Kyoto students have done more in the Shibuya arc than Jujutsu Kaisen fans realize

Modified Feb 07, 2025 10:30 GMT

Jujutsu Kaisen fans might have gotten the Kyoto class wrong (Image via MAPPA). — Jujutsu Kaisen fans might have gotten the Kyoto class wrong (Image via MAPPA)

Jujutsu Kaisen is known for having a vocal fanbase and that has led to the creation of several popular memes, with one being that the Kyoto Jujutsu students, barring Aoi Todo, were disappointing. This was further emphasized during the Shibuya Incident arc, with a lot of fans claiming they didn't do enough to stop Kenjaku, but the truth is a lot more complex.

While there are arguments to be made that the Kyoto students should have done more in the Shibuya Incident arc and Jujutsu Kaisen as a whole, the truth is that most sorcerers failed in this storyline, and some of them only survived because of lucky circumstances. If anything, this serves to prove that Shibuya was the lowest point in the series for the sorcerers, and how much of a safety net Satoru Gojo was for them.

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

Jujutsu Kaisen fans got the Kyoto students wrong in the Shibuya Incident arc

The Kyoto students as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

While the Kyoto students' performance has been heavily criticized by the fandom, they were the ones to back up Yuji Itadori and Choso when they were about to be taken down by Kenjaku and Uraume. Moreover, Yuji was about to die at the hands of Mahito earlier and had lost his will to fight because of Nobara Kugisaki's apparent death, requiring Aoi Todo to step in and motivate him once again.

In general, the performance of the sorcerers, from the seniors to the youngest ones, was quite poor in the Shibuya Incident arc, starting with Satoru Gojo walking into a trap without any support. Moreover, the likes of Nanami Kento and Naobito Zen'in, seasoned sorcerers, were overwhelmed and killed in this arc, while Mei Mei chose to run away when pressed and Atsuya Kusakabe actively avoided combat.

When compared to the Tokyo students, Panda didn't get involved because he was partnered with Kusakabe, Maki Zen'in barely managed to keep up with Dagon and was burnt alive by Jogo, and Nobara Kugisaki— while useful against Mahito— was ultimately taken out of commission with a degree of ease. It was a poor performance by most of the good guys, with some lasting ramifications for the series.

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Several sorcers failed during the Shibuya Incident arc (Image via MAPPA)

It is also quite telling that the main characters of Jujutsu Kaisen were also struggling to the point of arguably being a disappointment. For example, Megumi Fushiguro did a good job saving Ino, and held his own against Dagon, but was about to die at the hands of Haruta and could have doomed everyone— friend and foe— by summoning Mahoraga if Ryomen Sukuna hadn't stopped the legendary Shikigami.

If some of the sorcerers managed to survive, particularly the likes of Yuji and Megumi, it was because of the intervention of the likes of Sukuna and the revived Toji Fushiguro, which were variables the sorcerers weren't counting on. If it wasn't for Sukuna, Yuji and Megumi would have died in Shibuya, and Toji was the one who eliminated Dagon, who probably would have killed most people in that arc.

This is also the same explanation with Jogo, who was killed by Sukuna, and Mahito, who was defeated by Yuji with the help of Todo— who would have otherwise destroyed anyone present in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga at the time now that Gojo was sealed.

That combination of factors shows how the Tokyo sorcerers failed heavily in this arc, giving a bit more perspective when it comes to the Kyoto ones.

Final thoughts

The Kyoto students are likely going to still be treated as a joke by the Jujutsu Kaisen fandom because they didn't live up to the expectations. However, when it comes to the Shibuya Incident arc, none of the sorcerers truly managed to have a great performance in that event.

Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay