Sukuna has taken everything from Yuji, including his dream, in Jujutsu Kaisen's final arc

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 256 recently come out and gave Yuji Itadori, the protagonist of the story, a lot of focus during the sorcerers' battle with Ryomen Sukuna. Yuji's role as the main character has always been criticized, with a lot of people claiming that he doesn't get a lot of focus, but there is no denying that his contrast with Sukuna was very intentional by author Gege Akutami and the story shows that.

From the moment that the Jujutsu Kaisen manga started, Yuji has been looking to give people "a proper death", which often refers to dying without any regrets and moving on with a clear state of mind. That is something that the protagonist has struggled with greatly, although Sukuna, despite his role as a villain, has, in a way, managed to accomplish what Yuji wanted all along.

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

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Explaining how Sukuna achieved Yuji Itadori's goals in Jujutsu Kaisen

From the moment the series began and Yuji witnessed the death of his grandfather, he believed in the idea of giving the people around him a "proper death" where they could die in peace and without regrets. However, the deaths of Junpei Yoshino, Nanami Kento, and Nobara Kugisaki were all sudden and without any semblance of peace, which is something that deeply affected Yuji as the story progressed.

On the other hand, Ryomen Sukuna is everything that Yuji isn't, focusing just on himself and finding pleasure however he sees fit, which includes killing people. However, most of the people who have fought Sukuna, such as Jogo, Satoru Gojo, Hajime Kashimo, and a few more, have died with no regrets and finding peace in their lives.

Perhaps Gojo, because of his role in the story, could be the best example of this contrast since he always craved to have a challenge and find someone who could remove him from his position as the most powerful sorcerer. Once Sukuna killed him, Gojo was seen in the afterlife, talking with his deceased friends, and finding peace in the fact that he was defeated and now wasn't the strongest.

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The conclusion between Sukuna and Yuji

Sukuna and Yuji in the anime (Image via MAPPA).

There have been a lot of contrasts and differences between Sukuna and Yuji throughout Jujutsu Kaisen, making them natural opposites. Sukuna is selfish, has been the pinnacle of Jujutsu sorcery, and kills without remorse while Yuji questions the decision to take a life, is selfless, and doesn't have any natural talent for sorcery, which is why he relies on his superhuman strength for the most part.

Chapter 256 has set up Yuji as Sukuna's final fighter as the former hit the latter with a very powerful Black Flash, which would be a fitting conclusion for their rivalry. Sukuna came back to life thanks to Yuji eating one of his fingers, so it makes sense that the protagonist is the one to put an end to the former's madness.

Some people have argued that stronger characters like Satoru Gojo or Yuta Okkotsu, individuals who have had the protagonist role in a couple of arcs, should be the ones to defeat Sukuna. However, this is Yuji's story at the end of the day, so it makes sense that the main character defeats the main antagonist, especially considering how they parallel one another.

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Final thoughts

Ryomen Sukuna has been giving his enemies the "proper death" Yuji always wanted to give other people throughout Jujutsu Kaisen, which is perhaps intentional by author Gege Akutami. This could be used as a way to parallel one another and also to further highlight their rivalry.

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