Can Kenjaku return to Jujutsu Kaisen after what Yuta did? Possibilities explored

Modified May 26, 2024 18:32 GMT

Jujutsu Kaisen and the possibility of Kenjaku making a comeback (Image via MAPPA).

Jujutsu Kaisen fans have been wondering if Kenjaku can make a return to the story after Yuta Okkotsu copied his body swap Cursed Technique by having Rika eat his head. While a return for this villain would seem somewhat ludicrous after he was eaten by Rika, very few people were expecting Yuta to take over Satoru Gojo's body, so there is some room for speculation at the moment.

There is no denying that a good percentage of the Jujutsu Kaisen fandom thought that Kenjaku's end at the hands of Fumihiko Takaba and Yuta was disappointing and, considering his status as a master manipulator, a lot of people were wondering if there was room for one last moment of glory for this character. While that seems difficult at the moment, there is room for speculation when it comes to a series of this type.

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

The possibilities of Kenjaku returning to the Jujutsu Kaisen manga explored

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At the present moment, there are not a lot of possibilities of Kenjaku coming back, although some of the most likely involve him having a backup body. Perhaps after all these years, Kenjaku has found a way to divide his soul and has other vessels, although this case would involve severe retcons to make sense, which is something contrive enough for author Gege Akutami to avoid.

There is the possibility that Rika eating him was not enough to kill him, which could result in him taking over Yuta from within. However, this possibility also seems far-fetched as Kenjaku's brain is the source that keeps him alive, so Rika eating his head should have ended his life.

Another possibility could be that somehow Kenjaku managed to take hold of the body by becoming a Curse, although that too seems far-fetched. This possibility could be played out by the scene in the Shibuya Incident arc where Suguru Geto's body was attempting to strangle him, which could hint at Kenjaku having a breakthrough and having a different understanding of his Cursed Technique.

The aftermath of Kenjaku's death

Yuta and Kenjaku in the anime (Image via MAPPA).

Kenjaku was seemingly killed after a battle that included a comedic sketch against Takaba and Yuta. Being attacked from behind, was his conclusion in the story after being one of the main villains in Jujutsu Kaisen. There were a lot of questions and divisive opinions regarding this decision as a lot of people thought that Akutami wasted one of his two main antagonists.

That is partially why many fans are coming up with theories of how he could come back since his final moments were certainly underwhelming. It didn't add to his character and the bulk of the battle was spent with Takaba, a secondary member of the cast who had no real connection to Kenjaku, making the resolution feel a bit hollow and lacking escalating tension in the conflict.

Final thoughts

There is no real possibility of Kenjaku returning to Jujutsu Kaisen when considering all the different canon options that are available at the moment. Therefore, it seems that his role in the story has ended, and it would take a major twist from Akutami to make a comeback for this villain.

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