All 7 ways Sukuna could have been defeated faster in Jujutsu Kaisen

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 269 had the surviving sorcerers addressing the battle with Ryomen Sukuna, with Maki Zen'in explaining there were several alternatives that could have ended the conflict sooner. This was interpreted by many as a way for author Gege Akutami to fix some plotholes in this arc, although there is no denying that they could have been a lot more proactive in this battle.

There were several instances in Jujutsu Kaisen where the sorcerers could have used certain Cursed Techniques over the King of Curses and ended the fight with fewer casualties. While it would have been a less dramatic approach from a storytelling perspective, these tactics would have been a lot more pragmatic and functional, which should have been the best way to go from an in-universe logic.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

Different ways Sukuna could have been defeated faster in Jujutsu Kaisen

1. Gojo fighting Sukuna with help

Gojo probably would have won with help (Image via MAPPA).

When the Shinjuku arc started, most Jujutsu Kaisen fans assumed that Satoru Gojo was the only sorcerer with a realistic chance of defeating Sukuna. And for the most part, it made a lot of sense when considering Gojo's skill set and the immense amount of power at his disposal, but this was a moment where his own ego and arrogance cost him and his allies.

This was a battle where the entirety of the human race was at stake, and Gojo chose to fight on his own because "he does it better alone." That lack of pragmatism cost him his life when he should have accepted the help of the likes of Yuji Itadori, Yuta Okkotsu, Kinji Hakari, and more to overpower the King of Curses and end this in a quicker fashion.

2. Todo using his Cursed Technique with Higuruma

Aoi Todo's Cursed Technique should have been used sooner (Image via MAPPA).

Hiromi Higuruma's Domain Expansion allows him to judge a person for certain crimes, and if they are proven guilty, they can be executed by a sword created by the lawyer's own Cursed Energy. This attack can take any person's life and seems like a sure way to defeat Sukuna, which is why Aoi Todo's support could have been crucial.

It has been proven against the likes of Mahito and Sukuna himself in Jujutsu Kaisen that Todo's ability to switch places with his targets is a nightmare to deal with, which is why he could have used it with Higuruma to stab the King of Curses. When considering how certain this Domain Expansion was, it doesn't make any sense they didn't use it in this battle.

3. Defeating Uraume faster so Hakari could help

This battle should have been handled differently (Image via Shueisha and MAPPA).

There is no denying that the Hakari vs. Uraume fight might be one of the lowest points in Jujutsu Kaisen and one of author Gege Akutami's biggest writing mistakes in this series, as it basically happened offscreen. In that regard, while both characters were ultimately wasted in the series, it would have been beneficial for the sorcerers to take down Uraume quicker so Hakari could help against Sukuna.

When considering that Satoru Gojo was fighting with Sukuna, the rest of the sorcerers were more than enough to take care of Uraume when considering that Hakari wasn't defeated during the entire arc by this character. Having a character with Hakari's skill set could have been very useful and would have given him much-needed time in the spotlight.

4. Yuta, Inumaki, and Larue holding Sukuna so Higuruma could stop him

Higuruma could have ended the story a lot sooner (Image via Shueisha).

As mentioned earlier, Higuruma had the best and most effective tool to defeat Sukuna in the entirety of Jujutsu Kaisen, to the point that the sorcerers should have placed a lot more focus on making it work. That becomes a lot more prominent when considering how Larue and Toge Inumaki managed to keep Sukuna from moving for a few seconds so other characters could inflict damage on him.

In that regard, a tag team of Inumaki and Yuta Okkotsu using Cursed Speech while Larue uses Heart Catch could have been enough to stall Sukuna so Higuruma could stab him. It was probably the most effective way to take down the main villain of the series and was ultimately wasted by the sorcerers.

5. Yuta copying Nobara's Cursed Technique

Nobara's Cursed Technique was key in the final battle (Image via MAPPA).

While Nobara Kugisaki's return has been very divisive among Jujutsu Kaisen fans, there is no denying that the moment she woke up to apply Resonance on Sukuna's finger was too convenient. She woke up at the exact moment that the battle was ending and Sukuna was about to get hit by one of Yuji Itadori's Black Flash attacks, which begs the question why didn't Yuta copy her Cursed Technique.

Ultimately, the sorcerers didn't have any certainty of when Nobara was going to wake up, so having her involved in this plan was always going to have its issues. It would have been a lot more logical for Yuta to copy her Cursed Technique and execute it at one point to weaken Sukuna, perhaps mixing it with Higuruma's Domain Expansion so they could get that sure-hit, as mentioned earlier.

6. Attacking Sukuna with two Jacob's Ladder

Hana's Jacob's Ladder could have ended the story as well (Image via Shueisha).

It was shown at the end of the Culling Games arc that Hana Kurusu's Jacob's Ladder was one of the few attacks in Jujutsu Kaisen that could honestly kill Ryomen Sukuna. To the point that the King of Curses had to pretend to be Megumi Fushiguro to deceive Hana and get a chance to escape, which is why this attack should have gotten more focus from the sorcerers.

As mentioned earlier, several characters could have kept Sukuna from moving and then having Yuta and Hana attack with Jacob's Ladder, probably ending the King of Curses right there and then. The only question would be how this leaves Megumi in this particular equation.

7. Letting Maki take down Kenjaku so Yuta could fight Sukuna

Maki could have done what Yuta did against Kenjaku (Image via Shueisha).

This is something that Maki Zen'in herself brings up in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 269 and makes a lot of sense when considering that she has no Cursed Energy. Therefore, she could have sneaked up on Kenjaku and taken his life, much like Yuta Okkotsu did after Takaba distracted the centuries-old sorcerer.

This could have allowed Yuta to be more involved in the battle with Sukuna from the get-go and perhaps they could have had the upper hand. The only caveat is that Maki would have had to deal with the different Curses stored in Suguru Geto's body but considering she didn't do much against Sukuna, it probably would have been a better use of her time.

Final thoughts

Ultimately, there were a lot of different strategies that the main cast of Jujutsu Kaisen could have used to defeat Sukuna faster. Many of these tactics could be viewed as plot holes, while others would have removed a lot of dramatic tension from what was the final battle of the series.

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Edited by Somava