Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 episode 21 easter egg teases Sukuna's true form

Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 episode 21 set up the final encounter of the Shibuya Incident Arc as Mahito was confronted by Pseudo-Geto. However, during the fight between Yuji Itadori and Mahito, the series' animation team discreetly flashed an easter egg for manga fans, which they may have overlooked. Nevertheless, those who were observant enough may have spotted the easter egg that teased Sukuna's true form.

Ryomen Sukuna, despite being the major antagonist, does not make many appearances in the series. However, he did have a significant part to play in the plot of the second season. He not only broke Yuji Itadori by killing thousands of people but also saved Megumi to later accomplish his elaborate plan that has not been revealed in the anime yet. However, he made one more appearance in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 episode 21.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Jujutsu Kaisen manga.

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Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 episode 21: Mahito's Domain Expansion hints at Sukuna's true form

Ryomen Sukuna as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen manga (Image via Shueisha)

Jujutsu Kaisen's manga recently saw Ryomen Sukuna beginning his transformation into his true form. This transformation started in chapter 237 during the King of Curses' fight against Hajime Kashimo. With that, the manga revealed that the right side of Sukuna's face underwent the initial stages of transformation, which is evident from the two eyes and protrusion. Meanwhile, his left side remained the same.

Given the speed at which the anime was being adapted by MAPPA, fans were led to believe that it would take years before they would witness Sukuna's true form in anime. However, to the surprise of many, Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 episode 21 unexpectedly dropped an easter egg that gave fans a glimpse of Ryomen Sukuna's true form.

Mahito as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 episode 21 (Image via MAPPA)

During the fight between Mahito and Yuji & Todo, Mahito found it necessary to activate his Domain Expansion. However, doing so previously led to Sukuna confronting him as Sukuna possessed a stronger domain.

Hence, to use his domain expansion and yet not fall victim to Sukuna, Mahito used a trick he had recently learned from Satoru Gojo. In his final moments, Gojo activated his domain expansion for 0.2 seconds to kill countless transfigured humans.

Mahito realized that a domain expansion of such a small fraction of time was possible. Hence, he used the same to attack Todo's arm and confront Sukuna.

This transition animation of domain expansion flashed through several abstract designs, between which the animation team sneaked in a glimpse of Sukuna's true form from the manga. With that, the animation team managed to successfully hint at Sukuna's true form in the anime, possibly nearly half a decade before it would have been adapted as part of the television anime.

Mahito and Sukuna as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 episode 21 (Image via MAPPA)

While the animation team did not disclose the reason for incorporating such an Easter egg, it could be speculated that their intention was to generate some hype among the manga fans about what would get animated in the future.

In addition, the animation team was also facing a lot of trouble with the anime's scheduling. Hence, many animators even swore to not work for MAPPA anymore after this project. Therefore, the animators who were part of the team may have decided to include the easter egg, given that the animation team's future for the series was up in the air.