Jujutsu Kaisen saw Yuji become Sukuna in his desire to defeat him, and nobody realized

Before Gojo Satoru (Yuta) entered the final showdown against Sukuna in Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuji was engaged in a fierce fight with the King of Curses. This was due to the fact that the main character had recently unlocked his cursed technique and was determined to face the main antagonist head on.

Furthermore, the protagonist diligently honed his cursed energy manipulation and acquired a multitude of other skills, making him a formidable adversary for the King of Curses. This was especially impressive considering the King had successfully defeated every sorcerer he had encountered before.

However, as Itadori strived to become a formidable adversary against Sukuna, he inadvertently lost sight of his own morals and began to resemble Sukuna. With the urgent need to learn Blood Manipulation, the only available option for Itadori was to consume the Death Paintings. Given that Itadori shares a similar origin with these paintings, one could argue that he essentially consumed his own twin brothers, mirroring Sukuna’s actions.

Please note: This article includes the author’s opinion and may contain spoilers from the Jujutsu Kaisen manga series.

Exploring the reason behind Itadori’s decision to embrace Sukuna’s power in order to defeat him in Jujutsu Kaisen

Sukuna as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

During the final battle with Sukuna, following the death of Gojo Satoru, Itadori became a pawn of the King of Curses. The antagonist continuously taunted the protagonist for failing to protect his loved ones. However, Itadori’s mindset shifted once he began to take the situation seriously.

By continuously bombarding Sukuna with Black Flash techniques, Itadori was able to unlock his cursed technique, Shrine, which was identical to that of the King of Curses. The only distinction between Itadori’s Shrine and Sukuna’s Shrine is that Itadori’s is still developing and requires further nurturing.

However, this was not the only trick that Itadori had up his sleeve. He had also mastered some other cursed techniques, including Blood Manipulation and RCT, and even displayed his ability to use Simple Domain when Sukuna expanded his own domain. But how did he manage to learn and master these techniques in such a short period of time?

Itadori Yuji's current cursed techniques (Image via Shueisha) — Itadori Yuji’s current cursed techniques (Image via Shueisha)

Itadori employed Ui Ui’s cursed technique to swap bodies with Yuta and Kusakabe in order to gain control of the Simple Domain and RCT. While attempting to master Blood Manipulation, Itadori grappled with comprehending the principles of the cursed technique but was unsuccessful.

Therefore, instead of Choso, he consumed the remaining Death Paintings as a substitute. This enabled Itadori to awaken his Blood Manipulation and make up for the blood he lost in combat. However, in doing so, he sacrificed something, ultimately making him no different from the main antagonist.

Sukuna revealing the truth behind his twin (Image via Shueisha)

In chapter 257 of Jujutsu Kaisen, Sukuna disclosed that he had ingested his twin brother while they were both in their mother’s womb. He did so because his mother was undernourished during her pregnancy with the King of Curses and his twin.

Final thoughts

Gojo (Yuta) and Sukuna (Image via Shueisha)

Despite the ongoing battle, being a human or a cursed spirit remains unaffected. Even the strongest sorcerer, Gojo Satoru, was unable to defeat the King of Curses, proving that defeating the central antagonist requires more than just rational thinking from the sorcerers.

It can be inferred from Itadori’s willingness to sacrifice his sanity and transfer his soul into Gojo Satoru’s body to defeat Sukuna that the final showdown is not a clash of beliefs, but a ruthless fight for victory at any cost.