The Shinjuku Showdown Arc proves Sukuna has both Jujutsu Kaisen's best brains and brawn

Ryomen Sukuna truly lived up to his title as the undisputed King of Curses in the Shinjuku Showdown arc, where he nearly demolished the entire roster of Jujutsu Kaisen characters.

The Shinjuku Showdown began with the highly anticipated "Battle of the Strongest"—where Satoru Gojo, the strongest sorcerer of today, faced off against Ryomen Sukuna, the strongest sorcerer in history. An exhilarating battle of wits and cursed techniques ensued, which was ultimately won by Sukuna after a cunning strategy allowed him to blindside Gojo and completely turn the tide of the battle in an instant.

Sukuna's fight against the remaining sorcerers further proved his immense strength and unrivaled nature. That being said, his climactic battle against Gojo in particular showcased that he has both the best brains and brawn in the entirety of Jujutsu Kaisen and that no one even comes close to his level.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author. Reader's discretion is advised.

---

Here's how Sukuna outsmarted the Strongest and proved that he has the best brains and brawn in Jujutsu Kaisen

Many fans often argue that Satoru Gojo's defeat in Jujutsu Kaisen was circumstantial and that a few minor adjustments would have given him the edge. Ultimately, what they fail to acknowledge is that Sukuna deliberately shaped the fight in order to ensure that Gojo had no real path to victory.

Sukuna might have known that Gojo was stronger than him in direct combat—which is why he didn't just brute force his way through the fight. He resorted to using Megumi's body first, as he knew that he could not simply rely on his Heian Era form and Malevolent Shrine.

Banking everything on his Domain would have limited Sukuna's options later on if Gojo didn't take the bait of clashing Domains over and over again. He also knew Gojo wouldn't have engaged him in a Domain battle if Sukuna had an early advantage in hand-to-hand combat with his Heian Era form. As such, the King of Curses took a much safer route of using Megumi's body to face Gojo head-on.

Ryomen Sukuna in Jujutsu Kaisen (image via MAPPA)

Sukuna was also aware that his slashing attacks would be useless against Gojo's Infinity. As such, he decided to use Megumi's Ten Shadows technique to give him an edge against Gojo. He knew that Mahoraga in particular would be his ace, but he needed time to adapt to Infinity. By playing defensively and giving Gojo the illusion that he was in control, Sukuna gave Mahoraga the time he needed to learn and adapt to Gojo's biggest strength.

If all else failed, Sukuna could fully incarnate and recover from any damage, which would allow him to continue fighting without being significantly weakened. Gojo, on the other hand, had no such luxury.

What makes Sukuna's strategy against Gojo so impressive is the fact that he had accounted for multiple scenarios. He wasn't gambling on just one outcome—he had contingencies stacked on contingencies.

Even when Gojo used the improvised Hollow Purple to decimate Mahoraga and level the city of Shinjuku, Sukuna already had a plan in motion. He used a Binding Vow and Mahoraga's adaptation as a model to direct a fatal World Bisecting Slash at Gojo, which the latter had no possible way of anticipating.

Of course, all the Battle IQ in the world wouldn't be enough if you don't have the strength to back it up. Fortunately for Sukuna, he had both. By using both Mahoraga and Agito, Sukuna essentially forced Gojo to go all out, while he himself held back his own abilities.

Sukuna could have easily had the advantage the two shikigami gave him in combat by reverting to his Heian Era form—which he didn't, since it was a backup for him in case things went out of hand.

Furthermore, Sukuna tanked Gojo's strongest techniques as well as his final makeshift Hollow Purple attack and still somehow had enough left in the tank to crush the remaining sorcerers. This alone proves his superiority—not only did he defeat Gojo, but he was powerful enough to annihilate the entire Jujutsu society if not for Yuji and Yuta's counterplan.

---

Final Thoughts

It's a given that some Jujutsu Kaisen fans will never accept that Gojo lost the Battle of the Strongest fair and square. However, the complaints wouldn't change the fact that Sukuna didn't just beat Gojo, he outplayed him in every possible way.

Ultimately, Satoru Gojo vs. Ryomen Sukuna was a battle of wits against strength. While Gojo relied on his overwhelming power and years of training, Sukuna utilized his years of knowledge and mastery in Jujutsu sorcery and coupled it with his unrivaled Battle IQ to emerge victorious.

---