Sukuna: Jujutsu Kaisen: Yuji's awakening may have been Sukuna's true goal all along

Jujutsu Kaisen: Yuji's awakening may have been Sukuna's true goal all along

Modified Apr 20, 2024 13:00 GMT

Yuji Itadori and Ryomen Sukuna in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via Sportskeeda)

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 256 heralded the beginning of the event that fans were desperately waiting for. Previously, a number of other characters were getting their respective awakenings/power ups. The most prominent among them were Maki Zenin and Hiromi Higuruma.

Finally, after a seemingly endless wait, protagonist Yuji Itadori has now awakened. It truly has been worth the wait, considering that he was developing gradually before exploding through. This sudden burst of the teen's potential spells nothing but disaster for Ryomen Sukuna.

However, there may be a chance that all of this was planned and this is exactly what the Demon King Sukuna had been aiming for all along. Additionally, chapter 257 spoilers have also shed light on the Sukuna-Yuji conundrum.

Disclaimer: This article is speculative in nature.

Jujutsu Kaisen: Yuji awakening could be exactly what Sukuna wants (Theory)

Ryomen Sukuna in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via MAPPA)

Chapter 256 ended with Yuji landing a massive Black Flash square on Sukuna. Thanks to Larue's Cursed Technique "Heart Catch," he was able to divert the Demon King's attention and create an opening for Yuji. The boy didn't waste a single second getting locked in and unleashing a staggering blow.

Thus begins the awakening of the true protagonist. It has been a long time coming and has finally happened after 255 chapters. But this has also birthed an interesting theory that could be plausible in the long run.

The theory states that Sukuna has played devil's advocate all this time and has been pushing Yuji to get stronger. Everything he did was to make it so that Yuji would be forced to awaken and surpass his limits, thus realizing the potential Gojo and others have credited him with.

It could also be the reason behind Sukuna merging the Shikigami in Megumi Fushiguro's Ten Shadows into Agito and ultimately losing it to Gojo, so that no one could oppose him later with the same technique.

Yuji Itadori in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via MAPPA)

Moreover, it could back the grounds for why Sukuna kept coercing Yuji in certain situations. For instance, subjecting him to intense emotional turmoil (e.g. Shibuya destruction, joining in Mahito's ridiculing him for letting Nobara and Nanami die). It can be argued that all of it was to push Yuji to become a stronger and more fitting vessel.

Moving forward, this plan would see immense results, if successful. If Yuji awakens and reaches the maximum limit of his potential, Sukuna could swap back into his original vessel, as he did with Megumi. This would work towards setting up the ending of the story Yuji wanted - to have Sukuna within him and have them both die to rid the world of the Demon King.

But then again, with Sukuna also at full power, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for him to suppress Yuji's soul the way he did Megumi's. In such a scenario, the final being would actually be all powerful, i.e., Ryomen Sukuna in a fully awakened and powered up Yuji Itadori.

Final thoughts

Expand Tweet

This theory takes it place among the multitude of Jujutsu Kaisen theories to exist thus far. It is, after all, a theory with no official confirmation/hint of Sukuna's interest in Yuji, at least for the time being. However, it mustn't be ruled out till the story progresses.

Again, as per the spoilers, Sukuna seems to know that Yuji is the child of his reincarnated twin brother. Despite knowing this, it is possible that Sukuna could still reach for fulfillment by taking over Yuji again. The reason for this might be that this was part of the deal Kenjaku and Sukuna made years ago.

Being Sukuna's nephew and his twin's son, Yuji presumably carries his blood as well. In that case, this would make Yuji a perfect vessel for the Demon King to fully manifest and inhabit for the next 1000 years or so. It is frightening to even think of the possibility of Sukuna inside a fully awakened Yuji.