Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 264 proves that Gege planned the order of Sukuna's Shinjuku opponents all along

Modified Aug 01, 2024 13:41 GMT

Jujutsu Kaisen: Akutami Gege planned all of Sukuna's fights for a reason (Image via MAPPA)

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 264 recently revealed Yuji's domain expansion and sparked the rise of many new theories. The Sukuna vs. Sorcerers fight has been going on for almost 30 chapters and has nearly reached its conclusion. The fight involved almost every character introduced in the series, each taking their turn against Sukuna.

It became a meme that Gege would eventually run out of characters to pit against Sukuna and would resort to reviving or bringing in characters from other universes. Recently, many fans mentioned how the entire Sukuna fight might have just been a ritual building up to his "purification" at the hands of Yuji.

Disclaimer- This article contains spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen series and contains mildly disturbing content.

Jujutsu Kaisen: Sukuna's entire fight was a cleansing ritual

Yuji as shown in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

Many fans previously took the prolonged fight as a sign of Gege establishing Sukuna's overwhelming power and reinforcing his identity as "the strongest".

Some fans recently noted Sukuna's fight order and mentioned how it essentially depicts Sukuna making his way through the six envoys, similar to the six paths of rebirth, to eventually be exorcised and purified by Yuji.

Yuji's domain expansion's hand signs were revealed in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 264 and ended up becoming one of the most pivotal chapters of the series, alongside Gojo's death. While many fans tried to figure out the possible specifications behind Yuji's domain, others noticed the similarities between Yuji's hand signs and the Ksitigarbha mudra.

Also read: Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 265 spoilers

Sukuna as shown in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

Many fans also noticed how Yuji's strong desire to save others and his close association with deceased fetuses, along with his rather innocent and determined nature, eerily resemble the lore of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Given that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is the guardian of children and a patron deity of stillborns, deceased fetuses, and children, fans concluded that Yuji's current character arc is inspired by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's journey.

Bodhisattva's journey towards enlightenment also included a final journey where Ksitigarbha addressed six envoys to save sinners from six different realms, namely Naraka (Hell), Preta realm (hungry ghost), animal, human, asura, and the deva realm.

The envoys sent were Yama, Treasure Holding Lad, Great Strength Envoy, Great Compassionate Goddess, Precious Treasure Goddess, and Summoning Heaven Envoy. Sukuna's opponents throughout this fight could possibly symbolize or reference these envoys.

Gojo as shown in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

Satoru Gojo, being the enlightened one and also a titleholder of the "strongest," might be inspired by Yama, while the Treasure Holding Lad would be Higuruma, who took away one of Sukuna's weapons, Kamutoke.

Maki could be a reference to the Great Strength Envoy, as her abilities are strictly tied to her physical prowess, while Yuta might be the Precious Treasure Goddess, given that his domain and overall powers are tied to themes of love.

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The Great Compassionate Goddess in the lore was sent to save the human realm, which makes it clear that Kusakabe is the reference to this specific envoy.

Although Kusakabe's fight against Sukuna was brief, it highlighted the fact that a "regular human" like Kusakabe could fight against a demon who far outmatched him. Lastly, the Summoning Heaven Envoy would be Angel, who's clearly inspired by biblical angels and has abilities that allow her to summon pillars of light directly from the heavens.

In essence, the entire Sukuna vs. Sorcerers fight is akin to a ritual Sukuna is undergoing to defeat Yuji's envoys to become the ultimate evil. This evil will then be purged by Yuji as his last act before achieving enlightenment.

Jujutsu Kaisen has been taking inspiration from Buddhism for a very long time, with Gojo's enlightenment being one of the most prominent inspirations.

Final Thoughts

The actual fate of Sukuna is yet to be revealed, but it's almost confirmed that the Sukuna fight has ended, and the next part of the battle will only be fought inside Yuji's domain or the conceptual space Yuji and Sukuna are in.

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 265 will be released on August 4, 2024, and will unveil Sukuna's fate.