The "Sukuna Cycle" has become a meme in the Jujutsu Kaisen fandom in light of the Shinjuku Showdown Arc in the manga. It all centers around the fight between Sukuna and the Jujutsu Sorcerers and how it's been handled by series creator Gege Akutami. While the fight against Sukuna has been full of intense action and shocking moments, it has also fallen into a bit of a predictable cycle that fans have been vocally against.
The Sukuna Cycle as highlighted by the popular meme in JJK's fandom is as follows: Sukuna defeats a powerful enemy. Then, a new, sometimes obscure sorcerer is introduced and hyped up by the narrative. Next, that new Sorcerer seems to gain the upper hand on Sukuna, only for Sukuna to then comeback and defeat them, forcing the cycle to repeat. While this seemingly endless cycle has bothered many JJK fans, there are a number of ways it could still be broken.
10 Gege Could Allow a Surprising Character to Beat Sukuna
It's Time Gege Finally Brought Nobara (or Todo) Back
Gege has had a way of introducing surprising characters who had a chance of winning in the fight against Sukuna. Even Kenjaku was defeated by Takaba, someone who no one would’ve expected to have such an important role before.
Not only that, but there’s at least one major character who fans have been anxious to see return in the series: Nobara. Despite her seeming "death" during the Shibuya Incident, fans have had good reason to believe that Nobara may not have actually died. If that were the case, there's no better time to bring her back into the fray than against the series' most powerful villain.
9 Gege Could Give Yuji a Big Power-up
Yuji Itadori Was Always Destined to Beat Sukuna in the End
Throughout the fight with Sukuna, Yuji has become an increasingly immediate threat to Sukuna. While he was simply brushed off at first, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Yuji may be even more powerful than anyone realized. In Chapter 256, Yuji even seemingly "awakens", hinting that he'll get an even bigger power-up going forward.
As the other fighters tend to come and go throughout the Sukuna Cycle, Yuji is the one who has seemed to relentlessly remain the whole time. While Sukuna wrote Yuji off at first, no fan would be surprised to see Yuji eventually be the one to defeat Sukuna. The true surprise would be in how exactly he could pull it off.
8 Gege Could Lean Into the Sukuna Cycle Even More
Continuing the Sukuna Cycle for Even Longer Might Keep Fans Guessing
At this point, the last thing Jujutsu Kaisen fans really expect Gege to do is to continue the Sukuna cycle for even longer. The Jujutsu Sorcerers have already dipped deep into a wellspring of characters that no one would've expected to fight Sukuna, with only a few left that could conceivably even fight him.
The most unexpected thing Gege could do is to push the cycle on for even longer, effectively bringing out every single Sorcerer fans could possibly imagine having the slightest chance against Sukuna. While the initial cycle led to a largely negative meme, taking this excessive approach could push the meme even further, perhaps even hyping fans up to wonder who it could possibly be that Gege can think of making Sukuna fight next.
7 Gege Could Bring Back Satoru Gojo
Many JJK Fans Refuse to Believe Gojo is Actually Gone for Good, and For Good Reason
Satoru Gojo's death cut fans deep, even if it wasn't quite as deep as the cut Gojo suffered himself. Nevertheless, being that he's the most powerful Jujutsu Sorcerer of the modern era, fans would be foolish to ever count him out.
Gojo has already come back from the dead once before against Toji Fushigoro, so him rising from the dead once again would be a pretty routine occurrence at this point. If it weren't for Gege Akutami's extremely vocal hatred of Gojo, most fans would have expected him to be back already.
6 Gege Could Make Sukuna Beat Everyone and Emerge Victorious
After Having Defeated All JJK's Strongest Sorcerers, Sukuna Deserves to Be Crowned King
The easiest (and most tragic) way to end JJK's Sukuna Cycle would be for Gege to simply have Sukuna kill everyone until there's no one left. Or, at the very least, have him defeat most of the sorcerers strong enough to fight him, and force the rest to retreat. Given how unstoppable Sukuna has proven to be, this would probably be the most consistent direction for the narrative to take at this point. The only reason Gege wouldn't have Sukuna win at this point is that they've already stated that the series is close to ending.
