Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 232: Mahoraga’s latest appearance leaves both Gojo and Sukuna with glaring death flags

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 232 was published after the Obon break and was supposed to usher in a different era of fighting between Gojo and Sukuna since the previous episode took Domain Expansions out of the game. The chapter did not disappoint and ended on yet another cliffhanger.

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 232 was more action-oriented than the previous chapter and featured Gojo using the Black Flash for the first time in the series. While some light was shed on the nature of Mahoraga’s adaptation, they complicated the matter more rather than simplifying it.

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 232 is titled Inhuman Makyo Shinjuku Showdown, Part 10.

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Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 232 shows Mahoraga endangering Gojo as Sukuna is knocked out

In the previous chapter, Gojo continued to beat up Sukuna after Domain Expansions were no longer possible to engage. It was explained that Mahoraga’s wheel turns as it and its user adapt to a technique. It usually takes four turns to completely adapt to any technique. Gojo promised Sukuna that he would kill the Curse before the turns are completed, while Sukuna vowed to kill Gojo after the adaptation was done.

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Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 232 summary

In Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 232, Gojo started to attack Sukuna with only Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue. Yuji questioned whether Mahoraga adapted to a technique by being exposed to it for a long time, or whether it needed to get hit by an attack multiple times to adapt to said attack. Mahoraga’s wheel completed three turns.

Kusakabe theorized that it could be both, which is why Gojo is only using Lapse: Blue in abundance while using other techniques sparingly. Just then, Gojo suddenly used Cursed Technique Reversal: Red amidst the Blue attacks, but Sukuna effortlessly dodged it. As he was talking down to Gojo, the attack circled the building in front of which they were fighting and hit Sukuna squarely in the back.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Gojo hit Sukuna with Black Flash, making his eyes roll back. Sukuna was knocked out, but just as the wheel was dislodged from his head and fell to the ground, it turned a fourth time, completing the adaptation. Gojo’s feet were trapped in the shadows as Mahoraga emerged from it and slashed him across the throat.

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Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 232 Review and analysis

While mangaka Akutami had revealed that Gojo can use Black Flash, Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 232 is the first time the character has been seen actually using the move. His use of this attack is more deliberate and practiced than any other character so far in the manga, which truly hammers home how far above everyone he is on the power scale.

Gojo’s Black Flash seemingly knocks out Sukuna completely, leaving Mahoraga to operate on its own. This begs the question of whether Sukuna can or will return to this battle while Gojo is fighting the Shikigami. This also opens up an avenue, however slim, for a confrontation between Sukuna and Megumi in the inner Domain.

Gojo, on the other hand, faces death yet again. At this point, the readers have accepted that Gojo will not die in the battle, and it is almost impossible for Sukuna to even overpower him. Some would go as far as to state that Akutami is reusing the same plot point in different dressing, over and over again, just for the shock value.

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 232 is the fourth time in the Shinjuku Showdown arc that a chapter ended with a cliffhanger hinting at Gojo’s death. Each time Akutami has either overplayed Gojo’s injuries before revealing them to be nothing or introduced a Deus Ex Machina to help him out. At some point, this might become detrimental to the progression of the story.

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Final thoughts

Many readers are hoping that Yuta or Yuji might step in if Gojo is injured fatally. However, Gojo’s expression in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 232 hints that not only did he expect Mahoraga to come out, but he also prepared a counter. With mangaka Akutami’s track record, it’s safer to believe that Gojo will wipe off this wound as he had all others and continue to overpower Sukuna.

However, Megumi might not be so lucky. Weekly Shonen Jump’s anniversary cover, which depicted the central characters of every manga, featured Yuji, Yuta, and Gojo for Jujutsu Kaisen. This clearly symbolizes that Megumi is no longer as important in the series, and might not come back at the end of it.

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