Megumi: Jujutsu Kaisen's ending will depend on Megumi's return, not Sukuna's defeat

Jujutsu Kaisen continues to deliver riveting action as the intense battle against Ryomen Sukuna heats up even further. Just when it seemed like the Jujutsu High sorcerers had gained the upper hand, the Demon King unveiled yet another unexpected move.

Despite enduring 8 Black Flashes from Yuji Itadori and having his healing halted, he managed to open his Domain, Malevolent Shrine. Though incomplete and lasting 99 seconds, it still did substantial damage to his opponents, even slicing Yuji's left foot. The chapter ended with him stunning viewers with the preparation of his Fuga or Fire Arrow.

Amidst these developments, there is still a lingering concern that Megumi Fushiguro's role in the story isn't over. Considering the damage Yuji has done, it is likely that Megumi might break free at some point. That fuels a plausible theory that Jujutsu Kaisen will hinge on Megumi's return and not Sukuna's defeat.

Jujutsu Kaisen: The series ending will be decided by Megumi and not Sukuna

The new and improved Megumi Fushiguro

Sukuna after taking over Megumi's body in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via Gege Akutami, Shueisha)

To begin with, it is not incorrect to say that, although comatose, Megumi's character is undergoing significant development. As Atsuya Kusakabe (chapter 258) states regarding Yuji's explosive development, Sukuna previously inhabiting his body and using Special Grade Jujutsu has left a sort of impression. Due to this, his body remembers all of it and can thus develop rapidly in its usage.

Similarly, Sukuna has operated within Megumi's body, albeit to a lesser extent compared to Yuji. But since his goal was always Megumi, he immediately began using a substantial bit of his abilities after taking over. Moreover, he nearly went all out against Gojo Satoru.

In essence, Megumi's body too would be imprinted with extremely high-level Jujutsu. Not to mention, Megumi has always been credited with having ridiculous potential but being held back due to his mental constraints. Therefore, he is receiving the same buff Yuji received from Sukuna, but in a much greater way.

Megumi's current body (in which Sukuna has revealed his true form) possesses attributes like Reverse Cursed Technique (RCT), barrierless Domain, Binding Vow mastery, Black Flash, taming Mahoraga, upgraded Ten Shadows, and a lot more.

How it ties into Megumi deciding the series' conclusion

Megumi Fushiguro in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via MAPPA)

Given the story's events, there has to be a good reason for Megumi to gain such overwhelming abilities. Knowing author Gege Akutami, it cannot be for naught that the dark-haired boy has received access to potentially the greatest Jujutsu sorcery to exist.

It's plausible that Megumi will eventually be freed somehow and the merger will take place, as Kenjaku willed. Again, as per Kenjaku, the merger will birth something that goes beyond Cursed Energy (CE). Then, as it happens, the remaining sorcerers will band together to fight off the beast.

Alternatively, after being freed, Megumi could go rogue. We already know that all his actions are driven by a sole cause - his sister Tsumiki's safety. Further, he became a sorcerer and sided with Gojo to ensure that his sister would be safe, considering they only had each other to rely on.

The Culling Games is an instance where Megumi's strong sense of protectiveness towards his sister hinted at him going down a dark path, ready to dispatch anyone who opposed him. Also, in the fight against Reggie Star, he didn't pay much heed to Reggie's prediction of Kenjaku "dropping a bomb" on the world, which was correct.

Moving on, there could be one reason that Megumi might go rogue. Again, during the Reggie Star fight, the dark-haired boy won and was subsequently "cursed." With his last words, Reggie told Megumi to let fate toy with him before he dies like a fool.

This, too, turned out to happen. Sukuna took over his body, killed Gojo and his sister (the two he was extremely close to), and is now battling against his comrades. The last time he was seen, due to Yuji's soul-shattering strikes, Megumi was broken and didn't wish to continue fighting or even live.

So, fate has actually toyed with him by robbing everything from him, breaking his will to live, and then (potentially) forcing him to witness it all by coming back. He could take out his anger by unleashing the merger and taking on what it brings.

Final Thoughts

Anyhow, this is just speculation. No one around truly knows what author Gege Akutami might be cooking up next. But there might be some things that can be stated with certainty.

If Megumi returns, he will possess abilities that far exceed any sorcerer's due to Sukuna operating in his body. Also, if he does activate the merger, he won't achieve much as CE and Jujutsu sorcery could be eradicated.

This is just a theory and is subject to actual story progression. Gege Akutami could go either way with the ending - Megumi teams up with his comrades to fight off the merger beast, or he could be freed and return as the final boss of the series. But, most likely, Megumi holds the key to deciding the series' future.