Gojo Satoru’s birthday has come and gone, and yet he’s still knocked out cold in Jujutsu Kaisen. It’s hard to hope for anything when we’ve seen him in the Prison Realm for more than a year, only to immediately meet his end in Shinjuku.
Recently, Akutami released some Gojo crumbs through the Volume 26 cover of Jujutsu Kaisen’s manga. Some fans are eating it up as a sign that the ‘Honored One’ will be returning, but there are those who are reluctant to believe the theory. I’m in the latter camp because it’s hard to hope for happiness when you read Jujutsu Kaisen.
Additionally, Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 26 covers Chapters 228–236 of the manga. Are those chapters familiar? Yeah, Volume 26 includes the infamous Chapter 236, which shows Gojo Satoru’s sudden and gruesome death. If anything, it’s easier to believe that Gojo was only chosen as the album cover by Akutami as either a way to send him off or to mock Gojo.
Let’s assume that I delude myself into believing that the cover of Volume 26 is Akutami’s way of signaling that he’s willing to bring Gojo back. Does this theory hold any merit?
There’s snow falling on the cover, which might give us some hope for purification. The first page of the volume also features Gojo Satoru’s eyes opening moments before Sukuna’s slash. This makes many believe that Gojo Satoru will enter a second awakening.
But why am I so skeptical about this cover? It’s because the flowers on the cover imply a finality to Gojo Satoru’s death. The flowers featured on the cover are red camellias, which symbolize ‘nobility’ among the samurai and are often associated with death in Japan.
Does this mean I’m not betting on Gojo Satoru’s return at all? Nope, because I’m inhaling all the copium ‘hints’ for a Gojo resurrection moment. Nevertheless, the cover of Volume 26 shouldn’t be taken as a hint for a revival. If I expect anything at all, it’s for Gege Akutami to show how Gojo Satoru failed to dodge Sukuna’s slash and for us to see the extra gruesome details of Gojo’s death.
(featured image: Gege Akutami)
