After several months worth of consistently exciting battles, heart-wrenching plot twists, and controversial reports of overworked staff, Jujutsu Kaisen’s highly anticipated and acclaimed second season reached its conclusion. The season’s first few episodes covered Gojo’s Past Arc, laying the groundwork and introducing several story beats necessary for the second season two arc, the Shibuya Incident, to succeed as well as it did. The anime is already looking to the future, with the final episode of Season 2 hinting heavily at a complete overhaul of the current jujutsu society in the following arcs to come.
Unlike the action-packed ending that usually concludes battle-focused arcs like Shibuya, Jujutsu Kaisen’s Season 2 finale seemed more focused on setting up The Culling Game, the series’ next arc. Kenjaku, the sorcerer masquerading as Suguru Geto ended up being the focal point of most of the episode, as he described a horrific but intriguing future for jujutsu and cursed energy. His plot was an especially convoluted one and centuries in the making, which made it understandably difficult for viewers to grasp the full implications of his actions so far.
Updated on April 1, 2024 by Jenny Melzer: Before fans can start getting excited about Jujutsu Kaisen's next arc, The Culling Game, it's important to understand everything that happened in the season two finale, and what that means for the future of the story. This article has been updated to include more information, as well as to bring it up to CBR's current standards in formatting.
What Was The Shibuya Incident’s Purpose?
The Shibuya Incident Was the Perfect Way to Get the Most Powerful Jujutsu Sorcerer Out of the Picture
Before Kenjaku could proceed with any plans he had to optimize cursed energy, he needed to remove Gojo Satoru, the strongest obstacle to any cursed spirit or curse user seeking to destabilize the status quo. Knowing Gojo’s history with Geto, he kept his existence and true form a secret from the strongest sorcerer for months, influencing the Disaster Cursed Spirits' decisions and pulling strings from the shadows, so the Prison Realm could seal him. The Shibuya Incident’s main goal was to create a situation that would force Gojo to overexert himself, thereby leaving him vulnerable to getting caught off-guard by a shadow of his best friend and instantly trapped.
In addition to weakening the forces of jujutsu society’s sorcerer’s, Kenjaku intended to increase his own strength as well. His inheritance of Geto’s Cursed Spirit Manipulation Technique meant he always had the potential of adding the Disaster Curses themselves to his arsenal. However, due to the rules governing Geto’s technique, he would first have to subdue the Special Grade Cursed Spirits by himself.
To circumvent this, Kenjaku bet on the Shibuya Incident weakening all of them to the point where he could absorb them without problems. Unfortunately, this plan worked too well as Jogo, Hanami and Dagon ended up being exorcised. The only curse spirit Kenjaku actually absorbed was Mahito, who turned out to be exactly who he needed to kick-start his plan.
Why Did Tsumiki Fushiguro Wake Up?
Megumi's sister Tsumiki Plays a Major Role In Jujutsu Kaisen's Next Arc, The Culling Game
Using the Maximum technique of Cursed Spirt Manipulation, Uzumaki, Kenjaku extracted the Idle Transfiguration technique from Mahito. He used Remote Technique Activation to alter the souls of humans he had previously marked. One group had their brains modified so they could tap into dormant cursed techniques they already possessed, like Yoshino Junpei from Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1. Another had their bodies strengthened to withstand the process of becoming a vessel for ancient sorcerers.
The second group had already been forced to discreetly absorb sealed cursed objects by him. So, when Kenjaku proceeded to release the seal on these cursed objects, they had their bodies permanently overridden by strange entities and ancient sorcerers that were previously bound to him. He went further on to mention that these sorcerers had all entered binding vows with him, but due to his ability to switch bodies, all previous vows had become nullified when he took over Geto Suguru's. The mysterious sorcerer might now have some unprecedented level of control over all these monsters he's released all over Japan, without being proportionally tethered to them himself.
Season 2’s finale revealed that the curse that afflicted Tsumiki Fushiguro and left her in a coma was actually a result of having been exposed to one of Kenjaku’s cursed objects. Even though she is awake now, Tsumiki will not be the same sister Megumi had been intent on saving. Like Itadori, she will have another sorcerer residing within her body, but will be missing Sukuna’s vessel’s unique ability to keep their will and cursed technique suppressed. Tsumiki is just one of the hundreds of other sorcerers all across Japan that have awoken in this same manner.
