Jujutsu Kaisen: Does Aoi Todo die in Shibuya? Explained

Jujutsu Kaisen has several characters who have become fan favorites in the anime community. Interestingly, Aoi Todo is one of them, mainly because of his charismatic personality, his bromance with Yuji Itadori, and his unique fighting style. However, when Todo stepped in to help Yuji in his fight against Mahito in the Shibuya Incident arc, a lot of fans feared the worst for him.

It's no secret that Jujutsu Kaisen author Gege Akutami has a habit of killing characters, no matter how popular they are, and a lot of fans are wondering if Todo is going to follow the likes of Nobara Kugisaki and Nanami Kento. Todo goes through some hardships in Shibuya, but this is not what most people think.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen series.

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Explaining Aoi Todo's fate in the Shibuya Incident arc in Jujutsu Kaisen

The simple answer is that Todo doesn't die in Shibuya, and he is still alive, as of this article's writing, in Jujutsu Kaisen. Perhaps what can lead to some confusion is the fact that Todo doesn't fight after the events of this arc, which has to do with this precise battle against Mahito since it costs him his Cursed Technique.

Aoi Todo stepping in to help Yuji Itadori fight Mahito remains one of the best moments in the entirety of Jujutsu Kaisen, which cemented the former's position as one of the most popular characters in the series. However, a lot of fans have wondered if Todo died in Shibuya, which is something that anime-only viewers or people who haven't caught up to the manga chapters are not aware of.

Todo's Cursed Technique is switching positions with another person as he claps, but Mahito uses his Idle Transfiguration technique to sever one of Aoi's hands, thus keeping him from using that move ever again. A lot of fans have wondered why they should not give him a prosthetic. However, the problem lies in the fact that Mahito's technique changed the nature of Todo's soul to the point that it is now as if he never had a hand to begin with.

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Aoi Todo's wasted potential in the series

Todo and Yuji (Image via MAPPA).

It's no secret that Aoi Todo is a very popular character in Jujutsu Kaisen, and it is easy to understand why—he has an imposing design, is funny, fights quite well, and his dynamic with Yuji is one of the most entertaining parts of the series. This is why a lot of fans felt that his never fighting again in the story after the Mahito battle in Shibuya was the wrong move.

This is perhaps a very valid criticism for author Gege Akutami—he can come up with a lot of amazing characters who have considerable potential from a storytelling perspective and then discard them before they reach their peak. While Todo definitely peaked with the Shibuya Incident arc, the majority of the Kyoto class was underwhelming, and someone like Yuki Tsukumo, who also happened to be Aoi's mentor, was extremely wasted after just one fight.

The recent events in the manga involving the character of Miwa and her wasted potential generated even stronger reactions, not because of how things developed for her, but rather the general approach of the series. Jujutsu Kaisen is still a very entertaining manga, but fans feel there is no denying that there were some characters and plot points that could have used some development.

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Final thoughts

Aoi Todo hasn't died in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, but he never fights again after the Mahito battle in the Shibuya Incident arc. His strongest forte, the innate technique of Boogie Woogie, was rendered almost useless after losing one hand. Although he demonstrated that he could use it with others by clapping with Mahito's hand, it could become a huge gamble in other fights.

This has been a divisive plot point in the fandom, but at least Todo got to leave the story with a blaze of glory. He fought his best and lifted the morale of his "brother" Yuji, who had lost all hope with Nobara and Nanami's deaths.

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