The leaks of the upcoming chapter of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga delighted fans with yet another Maki-Toji parallel, as it featured the former's return to the battlefield against The King of Curses.
In the now-available leaks of Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 251, both Yuta Okkotsu and Yuji Itadori suffered life-threatening injuries at the hands of Ryomen Sukuna, who attacked his opponents with the 'World Bisecting Slash' that killed Satoru Gojo.
While this moment certainly caused a great deal of concern among the fans for the fate of the beloved characters, it was followed up by the return of Maki Zen'in, who emerged as perhaps the final hope of the Jujutsu sorcerers in the ongoing battle against Sukuna.
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 251: The latest Maki-Toji parallel sends the fandom into overdrive
Maki Zen'in was noticeably absent for the majority of the fight against Sukuna. While the same could be said for Yuta Okkotsu, it was later revealed that he was tasked with assassinating Kenjaku after the latter's battle against Fumihiko Takaba.
After succeeding in his mission of eliminating the ancient sorcerer, Yuta wasted no time in rejoining the battlefield alongside his allies in order to take on Sukuna and end his reign of terror once and for all.
However, Maki's absence from the fight made little to no sense for fans, since she was the one who held Yuta back from immediately jumping into the battlefield after Satoru Gojo's death. As such, a lot of fans started wondering about her whereabouts, while many even berated her for supposedly deserting her comrades.
Fortunately, Maki made quite a memorable return just in the nick of time in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 251, as both Yuta and Yuji were hit by Sukuna's strongest attack and were seemingly down for the count.
Considering that Maki could freely enter a Domain due to the absence of Cursed Energy from her body, she swiftly entered Yuta's collapsing Domain and blindsided Sukuna by piercing her Split Soul katana through the latter's chest.
Upon witnessing her return to the battlefield, fans quick enough to point out this Maki-Toji parallel. During the Hidden Inventory arc, Toji Fushiguro was able to make light work of Satoru Gojo after wearing him down and stabbing his blade through his chest in a sneak attack.
Maki's attack on Sukuna was an intentional callback to Toji's first fight against Gojo, which is etched into the fans' memory as one of the most visceral and memorable fights of the series.
This Maki-Toji parallel is certainly not the first time that the mangaka Gege Akutami has referenced the Sorcerer Killer through the former. Shortly after the conclusion of the Shibuya arc, Maki underwent a major character transformation.
After she was betrayed and left to die by her family, her sister, Mai, sacrificed herself in order to erase the last traces of Cursed Energy from Maki's body and give her a second chance at life. This resulted in her Heavenly Restriction granting her superhuman levels of strength and speed, following which she massacred her entire clan without remorse.
As Maki effortlessly killed one member of her clan after the other, her inhuman strength and speed reminded people of Toji Fushiguro, who was treated as the black sheep of the Zen'in clan. This was the first Maki-Toji parallel that fans still fondly remember to this day.
The latest Maki-Toji parallel reminded fans once again that Maki is an invaluable asset to the Jujutsu society, especially in the current state of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga. With there seemingly being no one else who can stand up to the King of Curses, Maki may just prove to be the key that leads to Sukuna's downfall.
Final Thoughts
Following her return in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 251, Maki Zenin has once again revitalized the fans' faith in her character. That said, the latest Maki-Toji parallel has also raised some concerns for the former's character, as fans hope that her mirroring Toji's character won't result in her meeting the same fate as him.