What Is Kenjaku’s Plan For Cursed Energy?
Eliminating the Weaker Cursed Spirits and Humans Will Leave Behind an Elite Force; Kenjaku's Full Plans Are Still Unknown
Yuki Tsukumo believes in a world where humanity is able to completely break away from cursed energy and would then find it impossible to create cursed spirits. Her goal is in contrast with that of the sorcerer masquerading as Geto, who has no wish to eradicate cursed spirits. He believes humanity’s future lies in optimizing cursed energy.
For the implied centuries he has been alive, Kenjaku has conducted several experiments to that end. His conclusion about the issue of optimizing cursed energy was to facilitate the creation of a being that even he would be unable to control. According to him, humans, cursed spirits, and the Death Paintings that he himself created are all merely different forms in which cursed energy can manifest, but they aren’t the only options.
He plans to have the newly awakened sorcerers and ancient vessels sharpen their skills by battling against each other, the multitude of cursed spirits he has unleashed and regular humans. As the weaker ones fall, more individuals will gain a deeper understanding of cursed energy, until only elite sorcerers and cursed spirits of Special Grade or High Grade 1 level remain in Japan. However, since these titans will still be in forms that Kenjaku has already deemed inefficient manifestations of cursed energy, its likely he still hasn’t revealed his full plan for optimization and unleashing the uncontrollable cursed energy creation.
Why Is Gojo Considered An Outlaw Now?
Freeing Gojo From The Prison Realm Is Now a Crime
Even though Gojo has been jujutsu society’s greatest weapon against cursed spirits and rogue curse users, there has never been any love lost between him and the higher-ups of jujutsu headquarters. Gojo has been able to force through controversial rulings such as sparing Yuta and Rika and suspending Itadori’s execution simply because none of his superiors could challenge his strength. Now that the thorn in their side has been sealed in the Prison Realm, however, the higher-ups are trying to ensure Gojo is never freed.
Gojo’s disappearance is being seized as a golden opportunity to rid jujutsu society of all his supporters as well. Since his previous association with Suguru Geto was well known, he has been branded as a co-conspirator with the Kenjaku and is being blamed for the horrors of the Shibuya Incident. Tokyo Jujutsu High Principal, Masamichi Yaga, has been similarly falsely implicated as one of the orchestrators of the Shibuya Incident. Furthermore, any attempt to free Gojo from the Prison Realm has been criminalized.
Considering how speedily these “anti-Gojo” rulings have been passed amidst a veritable state of emergency in jujutsu society and all of Japan, it’s highly likely that Kenjaku might be behind them to some degree. Since Choso has already confirmed that he has once stolen the body of a Kamo clan’s head sorcerer, who knows how deep Kenjaku’s influence still runs in the annals of jujutsu headquarters? Kenjaku surely knows that Gojo's release would threaten the success of his plan the most, so he is taking every precaution to ensure the Prison Realm remains sealed.
What to Expect From The Culling Game in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3
Yuta Okkotsu Finally Returns to Jujutsu Kaisen’s Storyline
Almost as soon as Jujutsu Kaisen's Season 2 finale aired, Studio MAPPA confirmed that the shonen sensation would be returning for a third season and that the Culling Game Arc would be the next to be adapted. The Culling Game arc will focus on the first aspect of Kenjaku’s plan: The newly awakened sorcerers and cursed spirits will be forced to continuously weed out the weak among them. Fans can expect even more exciting and complicated battles than the Shibuya Incident and a variety of new cursed techniques and ancient jujutsu secrets, and a broken Japan that will become a battleground for warring sorcerers.
Of course, the fan-favorite character and star of Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Yuta Okkotsu will feature prominently in the Culling Game. Yuta was abroad with Miguel honing his sorcery skills during the Shibuya Incident, but has been summoned by jujutsu headquarters to return to Japan and serve as their new enforcer. Since Gojo is out of the picture, Yuta is the only Special Grade allied with jujutsu headquarters and probably the strongest modern sorcerer. With such a formidable threat apparently entering a binding vow to execute him, it appears Itadori’s woes might only just be beginning in the new season.
