Did Jujutsu Kaisen have a happy ending? Ending explained

Following the ultimate conclusion of author and illustrator Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen manga series earlier this weekend, the fanbase is abuzz with discussion and debate. Online forums range from debates over the merits of the ending to outright critiques of it, which go from the ground up in every choice Akutami made.

However, others are somewhat confused by the final chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen, looking for an explanation and overview of each major character’s fate. Thankfully, the issue does make the conclusive fates of these central characters clear in the aftermath of Yuji Itadori, Nobara Kugisaki, and Megumi Fushiguro’s final mission.

Jujutsu Kaisen’s ending, explained

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In Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 271, fans first see Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi go on one final mission, defeating and capturing a Curse User. This transitions into a flashback of Yuji speaking with Satoru Gojo, where the latter says he’s counting on Yuji and the others of his generation to surpass him someday.

This transitions into a focus on Sukuna speaking with Mahito in the afterlife, where he acknowledges he had other paths in life and wishes for the opportunity to take them one day. This sets up the final pages, which show all the Tokyo Jujutsu High students happily living their lives out in the wake of Sukuna’s defeat.

The series’ final panel is of the last Sukuna finger resting at Yuji’s original high school, mirroring the story’s start. Beyond those characters mentioned above, Hiromi Higuruma, Fumihiko Takaba, the Kyoto High students, and all teachers/adults besides Satoru Gojo survive. Tsumiki Fushiguro also remains dead, and Uraume also died by their own hand following Sukuna’s loss.

Why Gojo’s ending is a happy one

For Satoru Gojo, no other ending to Jujutsu Kaisen's story could be a happier one (Image via MAPPA Studios)

One of the most controversial points of Jujutsu Kaisen’s ending is the fact that Gojo isn’t revived after what many argued was clear and overt evidence of setup for such a twist. While this obviously didn’t end up happening, it doesn’t change the fact that for Gojo, this outcome is a happy one. The last chapter even reinforces this via his final bit of dialogue in the series.

For Gojo, a “happy ending” relied on two major points. The first was that the youth were allowed to live their lives, unlike the fates that he, Suguru Geto, Kento Nanami, Yu Haibara, and others were forced to follow. The second was that he’d be able to gather strong allies who would be able to survive on their own without him, which he obviously did.

In this way, Gojo would almost certainly be happier dead than he would be alive. His death directly led to the second part of his dream coming true, showing that the new generation of monsters would surpass him as he once predicted. His words to Yuji in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 271 once again highlight this sentiment for both Yuji specifically and his various students in general.

Why the ending overall is happy and deserved, explained

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Many years ago, during a Jump Festa appearance, Akutami promised that their series would end one of two ways. These endings hinged on the central four of Satoru Gojo, Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, and Nobara Kugisaki. This promise was that the series would end with either one of the four dying or only one of the four surviving. Obviously, the ultimate ending fans got was the former, with Gojo being the only one to die.

While Gojo’s death in and of itself is a happy ending for his character specifically, the conclusion overall does feel deserved. The new generation has proven that they can not only surpass the old one but do so without sacrificing any of their own in any way. Deaths like those of Haibara were avoided via the survival of characters like Takuma Ino, while the duty of defeating Sukuna fell to the group at large versus one sacrificial “monster” like Gojo.

This latter point of effort that Yuji and the others put into defeating Sukuna is specifically what feels so deserved about the happy ending. It works in perfect unison with Gojo’s character while also intensifying the achievement of Yuji and co rising above what sorcery society has ever been before.

Final thoughts

The story's central trio gets the happy ending they deserve (Image via MAPPA Studios)

Without a doubt, Jujutsu Kaisen has a happy ending - a rightfully earned one that mostly works for every major character arc and narrative plotline. However, most other metrics highlight major flaws with the story’s end, let alone the nearly universal opinion from fans that the conclusion is a letdown overall.