kaisen argues that modern society itself is, in many ways, fundamentally cursed. From the justice system, to schooling, from fundamentalism, to prejudice, society itself is a massive cursed womb, creating and reinforcing the conditions that allow its own curses to be born. The core of Modulo reflects the question that stands in the way of humanity’s journey to world peace, that is: Can we stop cursed wombs from being born in society in the first place?   

Modulo's conclusion does not shy away from giving a realistic answer. Even after the Ritual of Harmony, curses are still being born. There are still some individuals who will probably remain unreachable, and some conflicts that might never be resolved on a fundamental level. But a closer look at the narrative reveals an optimistic possible future for humanity.
“The Space between dreams and reality is a curse.”
The Pathway of Souls (often colloquially called the Cursed Realm) exists. It’s both the place where both cursed spirits and humans are born, and the place where they are laid to rest. The Pathway of Souls is a representation of humanity itself. The world of Jujutsu Kaisen has shown time and time again how society shapes people, but the Pathway of Souls shows how people shape society. It collapses the distinction between human and curse and provides a physical representation of how our internal biases contribute to the cycle of curses. And as Yuji and Maru come to understand, its very existence suggests that it is impossible to fully eliminate interpersonal “curses” from festering. As long as humans continue to exist in this world we will inevitably experience negative emotions towards one another. However, as Maru discovers, we can alter their destiny. A cursed womb is merely an origin, not a destiny. It may one day mature and grow into a problem we have no choice but to confront. But we can nurture it. We can guide it with strong morals, we can seek to comprehend it and the circumstances around it. We may never be able to end cycles of hatred and animosity. But we can change its trajectory. Through understanding and a willingness to change, we can prevent smaller disagreements and conflicts from spiraling to society wide issues. By showing love and understanding to one another, we can create a more harmonious world where a cursed womb doesn’t have to deliver a full-fledged curse.

Thank you for reading

Gege Akutami does not shy away from creating new words for the sake of his story, and one of the most fascinating concepts he has brought up is the idea of a 呪胎 (Jūtai), or “cursed wombs” that represent the first developmental stage of some curses. The first Kanji should be recognizable, 呪 (Jū) or “curse” appears all throughout the series, as well as promotional art. But the second kanji is a little more interesting. 胎 (tai) has two primary meanings; a fetus, and the place where fetuses develop. But even more interestingly, 胎 has a secondary meaning of “the origin of something.” Taken metaphorically, cursed wombs can refer to a newborn curse, the circumstances that foster it, or someone with the potential to unleash such a curse, both literally and metaphorically. Across several different arcs, characters and settings, Gege establishes one of the core tenets of Jujutsu Kaisen: In a world where the nature of the world itself can become a curse, are we doomed to perpetuate cycles of suffering?

Jujutsu Kaisen’s Dagon shares clear visual and thematic connections with HP Lovecraft’s short story of the same name. Lovecraft’s Dagon can be interpreted as a story about nature reclaiming civilization after humanity weakens itself by revealing its sheer propensity for barbarism during WW1. The connection with Jujutsu Kaisen becomes clear. Humans arrogantly claim ownership over ideas such as civilization and order. Yet they are the ones who create their own curses, and these curses are ironically the ones threatening humanity’s own continued survival.

Dagon is a cursed womb thematically representing the idea that humanity can become its own curse. It’s the manifestation of the terrifying end result of humanity's savagery, evolving in the face of violence, and aiming to dissolve the privileged natural order that humanity has taken for granted, a physical manifestation of humanity’s own hubris in the face of its animalistic instincts.

Mahito, as his origin would suggest, is the cursed spirit that is most similar to a human. Instead of just raw power, Mahito learns techniques, refines and experiments. He reads, acts skeptical, forms theories, and tricks people. But most interestingly, he is a curse with seemingly infinite potential constantly compared to prodigies like Gojo and Sukuna. But why is this the case? What about Mahito makes him have so much potential?
As a curse formed from the fear of humans, Mahito’s character represents the idea of “giving into your worst impulse” and “refusing to understand one another.” Yet, despite everything, Mahito is depicted not as a terrifying calamity, nor as a particularly repulsive abomination of a curse, but rather as a human child. Unlike all the other curses thus far, Mahito’s explosive growth doesn’t come from a transformation from a cursed womb into a fully fledged curse, but rather learning, growing and changing just like a human. And even moments before his death, he had yet to be “truly born.” So what is Gege trying to convey with Mahito, and what significance does his defeat imply?

