Warning: Spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen #271Beloved franchiseJujutsu Kaisenhas come toa long-awaited end with chapter #271, and fan-favoriteGojo Satoruhas received an ending perfect for his character and proportionate to his impact. Gojo has grown to becomeone of the most popular anime characters of all time. After his untimely death in the battle of the century againstRyomen Sukuna, fans have clamored for more.
The battle against Sukuna was part of attempts to bring down the King of Curses inJujutsu Kaisen’s concluding “Shinjuku Showdown” arc. After a divisive, long-winded set of confrontations, protagonistItadori Yujifinally brings Sukuna down with the help of Fushiguro Megumi, Kugisaki Nobara, Okkutsa Yuta, and countless others. With the battle won, the final few chapters are introspective,culminating in a flashback of an unforgettable conversation between Gojo and Yuji.
Jujutsu KaisenChapter #271 Features A Flashback Of Yuji And Gojo
Gojo Tells Yuji That Others Should Surpass And Forget Him
The shōnen’s final chapter begins with Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi tracking down a cursed user and supposed “stalker”; by all accounts, an ordinary mission. When they locate him, it turns out to be a misunderstanding—the girl he was stalking was a hostess who had forgotten his face after he spent millions of yen trying to win her over. Ashamed and embarrassed, the cursed energy userasks the Jujutsu High gang what they’ll do to him.
Jujutsu Kaisen Has One Simple Solution To Fixing Both It’s Most Underused Character AND A Major Series Issue
Jujutsu Kaisen’s Utahime is one of the series' most underused characters, but giving her more to do would fix more than just her character.
Afterward, there’s a sudden cutaway to a flashback of Gojo speaking to Yuji. Yuji asks to do switch training with Gojo after Kusakabe finishes. What Gojo says in response is perfect:
Satoru Gojo: “I guess that’d be fine, but…how do I put this…? Haven’t we had enough Gojo Satoru?”
Yuji Itadori: “What?”
Satoru Gojo: “I want you to be a bit more forward thinking, Yuji. Sure, I want you to carry on my dream should anything happen to me. But if this is where I bow out, there’ll be a point where you guys grow further than I ever did, right?”
Gojo expresses a desire for those sorcerers following in his footsteps to forget about him sothey can develop a strength uniquely their own.Shortly after Yuji tells Gojo he can’t ever be forgotten, Gojo smiles and says that he expects great things from Yuji. The flashback ends as the crew invite the cursed energy user to take time to reflect, then join them on their next mission. Then, in one ofJujutsu Kaisen’s simplest (but most beautiful) moments, Yuji repeats Gojo’s words, affirming his faith in the new sorcerer.
Gojo WasJujutsu Kaisen’s Anchor, And Its Ending Is His Own
Gojo And Yuji’s Relationship Is Crucial To The Series In A Complicated Way
Considering Gojo’s importance toJujutsu Kaisen’s story, the short flashback has proved controversial. Some fans had hoped for a full-fledged revival, and still others at least hoped for a more elaborate dedication to the strongest modern sorcerer. However, Gojo’s farewell is aperfect resolution that bringsJujutsu Kaisenfull circle.
Gojo had been there since the beginning, and his expectation of “great things” from Yuji had always been there. Impressed with his ability to contain Sukuna, Gojo had always been on Yuji’s side: defending him against execution, bringing him to Jujutsu High, training him up and serving as a mentor.More than anything else, it’s possible to mark off the real beginning and end ofJujutsu Kaisen’s narrative through Gojo’s relationship with Yuji.
Jujutsu Kaisen’s Final Showdown Isn’t Anticlimactic - It’s Been Foreshadowed Since The Beginning
Not everybody is happy with how Jujutsu Kaisen’s final major battle went, but it secretly resonates with themes the series has established all along.
Gojo, Sukuna, Geto, Toji, and Kenjaku’s stories all meet at a crossroads when Yuji eats Sukuna’s finger and becomes his vessel. Gojo’s life also threads together through Yuji. The instant Sukuna dies,these narrative links terminate. It fits Gojo to die putting up his best fight against the personified crossroads of his life. When Sukuna was taken down through the combined efforts of Gojo’s progeny, it became clear thatJujutsu Kaisen, all along, wasn’t ever about a single great hero, but something else entirely.
Gojo Passes The Torch To A New Generation
As He AndJujutsu KaisenFade To Black, The Cast Is Set To Move On
Strikingly, when in the flashback Yuji says that Gojo doesn’t sound like himself and seems timid, Gojo responds thathe’s confident like never before. For Gojo especially, this is a strange thing to say on the surface. After all, he famously called himself “the honored one”. Gojo has always been the type to see battle as fun; an aloof person whose certainty in his own unique power gives him a constant cool demeanor, but also curses him to solitude.
To say that he’s more confident than ever while saying others will surpass himmakes the message all the more powerful. Despite (or because of) his confidence in himself, their possible growth in his wake brings him more confidence than ever. Earnestly dealing with the possibility of his death is a crushing recognition of Sukuna’s power as his opponent (althoughhe never expected to begin with). But it’s also a touching way of passing the torch to those who follow, redefining strength in their own image, potentially shirking his legacy altogether if that’s what it takes.
SinceJujutsu Kaisen’s narrative has always been anchored by Gojo,his declaration that the world has had enough of him provides a sense of closure. Reviving Gojo or giving him colossal fanfare would justrepeat the trend of treating Gojo like an object. Gojo’s appearance in the final chapter, however brief, instead shows him at his most human, and it perfectly concludesJujutsu Kaisenwhile paying homage to his legacy.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisenis a Japanese anime and manga series created by Gege Akutami. The story is set in a world where Cursed Spirits, born from negative human emotions, prey on humanity. It follows high school student Yuji Itadori as he becomes entangled in the world of Jujutsu Sorcery after swallowing a cursed talisman—Ryomen Sukuna’s finger—and becomes the host for one of the most powerful curses. Yuji joins the Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical College to learn how to combat curses while searching for the remaining fingers of Sukuna to exorcise him permanently.
