Kusakabe: Kusakabe with Gojo's powers could fulfill his vision in Jujutsu Kaisen

Kusakabe with Gojo's powers could fulfill his vision in Jujutsu Kaisen

Modified Sep 21, 2024 10:04 GMT

Jujutsu Kaisen is nearly at its long-awaited climax and creator Gege Akutami has finally begun tying up loose ends one by one. Many of the questions which sprung by during the course of the story are seemingly finding rationale now with the deadly Shinjuku Showdown drawn to an emphatic close.

Taking a moment to step back and look at the story in its entirety leaves viewers with one of many points - Jujutsu Society itself is morally corrupt and hinges on values left in legacies. Speaking of such topics brings a singular name to mind, Atsuya Kusakabe.

Initially, he did seem cowardly and extremely averse to battle, but when the time came, even Gojo acknowledged the teacher's strength. But it's not Kusakabe's strength that defines him, but rather his strong moral compass and the urge to protect. With how things transpired, it has been heavily suggested that Kusakabe equipped with Gojo's toolkit could have easily fulfilled his vision. Here's how.

Jujutsu Kaisen: Kusakabe's vision lacked only Gojo's powers to attain fulfillment

Kusakabe and Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via Sportskeeda)

Initially, impressions were definitely misleading when it came to Kusakabe. As it turned out, Kusakabe was significantly knowledgeable about Jujutsu sorcery, was braver than he came off and cared deeply for his comrades, specifically for his students. All his qualities were displayed brightly when Team Jujutsu High took on the Demon King in Shinjuku.

But with everything said and done, it is made clear that Kusakabe didn't object to Yuji Itadori's execution and made his stance clear, in the latest chapter. This is similar to Gojo Satoru not blaming Yoshinobu Gakuganji for killing Masamichi Yaga, the closest thing he had as a father figure. As mentioned, the Jujutsu Society was corrupt and hinged on legacy values and hence began to fall.

This is why Suguru Geto defected and chose his own path, leaving no one to blame him. Kento Nanami chose to quit being a sorcerer before returning. Intriguingly, Mei Mei is the way she is due to this, interested only in the monetary value of things and her own and her brother's safety. Moreover, Jujutsu High itself can be viewed as a cult sheltering a potentially world-threatening entity.

Kusakabe during the Shibuya Incident in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via MAPPA)

Moving to Kusakabe's bit, his desire was to maintain the status quo. As Yuji had felt about himself, Kusakabe too was just another cog in the machinery that helped the world function. Importantly, it wasn't until Gojo and Geto's dynamic change that sorcerers with a strong conscious began to surface. To elaborate, Geto was deeply by what he had witnessed and sought to rebuild society but lacked the power. On the flip side, Gojo possessed the power to do so but not the mental fortitude to wipe the slate clean for a fresh start, that is until Geto became what he did.

This is what led to Gojo abandoning his former self and in some sense, becoming a monster like Geto. He was well aware that wiping the slate clean would mean revolution, but he wasn't sure if the next generation could handle it and hence began preparing them. Along came Yuta Okkotsu and Yuji and Gojo gained faith in the next generation, finally cutting ties with the old and passing on the torch.

But outside, everyone remained in the status quo, growing tired of Gojo's capability to shake things up if and when he desired. Coming back to Kusakabe, he was about "intellectual sincerity", as Mei Mei describes - he wanted to save as many as possible. With Gojo's influence and power, he would probably be able to do that and possibly bring about the change he wished for in Jujutsu society.