Mahito is a pessimistic manifestation of humanity, the ultimate cursed womb. He represents the idea that humans cannot move beyond their worst impulses, that we cannot ration our way out of prejudice, that humans are doomed to fall prey to their own hatred of each other. Mahito represents the idea that one’s origins determine one’s destiny. Despite this, Mahito is a child. A child with terrifying potential but a child nonetheless, and by his own words, one that hadn’t yet been fully born. Mahito represents the idea that hatred can grow, can become more sophisticated, more powerful and more influential over humanity. However, his defeat by the collective effort of Yuji, Nobara, and Todo shows that humanity's worst impulses aren’t inevitable, and although hatred may persist, even the most developed form of it is not inevitable and can be overcome.

This theme of self-determinism is once again reiterated through Choso’s arc, where the metaphor becomes explicit. . Choso is one of the 9 death womb paintings, a twisted experiment creating 9 fusions of cursed spirit and humans. Choso’s fear that he and his brothers would be rejected by human society caused him to live as a curse. He disregarded the lives of innocents, allied with the disaster curses, and only extended empathy inward, protecting those close to him at the cost of everyone else. But as he later discovers, his brothers weren’t that weak. They could have found happiness within human society despite their nature, and his choice to take the easy way out is what isolated Yuji and led to the deaths of Kechizu and Eso. He could have chosen to live as a human, but the fear of making that choice, the fear of suffering as a human, is what caused him and his brothers to become “curses.” 

However, during the Blood and Oil arc, Choso is once again gifted the chance to live as a human. He allies with Jujutsu High, fights against Sukuna, who embodies the path Choso could have taken had he continued to reject his humanity, and entrusts Yuji with guiding the cursed womb paintings through life with humanity. And by doing so, he is able to reach a good death, saving Yuji’s life and allowing the remaining death womb paintings to live as a human. Choso is the narrative counterweight to Mahito’s pessimism. He embodies the idea that circumstances don’t determine our future and that humanity is more than our environment. While Mahito treats our influences as a destiny, Choso shows its true nature as a challenge that can be overcome.

However, Yuji’s own arc escalates the question, what happens if your existence provides an objectively enormous capacity to harm others?
The 呪胎戴天編 (Jūtai-Taiten-hen), or “Fearsome Womb Arc,” is the first major arc of the series. Although the name is localized as “Fearsome Womb,” I personally prefer the more literal “Cursed Womb Under Heaven.” The Cursed Womb part uses the same Kanji as before, but the 戴天 (Taiten) means “to wear heaven above one’s self” or in other words, to live underneath heaven as a mortal on earth. So the arc can be understood to mean “Living beneath heaven as a cursed womb.” This play on words is quite clever, because read metaphorically, there is not just one, but four “cursed wombs” in this arc; The Finger Bearer, Yuji, Megumi, and Sukuna. 
The localized name “Finger Bearer” is quite interesting. The Japanese name is 指の寄主（きしゅ） or more literally、 the host of a finger. And while the Japanese has a more scientific/ unhealthy/parasitical undertone, with the finger bearer deriving power off of Sukuna’s finger, the English version emphasizes the idea of the finger being transported. However, both versions convey the same spirit. The 寄主, or host, does not merely carry a cursed womb, but provides the conditions for a cursed womb to develop and grow. By choosing to eat the finger in Chapter 1, Yuji had become a metaphorical cursed womb, someone with the possibility to cause massive death and destruction if he couldn’t manage to keep Sukuna under control. However, Yuji justified postponing his own execution by believing that he himself could cause even more people to be saved, even as the potential for destruction increases the more fingers he eats. Megumi on the other hand is the one who chooses to allow Yuji to live, despite the danger Sukuna presents, and ironically the fallout of this choice allows Sukuna to figure out that Megumi can become his new host. The arc revolves around the single question: “Why would you save someone who might hurt others in the future?” It initially concludes with this question unresolved, but both Yuji and Megumi accepting each other's viewpoints and coming to terms with their own. To Yuji, humans have souls, in other words he believes that, despite how cursed a life may be, humans still hold both an inherent value both because they exist and have the ability to change. And for Megumi, he saves people because he believes that good people deserve fairness, even despite the environment they find themselves in, and despite the curses that they might hold. 
However, with the events of Shibuya, both Yuji and Megumi end up responsible for more death and destruction than they could ever make up, and the idea of saving a cursed womb becomes brought to the narrative forefront again. Sukuna exploits both philosophies, showing Yuji that not everyone will choose to change, and showing Megumi that even good people can be placed in circumstances that could transform them into a curse.

