Jujutsu Kaisen's infamous Miwa moment could be the set up to Kusakabe's victory against Sukuna

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 253 saw a massive cliffhanger after Ryomen Sukuna soundly defeated Maki Zen'in. Atsuya Kusakabe is the last sorcerer standing at the moment, which is why many have assumed that these two are going to face one another.

The vast majority of fans understand that Kusakabe has little to no chance against Sukuna, although there are some interesting theories regarding what he could do.

The most recent Jujutsu Kaisen theory suggests that Kusakabe could hold his ground at least a little against Sukuna, and that could be down to a moment that had Miwa in the spotlight. It would not only require Kusakabe to use Miwa's Batto draw, which he seems to be better at, but also use variations of his Simple Domain, binding vows, and Barriers to have a chance against the King of Curses.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda.

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Explaining how Kusakabe could hold his own against Sukuna in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, thanks to Miwa

This theory covers a lot of elements of the series' lore and battle system, first focusing on the Barriers and how they can be set up to meet certain conditions. The theory explains that, as has been shown in the series, these elements can keep certain things or people from coming in, and can have different shapes and structures.

In that case, Kusakabe, a skilled Grade 1 sorcerer, could potentially come up with a Barrier to trap himself and Sukuna while developing a peculiar design in it.

Kusakabe would have to take a page off Miwa's book, prepare the Barrier and auto-draw his blade in order to prepare an attack aimed at Sukuna. Miwa's Batto was fairly capable at her level and Kusakabe is a lot stronger than her, especially with the recent manga chapters making him a candidate for the strongest Grade 1 sorcerer, so he could deal more damage. However, there is also the risk of him missing, since this ability can be outpaced and Sukuna is fast enough to do it.

There is also the possibility of Kusakabe pulling a binding bow like Miwa did against Kenjaku, especially if he decides to use this combination of techniques and abilities to have a greater chance of landing a hit.

Another element that is worth pointing out is the fact that Kusakabe has the Evening Moon Sword Drawing, which is an ability he was going to use in the Shibuya Incident arc but was interrupted before executing it.

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What could happen in the coming chapters

Kusakabe in the second season of the anime (Image via MAPPA).

A running joke throughout Jujutsu Kaisen is that Kusakabe is always running away from a dangerous fight, and now it seems that he has no place to hide, although author Gege Akutami could have characters like Yuji Itadori, Yuta Okkotsu, or Choso showing up to continue the battle. There is also no certainty of Maki Zen'in's current state, although her being hit by Sukuna's Black Flash probably took her down for a while.

As this theory suggests, Kusakabe could have tools in his arsenal that could buy the others some time to recover as he is fighting Sukuna, but there is also a very good chance that Akutami would want to continue with the joke of him running away. It depends greatly on the approach but, on paper, Kusakabe has little to no chance of winning this battle.

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Final thoughts

Kusakabe could use several established elements of the Jujutsu Kaisen battle system, such as the Barriers, the Simple Domain, the binding vow, and a more improved version of Miwa's Batto ability. All of these tools, combined, could buy him at least some time while fighting Sukuna.

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