The stakes of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga continue to become more dire as each chapter feels more and more hopeless. The intensity of Ryomen Sukuna’s ruthless rampage could tease that mangaka Gege Akutami may be approaching the series’ ultimate end as each volume becomes unrelentingly bleak.
*Spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen.*
With Atsuya Kusakabe poised to be the last Jujutsu Sorcerer standing, his fated confrontation against Sukuna has the possibility to foreshadow Jujutsu Kaisen’s definitive ending. Death and destruction are no strangers to Jujutsu Kaisen as Gege has ruthlessly left a trail of spilled blood across the saga so far. If Kusakabe fails to defeat the King of Curses, even as a powerful Grade 1 Sorcerer, is this how Jujutsu Kaisen takes its final bow? With Sukuna claiming victory through his reign of terror?
Gege has confirmed that Jujutsu Kaisen will end in 2024. With things starting to look exceedingly desolate, they could be gradually leaning into the manga’s final arc. Kusakabe potentially being Sukuna’s culminating kill, and Gege picking off their characters one by one, is a deeply fascinating narrative checkmate. Jujutsu Kaisen isn’t the most kind or gentle manga, but this ongoing life-or-death lottery that Gege gambled on has admittedly unfolded into a riveting story.
Each chapter of the manga has transformed into a game of chance. From a speculative standpoint, there’s a creeping sense of suspicion that Jujutsu Kaisen has already revealed its own ending—by killing off Kusakabe and letting Sukuna win. It was wildly unpredictable that the series would eventually bring itself to look to Kusakabe for salvation to begin with; this theoretical ending would come as an absolute shock.
From a hypothetical point of view, what happens to Itadori Yuji if Kusakabe is struck down? Will this poor boy face the damnation of being Sukuna’s bodily host for eternity? All he did was swallow a cursed talisman, unknowing of what chaos would follow. There’s also the odd chance that Gege takes pity on Kusakabe and spares his life, though the thought of Kusakabe being forced to live with the guilt of outlasting literally every other Sorcerer is heart-wrenching.
At the same time, Kusakabe’s pending demise is an adroit and greatly unexpected conclusive note for Jujutsu Kaisen to round itself out on. What about Kusakabe could have been so compelling that he was saved for last when possibly facing off against death itself? Perhaps it’s his unsuspecting nature that’s made him so interesting when he’s given no choice but to stand alone. Jujutsu Kaisen has proven itself to be an unpredictable and unhinged entity, with its ending expected to be nothing short of savage.
The decision to eliminate Jujutsu Sorcerers altogether directly contradicts Suguru Geto’s original mission of eradicating all non-Sorcerers, and Sukuna’s motivations are still yet to be fully disclosed. If there really was no goal for Sukuna to achieve, it makes one suppositious concept of how Jujutsu Kaisen concludes all the more intriguing.
If Kusakabe is the last to die, and this is truly how Jujutsu Kaisen meets its end, then the manga has been gifted with impressive feat of storytelling. It makes perfect sense for the manga to bring itself to a close in a definitive manner. If anything, it needs to be closed-ended in order to ensure that the full story has been told. Jujutsu Kaisen demanded that it should be given a divisive and astonishing conclusion, something that Gege may have rightfully rewarded it with.
(featured image: MAPPA)
