Jujutsu Kaisen: A Comprehensive Explanation of its Ending and Whether it’s Happy

After the ultimate conclusion of Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen manga series this past weekend, the fanbase is buzzing with discussions and debates. Online forums are filled with varying opinions, covering everything from the ending’s merits to in-depth critiques of every choice made by Akutami.

However, some fans find themselves puzzled by the final chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen, seeking explanations and insights regarding the fates of each major character. Fortunately, the final issue clarifies the ultimate destinies of key characters following the last mission involving Yuji Itadori, Nobara Kugisaki, and Megumi Fushiguro.

Understanding the Ending of Jujutsu Kaisen

In Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 271, fans witness Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi embarking on one last mission, where they defeat and capture a Curse User. This moment transitions into a flashback of Yuji conversing with Satoru Gojo, who expresses his hopes that Yuji and his generation will eventually surpass him.

The scene shifts to Sukuna in the afterlife, having a conversation with Mahito, where he reflects on the various paths his life could have taken and expresses a longing to explore them. This sequence leads to the concluding pages depicting the Tokyo Jujutsu High students joyfully progressing in their lives following Sukuna’s defeat.

The series concludes with a significant image of the last Sukuna finger resting at Yuji’s former high school, echoing the story’s inception. Additional characters such as Hiromi Higuruma, Fumihiko Takaba, the Kyoto High students, and all teachers, except for Satoru Gojo, survive. Tsumiki Fushiguro remains deceased, and Uraume has also perished by their own hand after Sukuna’s defeat.

The Positive Outcome for Gojo

For Satoru Gojo, no other ending to Jujutsu Kaisen's story could be a happier one (Image via MAPPA Studios) — For Satoru Gojo, no other ending to **Jujutsu Kaisen**‘s story could be a happier one (Image via MAPPA Studios)

One of the most debated aspects of Jujutsu Kaisen‘s conclusion is Gojo’s inability to be revived, which many fans viewed as a clear setup for such a twist. Regardless, for Gojo, the outcome remains a positive one. The final chapter reinforces this sentiment through his last dialogue in the series.

Gojo equates a “happy ending” to two significant factors. Firstly, it ensures that the younger generation can live their lives, freeing them from the fates that he, Suguru Geto, Kento Nanami, Yu Haibara, and others were forced to endure. Secondly, he successfully gathered strong allies capable of thriving independently, which indeed came to pass.

In essence, Gojo likely finds more happiness in death than he would have in life. His demise directly facilitated the realization of his dream—demonstrating that the younger generation of sorcerers would surpass him as he had foreseen. His words to Yuji in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 271 underscore this notion for both Yuji and his fellow students.

A Deserved and Positive Ending Overall

Years prior, during a Jump Festa, Akutami revealed that the series would conclude in one of two ways, principally involving the four main characters: Satoru Gojo, Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, and Nobara Kugisaki. The promise was that either one of them would die or only one would survive. Ultimately, the ending presented was the former, with Gojo being the sole character to perish.

While Gojo’s death constitutes a young character-centric happy ending, the overall conclusion feels justified. The new generation has demonstrated their capacity to not only exceed the previous one but do so with minimal sacrifices. The deaths seen earlier, such as Yu Haibara’s, were avoided through characters like Takuma Ino surviving, while defeating Sukuna was a collective effort rather than a single sacrificial act.

This collaborative struggle to defeat Sukuna is especially what lends a sense of deserved fulfillment to the happy ending.

Conclusion

The story's central trio gets the happy ending they deserve (Image via MAPPA Studios) — The story’s central trio gets the happy ending they deserve (Image via MAPPA Studios)

Without a doubt, Jujutsu Kaisen boasts a happy ending—one well-earned that satisfactorily resolves the arcs of every main character and narrative thread. However, despite this, numerous aspects are pointed out that reveal significant flaws with the story’s conclusion, along with a widespread sense of disappointment among fans overall.

Source