Higuruma: Jujutsu Kaisen's "death portraits" in chapter 265 put Higuruma's fate in question

Jujutsu Kaisen's "death portraits" in chapter 265 put Higuruma's fate in question

Modified Aug 14, 2024 02:00 GMT

Hiromi Higuruma (Image via Gege Akutami, Shueisha)

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 265 was likely one of the series' most profound chapters. While nearly everyone was expecting an intense clash of fists between Yuji Itadori and Ryomen Sukuna, creator Gege Akutami threw a curveball at fans, with Yuji and Sukuna calmly having a word.

The chapter featured Yuji taking Sukuna on a stroll down memory lane, showing him bits of his childhood, which he treasured. The boy's goal was to show Humanity to Sukuna and possibily attempt to persuade the Demon King to make a 180 degree turn in his actions.

While it was quite unsuccessful, an interesting point came to light that may indicate the fate of a forgotten character. The mentioned character is Hiromi Higuruma, who has been MIA. He was last seen when Team Jujutsu High's plan of using the Executioner's Sword on Sukuna failed, and was he subsequently gravely injured before Ui Ui took his body away.

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 265 "death portraits" call into question Higuruma's fate

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 265's "Death Portraits" (Image via Gege Akutami, Shueisha)

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 265 showcased an impressive monologue from protagonist Yuji. The pink-haired teen was attempting to show Sukuna Humanity, the value of life and the memories that came with it. However, it was unsuccessful, as the Demon King had notions of his own, which he was unwilling to alter.

Nevertheless, the spotlight of this article falls on the so-called "death portraits" glimpsed during Yuji's speech. They are being termed so, as they seemed to feature characters who had bowed out of the series, i.e., were killed. Gojo, Choso, Nobara, Nanami, Junpei and Naobito were the characters shown. Interestingly, Hiromi Higuruma wasn't among them.

That could lead to two possibilities - First, Higuruma is actually dead. The last time he was seen, his attack on Sukuna was unsuccessful and the Demon King rained slashes on him. Many believe that he bit the dust after Ui Ui had taken him away, and he wasn't mentioned at all after that.

It was later revealed that Ui Ui was using his Cursed Technique to transport the injured sorcerers to Shoko Ieiri nearby. Given her expertise in Reverse Cursed Technique, she was tasked with healing them as much as possible, but Higuruma was still not mentioned.

There's another possibility as well - Higuruma is not dead, contrary to previous belief. To begin with, he wasn't featured in the "death portraits," so it's possible that he's still alive but is too injured to fight.

It might be that his role in the series has concluded and the author is choosing to use other characters. Moreover, Fumihiko Takaba is also not featured, which means he too is likely alive.

However, there could be an alternative way of looking at this whole scenario - the "death portraits" feature only the dead sorcerers close to Yuji. With the exception of Naobito, all of the sorcerers shown played an important role in Yuji's life.

Higuruma wasn't all that close to Yuji, hence he wasn't shown but could still be dead, considering that no mention has been made of him so far.