Sukuna has Kashimo to thank for his epic run in Jujutsu Kaisen's Shinjuku Arc

Modified Nov 15, 2024 13:30 GMT

Jujutsu Kaisen might had Kashimo as the key for Sukuna's run (Image via Shueisha).

Jujutsu Kaisen's final arc, the Shinjuku Showdown, had Ryomen Sukuna facing the vast majority of the main cast and almost winning, but there were some events that definitely played out in his favor. One detail that a lot of people don't usually take into account is the fact that Hajime Kashimo could have been a very useful asset for the sorcerers, but his pride got in the way.

While reduced to a joke by the Jujutsu Kaisen community because he was easily beaten by the King of Curses on his own, Kashimo could have been a valuable ally at different stages of the battle, and perhaps they could have won a lot sooner with his help. However, his obsession with a one-on-one battle against Sukuna ended up spelling his doom and, in a way, made the vast majority of his character entirely pointless in the series.

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

Explaining how Kashimo's pride got in the way of being more useful against Sukuna in Jujutsu Kaisen

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From the moment that Satoru Gojo stepped onto the battlefield to fight Ryomen Sukuna, the sorcerers' plan was to attack the latter in case the former couldn't win. However, while Yuta Okkotsu and the remaining sorcerers had a clear plan in mind and a series of strategies ready for several scenarios, Hajime Kashimo wanted nothing to do with it, and that spelled his doom.

As a centuries-old sorcerer set in his ways, all Kashimo wanted in the series was to have a one-on-one battle with Sukuna, to the point that he was prioritizing that over the fate of the entire world. Furthermore, he had just witnessed the King of Curses taking the life of Satoru Gojo, someone clearly superior to him, and still jumped into the battlefield for the thrill of the combat.

While Kashimo was consistent with the characterization he showed until that point in the series, he would have been a lot more useful teaming up with the likes of Yuta and the others, which explains why the latter was visibly frustrated with the former's arguments. There are many moments when Kashimo could have been a valuable asset but chose to die on his own terms.

Why Kashimo didn't offer anything to the plot

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Hajime Kashimo was fairly beloved by the Jujutsu Kaisen fandom prior to the Shinjuku Showdown arc, with his fight with Kinji Hakari being quite celebrated, but his character fell apart when battling Sukuna. That is because Kashimo got a quick death and, ultimately, served no real purpose in the story beyond giving Hakari a good fight, which is ironic because the latter didn't contribute much to the plot, either.

While his electricity-based abilities and personalities are compelling, Kashimo didn't do anything significant in the role, and author Gege Akutami undermined his role as the strongest from another era. Instead of being a more complex character, perhaps mirroring Sukuna and Gojo as the strongest of a third era, he was mostly deployed as fodder for the King of Curses during their encounter.

Final thoughts

Despite being against his principles, if Kashimo had accepted to work as a team with the other sorcerers, he could have been a lot more useful in the final Jujutsu Kaisen arc. He could have been a strong asset to corner Sukuna and still would have gotten a chance to fight him, but his pride and idea of what a battle is got the better of him.

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Edited by Somava