Jujutsu Kaisen: Why Final Yuji makes Sukuna's entire arc look like a joke

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 268 finally saw the demise of Ryomen Sukuna and showcased what the Final Yuji was capable of. The protagonist's journey through the series could be considered nothing less than a rollercoaster, filled with ups and downs, with more emphasis on the downs, which motivated him to keep living, hoping for a better future.

Being born inside Itadori as the King of Curses, the antagonist had only one aim, and that was to turn the world upside down and declare himself the strongest. However, where strong sorcerers like Gojo did stand in his way, the protagonist was underestimated and claimed his way to become one of the strongest sorcerers, marking the demise of the antagonist with his own hands.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the Jujutsu Kaisen manga series and reflects the author's opinion.

Jujutsu Kaiseni: Exploring Yuji's journey from the weakest to one of the strongest

The first encounter between Itadori and Sukuna (Image via MAPPA)

Born on March 20, 2003, to Jin Itadori and Kenjaku (Kaori), Itadori Yuji was a child with an unrealistically strong build. He could break world records in casual tries like he surpassed the world record for shotput throwing through a casual throw. One day, sensing something eerie from his school, Itadori's life was about to take a big turn.

He saw his clubmates in trouble as a monster attacked them. Later, meeting Fushigoro Megumi and learning about the existence of cursed spirits, Itadori learned that the world was not as simple as he thought. He eventually ate a mysterious relic that was causing the monster to run amok, and this awakened Ryomen Sukuna inside him.

However, despite trying to go berserk and destroy everything, Sukuna is not dominant in his vessel because of Itadori's strong willpower. Itadori later met Gojo Satoru, and his life as a cursed sorcerer started. The first teacher who taught the protagonist a new technique was Kento Nanami, who taught Yuji the Divergent Fist.

Itadori delivering his first Black Flash (Image via MAPPA)

Although this was a basic technique that utilized a sorcerer's cursed energy, this was indeed a big step for him. However, at the same time, he suffered the loss of his first friend Junpei. After this, during the Kyoto Goodwill Event Arc of Jujutsu Kaisen, the protagonist met Aoi Todou, who became a big brother figure to him.

The sorcerer taught the protagonist one of the hardest cursed techniques, the Black Flash. Not only was this technique hard to deliver, but the timing required for it was also precise. As expected, Itadori exceeded all expectations and was going for a record-breaker using this technique.

Itadori after Sukuna's mass massacre (Image via MAPPA)

Later entering the Shibuya arc, which could be considered the point where the protagonist matured the most as a part of the Jujutsu Society because he saw the loss of his teacher Nanami Kento. This happened after Sukuna took over him and killed hundreds of civilians, thus putting the protagonist in a state of depression.

However, with the help of his friends, he kept going and nurtured his cursed energy manipulation. After Sukuna left the protagonist's body in the Culling Game arc, this was the point where the protagonist had the chance to develop himself as a sorcerer. So, this was what he did and showcased his growth in the Shinjuku Showdown arc of Jujutsu Kaisen.

Itadori and HIguruma as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha)

After the death of Gojo, Yuji and Higuruma entered the battlefield, but Higuruma's demise followed soon, which gave the protagonist a chance to avenge him. The protagonist first showcased his Blood Manipulation, a technique he learned from Choso. However, this technique didn't impress Sukuna, who considered it a party trick.

Partnered with Yuta later against Sukuna, the protagonist kept up with the special-grade sorcerer in his domain, showcasing why he was still standing in the way of Sukuna despite being considered one of the weakest sorcerers. After Yuta exited, in a one-on-one, Yuji awakened his cursed technique, which was, ironically, the same as the King of Curses, Shrine.

This revealed the blood relationship between these two, but their fight continued. After hitting the antagonist to an extreme limit, Sukuna couldn't underestimate the sorcerer he considered a pest his whole life and expanded his domain. Again, Yuji showcased another one of his techniques, Simple Domain, and countered the King of Curses' approach.

The last encounter between Itadori and Sukuna in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via Shueisha)

However, it wasn't enough, he lost Choso, the brother-like figure whom Yuji also admired. Again, in the dumps of depression, he was saved by Todou, and these two cornered the King of Curses enough for Yuta to enter the battlefield again, but as Gojo. The fight eventually came to a standstill between Sukuna and Yuji, where the protagonist expanded his untitled domain expansion.

With unexpected assistance from Nobara, Yuji managed to rip Sukuna apart from Megumi and reduced the antagonist to a blob of meat, who died a pathetic death. Where Sukuna was reborn as the strongest and died a pitiful death, Yuji slowly climbed his way through his determination and killed the curse that cursed him his entire life.

Final thoughts

Yuji had immense potential even before getting introduced to the Jujutsu world and learning about cursed energy. Part of the reason could be because Kenjaku was the one who birthed him by taking over Kaori Itadori to prepare a vessel for Sukuna. As a vessel of Sukuna, Yuji retained some of his cursed energy and was able to freely manipulate it.

Although being criticized for being a useless MC and playing no part in the story except as a vessel for Sukuna. But Yuji persevered through the loss of many loved ones and the burden of letting Sukuna wreak havoc in Shibuya. He trained himself and became capable enough to take down the King of Curses and save Megumi.

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Edited by Shubham Soni