Gege could simply be cramming every single fighter in to give them one last shot before Yuji takes all the glory and ends the series. While making Sukuna win would certainly slow down the story dramatically and force the series to continue for longer, it would also give Sukuna time to build up into the powerful final villain he deserves to be. It would also allow Yuji and the others to regroup and devise a plan that lets them beat Sukuna in a believable way.
5 Gege Could Go More Into Sukuna's Backstory
Sukuna's History is Still One of Jujutsu Kaisen's Biggest Mysteries
Sukuna has been the series' underlying main villain for the entirety of Jujutsu Kaisen. He has been a constantly looming threat who quite literally lived inside Yuji's head rent-free, and yet fans still hardly know anything about him. Sukuna is one of JJK's greatest remaining enigmas, but it's not exactly uncommon for an important character to be mysterious in the series.
After all, the same could be said for Yuji, whose past only became even more questionable when it was revealed he was a Death Womb Painting and Kenjaku had taken over his mother. It could very well be the case that Sukuna's mysterious past is more tied to Yuji's than fans realize, and exploring that possibility would be a great way to take a break from the endless battles of the Sukuna Cycle.
4 Gege Could Redeem Suguru Geto Now That Kenjaku is Dead
Bringing Geto Back to Fight Sukuna Would be an Exciting -- If Unlikely -- Twist
Suguru Geto was the first major villain of JJK, and was a good friend of Satoru Gojo. That history shouldn’t go to waste in JJK's future chapters. Now that Kenjaku is dead, Geto was beheaded along with him, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Geto is actually dead. No one knows what happened to Geto's brain after Kenjaku took over, and Geto was once considered the strongest alongside Gojo, so it's possible he could heal his body as Gojo once did.
During the Shibuya Incident, Geto's body even attempted to choke itself to kill Kenjaku, hinting at the possibility that something of Geto still remained alive within it. While it would be a long-shot considering everything that Geto's body has gone through, bringing Geto back as a hero could be an interesting twist, especially with Miguel making his return during the fight with Sukuna.
3 Gege Could Introduce an Even More Powerful Villain Than Sukuna
If The Heroes Can't Beat Sukuna Maybe Another Villain Can
At this point, there really doesn't seem to be anyone in JJK who can stand up to Sukuna. The cycle has made it abundantly clear that anyone who steps up to Sukuna will be swiftly beaten, but there could be at least one way to switch things up. Namely, by introducing another villain who is even more powerful than Sukuna himself. This could push the world into even deeper chaos and take the spotlight of Sukuna.
In the interest of survival, Sukuna may even find that he has no choice but to team up with Yuji. Considering Kenjaku's plan to merge humanity with Tengen still hasn’t come to pass, having that event trigger the creation of a terrifying new enemy would be an interesting way to avoid the expected. Additionally, Kenjaku's death could even have unleashed Mahito back into the world after Geto's Cursed Technique was released.
2 Gege Could Have Tengen Return to Help Stop Sukuna
Tengen Was Always The One Being Who Kept the Cursed Spirits of JJK's World at Bay
Tengen's fate after being taken by Kenjaku is still mysterious. Kenjaku was able to absorb Tengen using Geto's Cursed Technique due to Tengen becoming more cursed spirit than human. Kenjaku maintained that his plan was to merge humanity with Tengen, creating a new, powerful Cursed Spirit.
However, now that Kenjaku was seemingly killed after the fight with Yuta Okkotsu, it's likely that Tengen was released from Geto's CT. While Tengen could still be under Kenjaku's control somehow, he could also conceivably return as a hero who helps the sorcerers finally stop Sukuna for good. If anyone could create a seal powerful enough to prevent Sukuna from breaking it, it would be Tengen.
1 Gege Could Make Megumi Fight Back From Within Sukuna
Megumi is Too Important of a Character For Him Not to Play Any Role in the Fight Against Sukuna
With Sukuna having taken on his fully powered form, it's easy to forget that he's still technically inside Megumi Fushigoro's body. When Yuji first attempted to save Megumi from Sukuna and seperate the two, Megumi had completely given up. This prevented the plan from going smoothly, but that doesn’t mean Megumi is out of the picture just yet.
Whether Sukuna wins or is defeated, it will have strong implications on the fate of Yuji’s best friend. Gege has had no problem killing off popular main characters in the past, but JJK is still a shonen manga, after all. It would be very shocking for everyone if Megumi were killed inside Sukuna without at least doing something to help Yuji and the others defeat him.
