Yuta’s fate in Jujutsu Kaisen may be sealed, but not because of Sukuna

With the return of Yuta Okkotsu as Gojo Satoru and Sukuna at his weakest, Jujutsu Kaisen has officially reached its climax. As the Shinjuku Showdown approaches its conclusion, the question remains: who will come out on top?

Prior to delivering a dramatic finale, we must take into account the significance of each combatant present on the battlefield following the events of the most recent Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 262. The chapter concluded with Sukuna and Gojo (Yuta) engaged in a battle within their domains, while Rika’s entire body was fully manifested. The question remains: what direction will the fight take from here?

If Sukuna were to be struck by Infinite Void, it would trigger the activation of the Great Merger by the King of Curses. In this scenario, Yuta would face a different opponent – the Great Merger cursed spirit – and would ultimately lose his life in battle. Therefore, it is not the King of Curses who seals his fate, but rather the Great Merger cursed spirit.

Note: The following article includes the author’s personal opinion and potential spoilers from the Jujutsu Kaisen manga series.

Exploring Yuta’s fate at the climax of Jujutsu Kaisen

Gojo (left) and Sukuna (right) (Image via Shueisha)

The second round of the strongest battle began in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 262, as Gojo (Yuta) and Sukuna both unleashed their domains – Infinite Void and Malevolent Shrine. Yuta utilized a technique he learned from the Honored One while fighting the Disgraced One to counter Sukuna’s domain. He created a smaller version of Infinite Void to combat his opponent’s powers.

Despite Yuta’s attempts to distract Sukuna with the Imaginary Technique, Purple, Sukuna was able to predict it and successfully counter it. Contrarily, Rika fully manifested and grieved over the loss of his beloved’s physical form.

During the first round of the battle of the strongest, the miniature Infinite Void proved to be effective against Sukuna. It is possible that it could have the same effect again. Yuta must remain cautious of Sukuna’s cunning tactics, as there is a possibility that he could fall victim to the Infinite Void once more.

Sukuna eating Tengen (Image via Shueisha)

Despite the expectations of most fans, the final battle was not yet over. Sukuna had a hidden trump card, given to him by Kenjaku before his demise, that granted him the power to initiate the Great Merger between humanity and Tengen. Thus, it came as no surprise when Sukuna, facing the threat of death, activated this powerful ability after being struck by the Infinite Void.

The merging of all humanity with Sukuna would occur as the King of Curses devoured Tengen (as confirmed in chapter 248), in accordance with Kenjaku’s plan to create a colossal cursed spirit. However, there would remain only two individuals on the battlefield.

Kaori (Kenjaku) and Yuji (Image via MAPPA & Shueisha)

Despite being born to a cursed spirit mother, Kaori, and a normal human father, Yuji cannot be considered fully human, thus sparing him from the merger. Additionally, Yuta’s physical body is deceased and he is currently inhabiting a deceased individual’s body, making him also immune to the merger. This would result in two separate battles on the battlefield: Sukuna vs Itadori and Yuta vs the merged cursed spirit.

The confrontation between Sukuna and Yuji would take on a more spiritual nature, much like the clash of vestiges in My Hero Academia, since Sukuna would no longer exist as a separate cursed spirit following the merger. As a result, Itadori would face off against the King of Curses within the latter’s domain within the Great Merger.

Geto's cursed technique as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA) — Geto’s cursed technique as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

Conversely, Yuta would engage in a fight against the Merger and could utilize his final trump card in the midst of the battle. When Rika devoured Kenjaku’s head, she not only replicated his cursed technique but also gained the ability to manipulate cursed spirits, just like Geto. Therefore, Yuta would harness this power to absorb the Great Merger Spirit.

After taking in the knowledge, Yuta would utilize the reverse cursed technique in a manner that has not yet been explored. While the RCT has primarily been used for healing oneself or others, its name suggests it can also be applied in alternative ways, such as reversing a cursed technique.

As Sukuna had no physical form and was inhabiting Megumi’s body as a vessel, Yuta was able to utilize a technique similar to Maximum Uzumaki to reverse the Great Merger spirit and return all individual spirits to their respective bodies. This ultimately led to Sukuna’s downfall.

Having completed everything, Yuta was finally able to pass away. It would have been poor writing on the author’s part to keep him alive within Gojo’s body.