Kenjaku's Merger plan in Jujutsu Kaisen may have relied on a theoretical Binding Vow

Modified Feb 20, 2025 05:30 GMT

Jujutsu Kaisen could have had Kenjaku going a different route with his plan (Image via MAPPA). — Jujutsu Kaisen could have had Kenjaku going a different route with his plan (Image via MAPPA)

Jujutsu Kaisen established Kenjaku as a master manipulator, and someone who had a clear path for his Merger plan, but there are some things he could have done differently to succeed. A good example came in the form of Mahito's Cursed Technique— Idle Transfiguration— and also Suguru Geto's ability to absorb Curses.

The idea is that Kenjaku could have made a Binding Vow when absorbing Mahito and kept his Idle Transfiguration, giving him not only the tools to make the Merger happen, as was seen in the Culling Games arc, but also to have a much stronger technique. There is a good chance that the events in Jujutsu Kaisen would have gone a lot differently if that was the case.

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

Explaining how a Binding Vow could have made Kenjaku's plan work in Jujutsu Kaisen

Kenjaku as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

It was established in the series that Kenjaku needed Suguru Geto's Cursed Technique to absorb Mahito and use his Idle Transfiguration the one time to get the Merger going. While the villain managed to achieve that by the end of the Shibuya Incident arc, he could have made a Binding Vow to keep that technique.

The scenario could have played out at the time of absorbing Mahito, striking a Binding Vow where he makes this the last time he could use Geto's Cursed Technique, but keeping that new ability in the process. It would be a logical move because he had no use for that character's technique beyond piling up Curses, while he also gains a much more powerful ability.

If Kenjaku had Mahito's Idle Transfiguration when fighting the likes of Choso, Yuki Tsukumo, or even Tabata later on, he could have ended those battles with just one touch, much like the Cursed used to do. This would mean that he could see his plans through, and also turn into a much stronger fighter— which could have played out quite differently in the final arc.

The rise and fall of Kenjaku's character

Kenjaku as seen in the second season of the anime (Image via MAPPA)

Kenjaku's character was among the ones hurt the most by the Jujutsu Kaisen conclusion, and the way author Gege Akutami handled the final arc. While he was presented as a master planner and manipulator, his defeat at the hands of Takaba and Yuta Okkotsu proved to be rather underwhelming, leaving fans with a feeling that something was missing from his character.

His death led to a lot of unresolved or underdeveloped ideas, such as the Merger plan, the comments of his will being passed, his relationship with Tengen, and even how he was familiar with Ryomen Sukuna's twin in the first place. All of these questions left the ending feeling disjointed, with Kenjaku arguably being the one character who was affected the most.

Final thoughts

The idea of Kenjaku making a Binding Vow to get Idle Transfiguration makes a lot of sense, and would have made his role as a villain in Jujutsu Kaisen a lot stronger. However, it is likely that author Gege Akutami didn't think of this or thought that this didn't fit with the vision he had for this character.

Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay