Has Takaba already outshone Kashimo in Jujutsu Kaisen? Explored

The Jujutsu Kaisen manga has reached a point where people discuss every chapter heavily online and also have a lot of banter, which has included the roles of Kashimo and Takaba in recent events. Both characters have had to face the two main antagonists, Sukuna and Kenjaku, but one (Kashimo) was quickly defeated while the other (Takaba) is still performing.

This situation has, of course, led a lot of Jujutsu Kaisen fans to argue if Takaba has outshined Kashimo when comparing their respective performances. While it truly depends on every reader's perspective, there is an argument to be made that Takaba has certainly done that, and some elements of the recent chapters in the manga validate that stance.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen and what is stated here is the writer's personal opinion.

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Takaba has made a greater impact against Kenjaku in recent Jujutsu Kaisen chapters than Kashimo against Sukuna

After Satoru Gojo was killed by Sukuna, there were a lot of Jujutsu Kaisen fans waiting to see what Hajime Kashimo could do. While he certainly wasn't as strong as Sukuna, people were expecting him to have a great performance and at least go out with a blaze of glory. However, that wasn't the case as the King of Curses returned to his old body and made quick work of Kashimo.

Meanwhile, Kenjaku was being faced by Takaba, who started to discuss the value of comedy with the centuries-old sorcerer. It was interesting banter, with Kenjaku even humoring the comedian at times, and this eventually led to Takaba having a bit of an existential crisis. And while it is obvious that he is not going to defeat one of the series' main antagonists, his performance is already better than Kashimo's.

The main reason is that, through Takaba, author Gege Akutami is at least trying to explore something about comedy and what it means to this character, which can be interesting. On the other hand, Kashimo didn't have a good battle to show for it and was taken out with ease, making his defeat and near-death realization feel like an afterthought to a lot of fans out there.

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What it means to shine in a battle

Fights in fiction often have two focuses: either being a visual spectacle or exploring some meaningful theme that is connected to the story. When it comes to Kashimo's fight with Sukuna, he gets neither of them: he is quickly taken out, and his conversation with the King of Curses feels rushed and without any major substance.

This makes the character of Kashimo even more unnecessary in the grand scheme of Jujutsu Kaisen. His entire motivation was fighting Sukuna and not even having a great fight in what was his life's goal at the moment. All of this makes his performance against one of the main antagonists feel all the more disappointing.

While Takaba's fight with Kenjaku is mainly focused on holding off the bad guy, it does give some focus to the former's character. It showed his backstory, what he strives to achieve with comedy, and his dedication to his craft. And the fact that Kenjaku is humoring makes this entire situation all the more interesting, even if it only lasts a couple of chapters.

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Final thoughts

Takaba's fight with Kenjaku in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga seems more like a break at the moment, but it did give the former a bit more focus and a moment in the spotlight. Overall, Kashimo's performance against Sukuna was disappointing and didn't give his character the closure he deserved after so many centuries pursuing a goal in particular.