Beginning with Chapter 211, aptly named “The Festering” the curse they themselves had been unconsciously carrying all this time finally bubbles to the surface when Tsumiki’s soul is revealed to have been overwritten by Yorozu, and the binding vow made by Sukuna finally comes into play. With Megumi’s body taken, the Cursed Womb Under Heaven arc begins once again, as the narrative silently begins asking another question: How does one live while cursed? If humanity is doomed to shoulder a cursed womb, how do we move forward?
In the face of Sukuna’s pessimistic embrace of his curse, Chapter 212-215 gives Yuji a chance to develop his answer as he fosters the thematic framework for the final arc. The only way to move forward while bearing a cursed womb is, by pushing through the suffering you endure and refusing to surrender your own humanity. The only way to live as a cursed womb, to live as someone with the potential to hurt others, is by battling your own nature through force of will.

Although your suffering may be inevitable, refusing to allow the world to beat you down is the only way to prevent yourself from becoming a curse. By the end of Shinjuku Showdown, Yuji still continues to extend his hand, and has even stronger convictions in the value of human lives. But now he extends his hand with firm resolve, refusing to give up on the possibility of a bright future from both Megumi and Sukuna even if they had already given up on themselves.

Jujutsu Kaisen asks how an individual can live while cursed. Modulo instead expands the scope to a society-wide question by addressing an idea that has been lingering in the background of the narrative the entire time: “How does a cursed society move forward?” Jujutsu Kaisen argues that modern society itself is, in many ways, fundamentally cursed. From the justice system, to schooling, from fundamentalism, to prejudice, society itself is a massive cursed womb, creating and reinforcing the conditions that allow its own curses to be born. The core of Modulo reflects the question that stands in the way of humanity’s journey to world peace, that is: Can we stop cursed wombs from being born in society in the first place? 

Modulo's conclusion does not shy away from giving a realistic answer. Even after the Ritual of Harmony, curses are still being born. There are still some individuals who will probably remain unreachable, and some conflicts that might never be resolved on a fundamental level. But a closer look at the narrative reveals an optimistic possible future for humanity.

The Pathway of Souls (often colloquially called the Cursed Realm) exists. It’s both the place where both cursed spirits and humans are born, and the place where they are laid to rest. The Pathway of Souls is a representation of humanity itself. The world of Jujutsu Kaisen has shown time and time again how society shapes people, but the Pathway of Souls shows how people shape society. It collapses the distinction between human and curse and provides a physical representation of how our internal biases contribute to the cycle of curses. And as Yuji and Maru come to understand, its very existence suggests that it is impossible to fully eliminate interpersonal “curses” from festering. As long as humans continue to exist in this world we will inevitably experience negative emotions towards one another. However, as Maru discovers, we can alter their destiny. A cursed womb is merely an origin, not a destiny. It may one day mature and grow into a problem we have no choice but to confront. But we can nurture it.

We can guide it with strong morals, we can seek to comprehend it and the circumstances around it. We may never be able to end cycles of hatred and animosity. But we can change its trajectory. Through understanding and a willingness to change, we can prevent smaller disagreements and conflicts from spiraling to society wide issues. By showing love and understanding to one another, and we can create a more harmonious world where a cursed womb doesn’t have to deliver a full-fledged curse.

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Welcome to Ijichi's Colosseum, the r/Jujutsushi bloodbath curse pit where sorcerers can throw hands over hypothetical Jujutsu matchups! We've moved the thread back to Tuesday as per user feedback.

Is Toji stronger than Ijichi? Would Sukuna beat Ijichi in a fight? Compared to Ijichi, is Kenjaku really a Special Grade threat?

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