Highlights
- In Chapter 236, Ryomen Sukuna defeats and kills Satoru Gojo, the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer, by using a genius plan involving the powerful shikigami Mahoraga.
- Sukuna realizes Mahoraga's unique ability to adapt and counter any attack, which becomes crucial in his plan to defeat Gojo.
- Sukuna takes over Yuji Itadori's body and transfers his soul to Megumi Fushiguro's body, gaining full control over Megumi's Ten Shadows Technique and Mahoraga to fight Gojo.
This article is a brief analysis of the events that happened in the original Jujutsu Kaisen manga that haven’t been adapted into anime yet. So if you prefer to only watch the anime, then just know that there will be some major SPOILERS up ahead.
In Chapter 236, the King of Curses Ryomen Sukuna defeated and killed the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer of the modern era, Satoru Gojo. As a being who has been living for thousands of years and fought against some of the strongest curses and sorceresses in history, there’s no doubt that Sukuna is incomprehensibly powerful.
However, Sukuna knew that raw power alone was not enough to defeat Satoru Gojo. He knew that no matter what he threw at Satoru, he would recover in a matter of minutes as if nothing happened to him. So Sukuna began to concoct a plan that would allow him to break through Satoru's impenetrable defense. A genius plan that first comes to his mind all the way back in Chapter 117, when he saw Megumi’s Mahoraga in action.
Seeing Mahoraga In Action
As soon as Sukuna saw Satoru Gojo through the eyes of Yuji Itadori, he knew that he would fight against Gojo someday, and it would be bad news for him. It’s not that Gojo is way stronger than Sukuna per se, but rather it would be a cumbersome fight with no apparent ending. So for quite some time, he didn’t really have a solid plan to defeat Satoru. But then the Shibuya incident happened.
Near the end of that bloodbath, Sukuna managed to take over Yuji’s body. At the time, Megumi just got out of an excruciating fight and was heavily injured. Unfortunately for him, there was still a dangerous enemy around. Since he can no longer fight on his own, Megumi summoned the Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga, the strongest shikigami that couldn’t be tamed by any previous users of the Ten Shadows Technique in history. Megumi quickly passed out after that.
Since Sukuna had nothing better to do, he decided to fight Mahoraga. And that was when Sukuna noticed Mahoraga’s unique ability. Mahoraga can adapt to any kind of attack thrown at him and find the most effective way to counter those attacks. The longer the fight goes, the more Mahoraga adapts to his opponent. The more attacks that he receives, the better and more effective his defense and counterattacks become.
Sukuna eventually managed to overwhelm Mahoraga through his domain expansion, the Malevolent Shrine. And that was the moment a plan bloomed in Sukuna’s mind. Seeing Mahoraga in action was just like stumbling upon the solution to the problem that has been bothering him all this time. Normally, Sukuna would indiscriminately kill every living being near him, but this time around, he decided to heal Megumi’s wounds. Because in order to defeat Satoru Gojo, Sukuna needs Megumi.
Taking Over Megumi's Body
Back in the early episodes of the first season, Sukuna made a Binding Vow with Yuji. In exchange for regenerating his heart and essentially bringing him back to life, Sukuna will be able to take over Yuji’s body for a full minute whenever Sukuna says the word “Enchain”. After creating that binding vow, Sukuna never used this unique perk, not even when Yuji’s life was on the line. But then the Culling Game happened.
During the Pseudo-Geto’s Culling Game, Satoru Gojo was trapped within the inescapable Prison Realm. But near the end of this deadly battle royale, Yuji and his friends find a way to break Gojo out of the prison. Knowing that Gojo was about to be released, Sukuna decided that the time had come to collect his secret weapon, the Mahoraga. So when the group least expected it, Sukuna uttered the word “Enchain” and fully took over Yuji’s body.
After he took over Yuji’s body, Sukuna severed Yuji’s finger, forcefully fed it to Megumi, and transferred his soul to Megumi’s body. In less than a minute, Sukuna managed to take over Megumi’s body and gained access to his prized Ten Shadows Technique, including Mahoraga. But simply taking over Megumi’s body was not enough. Sukuna had to crush Megumi’s soul in order to gain full control over his new body. And he did it in the cruelest way possible.
When the Culling Game began, numerous souls of Jujutsu Sorcerers of the past reincarnated into the bodies of the people of today. One of them was a powerful sorcerer named Yorozu, who possessed the body of Megumi’s sister, Tsumiki Fushiguro. Sukuna saw it as an opportunity to not only get himself used to the Ten Shadow Technique but also to break Megumi’s spirit. So Sukuna fought against Yorozu exclusively with Megumi’s Ten Shadow Technique and killed her, which crushed Megumi's spirit and soul to pieces. Because of that, Sukuna finally had full control over Megumi’s body and abilities.
Having Mahoraga Fight Satoru Gojo
With a new body and a fancy ability under his belt, Sukuna is ready to face Satoru Gojo. The fight between the strongest in history against the strongest in modern times has officially begun. As expected, the battle between these two monsters is akin to a natural disaster. Ground breaks and buildings collapse as they throw absurdly powerful attacks toward each other. And during this mind-blowing battle, both Gojo and Sukuna are analyzing each other to find a slight opening that they can exploit.
And then Sukuna summons Mahoraga. Gojo had never fought against it before. That means he has no idea about Mahoraga’s unique adaptability. Gojo throws all kinds of attacks at them and uses all kinds of tricks and strategies without realizing that the more he attacks Mahoraga, the better and more effective its counterattacks will be. Sukuna essentially used Mahoraga as a tool to analyze Gojo. Then comes the moment when Gojo seemingly manages to defeat Sukuna and Mahoraga. But before he can even strike a winning pose, they unleash a slash that severs the space itself. In the blink of an eye, Satoru Gojo loses his life.
Sukuna may be absurdly powerful, but at the end of the day, that is not the only reason why he defeats Satoru Gojo. It all comes down to an ungodly amount of experience and an unquenchable thirst for power. After all, as a being who has lived for thousands of years, Sukuna’s battle experience is simply incomparable to Gojo. That means his battle sense and his ability to formulate a winning strategy are simply unmatched.
Furthermore, while Gojo does everything he can to maximize his unique ability, Sukuna actively looks for things that can increase his strength and give him an edge over his opponent. This is why he immediately recognizes how precious Mahoraga is to his inevitable battle against Gojo. So in that sense, no matter how hard it is to accept, Satoru Gojo never has any chance of beating Ryomen Sukuna.
Jujutsu Kaisen is available to stream on Crunchyroll.