This article contains spoilers from Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 269.
Summary
With just two more chapters left inJujutsu Kaisen, fans know that this incredibly loved manga is now at its end and that it has finally wrapped up its biggest of arcs.JJKended with the conclusion of the Shinjuku Showdown Arc, where the biggest antagonist of the entire series, Ryomen Sukuna, finally got to showcase what he was truly capable of. Fans knew Sukuna to be the King of Curses, and the strongest sorcerer in history, with the only one on his level beingnone other than Gojo.
These two finally clashed in Shinjuku. Following their battle, a raid was launched on Sukuna, which saw many powerful sorcerers partake in it. While this raid was certainly exciting and delivered moments here and there, it was, on many occasions, rather redundant and it felt like it lacked ideas. There are many shortcomings of the raid on Ryomen Sukuna, and for one reason or another, fans have many complaints about this part of the story.
The Beginning Of The Sukuna Raid In Jujutsu Kaisen
The beginning of the raid on Sukuna happened when the fight between Gojo and the King of Curses wrapped up. Gojo and Sukuna fought at the beginningof the Shinjuku Showdown, and this battle was certainly phenomenal from the beginning to the end. This battle was the clash of the mightiest that had been built up in the story right from the beginning. Fans knew that it was going to shake the entire world, and it certainly did. On many occasions, Sukuna was dominant in the battle, while on others, Gojo took the upper hand. It is safe to say that Gojo certainly surpassed all expectations in this battle, given that he was not only fighting against Sukuna, but also Megumi, who was essentially taken over by the King of Curses.
Farewell, Gojo Satoru! I shall never forget you for as long as I live! – Sukuna
Sukuna had access to not just his own cursed technique, but also to that of Megumi, which meant that the 10 Shadows Technique was a thorn in his side as well. Sukuna was quick to make use of Mahoraga, and that is how he essentially ended up winning. With Mahoraga,Sukuna was able to end Gojo, and this essentially triggered the raid against the King of Curses. This raid was kick-started by Yuji, Higuruma, and Hakari.
Fans saw Hakari engage Uraume in battle, but they barely got to see it, and all of it was essentially dealt with off-screen. Despite fans having great hope for this exciting battle, it was clear for them to see that the author did not want to bother with it, and he simply wanted to wrap up his story as fast as possible. This also implies that the author did not end the Shinjuku Showdown arc on the terms that he would have wanted originally. Clearly, Gege had health-related issues, which was abundantly clear from his many breaks. At this point, it was likely that he simply wanted to wrap up his manga and deliver as good a conclusion as was possible at the time, and call it a day.
Coming back over to the raid on Sukuna, it was clear for the fans to see that the author lacked ideas in regards to what to do with this battle. When Yuji, Choso, Higuruma, and many others attacked Sukuna, the pattern simply kept repeating itself. At one point, Yuji would be the one to deal a blow to the King of Curses, and at others, it would be someone else, who would then go on to fall in battle and be replaced by someone else completely. For instance, Higuruma was dealt with in the battle by the King of Curses, and his fall triggered the arrival of Yuta. Then, Yuta fell in battle and Maki arrived, and then, Maki fell in battle and another sorcerer would arrive and this cycle simply kept repeating itself. At one point, fans did not even feel anything with the new Sorcerers joining the battle, and that truly is a mark of uninspired writing.
How The Sukuna Raid Became Repetitive With Lack Of Ideas
The Battle Against Sukuna Couldn’t Reach The Same Height After Gojo’s Death
Shinjuku Showdown saw the fans complain quite a lot over the year. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the entirety of the Shinjuku Showdown was bad. However, the repetitive patterns saw to it that fans got bored from what Gege was trying to pull off. On top of that, it was abundantly clear to all the readers that the battle against Sukuna could have ended way too early. Essentially, Sukuna had a tremendous amount of plot armor here, because the author wanted to give him a proper conclusion, which, remarkably, he failed at doing. But, Sukuna making it out of every single moment when he could have died in the battle, out of sheer luck, or simply because the author bent the rules accordingly in that particular moment was completely unbelievable to many.
Ah, my Hollow Wicker Basket that I haven’t used since the Heian Era! – Sukuna
In many ways, this took out the threat from this particular battle, and fans knew that regardless of what happened, Sukuna would not fall or sustain any serious damage. The one to take down Sukuna would eventually have to be Yuji, and anything happening until that point in the story would simply not be good enough to beat the King of Curses.
While Sukuna’s defeat was greatly delayed by the author due to various plot reasons, fans know that the exact opposite was true for Yuji. Yuji did not get time to grow naturally in the series. This is a flaw within the story that isn’t specificto the Shinjuku Showdown Arc. However, in this arc, Yuji went on to receive power up after power up which absolutely came out of nowhere. The one month timeskip that happened prior to the Shinjuku battle was essentially used by the author as a plot device to simply shove the fact that he got tremendously strong down the throat of the fans, but in the grand scheme of things, it is certainly an uninspired way to make the main character stronger.
Not only that, but Yuji’s growth felt cheap, and he continued to gain power after power, until he had what it took to beat Sukuna despite awakening most of these powers on the same day. For Sukuna to lose to such an individual was out of the question, and it essentially felt forced in the end because the execution was completely off.
Sukuna’s Conclusion Was Unsatisfactory
Sukuna’s Death Felt Incredibly Anti-Climactic
At the end of the story,Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses, fell at the hands of Yuji. This happened after Yuji awakened his domain expansion, and opened it against Sukuna. Sukuna could have expanded his own domain, but Nobara woke up miraculously at the right time and essentially dealt a powerful blow to him. Then, Megumi also played his part by preventing Sukuna from counter-attacking, and Yuji launched his powerful sure hit, followed by another powerful Black Flash. This is how Ryomen Sukuna was essentially ripped from Megumi’s body, and with that, his story essentially wrapped up.
Fans had expected better from Sukuna in the end, and the fact that he did not even go on to trigger the merger felt like a waste. Furthermore, Sukuna had many opportunities to end the battle, but he chose not to, which essentially makes it feel like a forced outcome of this battle.Sukuna died as a curse, but, the story will still remember him as a phenomenal villain, who the author could not do justice to in the end.
Jujutsu Kaisen is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and theManga Plusapp. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 270, is set to be June 01, 2025.
