Summary
For the entire run of theJujutsu Kaisenfranchise, the inevitable battle between Gojo and Sukuna was one of the biggest things that fans of the series were looking forward to. Both of these powerhouses were introduced as the strongest sorcerers in the world from the very first chapter/episode, and it was correctly implied that their clash would change the entire landscape of the franchise.
The manga eventually brought these two legends to face off against one another at thestart of the Shinjuku Showdown arcin one of the most incredible and anticipated battles ever put into the manga format. However, as amazing as the fight was, the outcome was always going to be divisive for manyJujutsu Kaisenfans, no matter who ended up winning the bout, so let’s take a look at why this is.
Story Arc
Fearsome Womb Arc
The very first episode/chapter of the series showed the biggest powerhouses on the side of the heroes and the villains of the story.These were Gojo and Sukuna, respectively; the former of whom was introduced as the most powerful sorcerer of the modern era and the latter was known far and wide as the strongest sorcerer in history. This dichotomy perfectly set the stage for the two of these characters to eventually clash.
When Gojo was released from the Prison Realm, he immediately confronted Sukuna and Kenjaku, where the pieces were beginning to be put in place for their long-awaited battle to begin. Eventually, the two strongest sorcerers in the entireJujutsu Kaisenstory fought in one of the best fights in manga history, which perfectly encapsulated exactly why these two have set themselves apart from everyone else, since such mastery of Jujutsu sorcery had never been seen before or since.
Their battle certainly lived up to all expectations, since both of these characters were shown to do things that no one else in the series could, such as mastery over Domains, the quickest Reverse Cursed Techniques, and unmatched knowledge of Cursed Energy, among many other things. Eventually, the fight came to a close rather suddenly, with Sukuna managing to barely edge out the victory bycreating the World Cutting Slashto bypass Gojo’s Infinity, cleaving the strongest sorcerer of the modern era in two.
Now, understandably, Gojo fans were greatly upset at this turn of events, since they felt that their favorite character’s death was brought about far too unexpectedly, which prompted them to think that Gege Akutami rushed this battle. This led to quite a massive disagreement among the fandom, with many making excuses as to why Gojo lost as well as how Sukuna wouldn’t have won if it weren’t for Megumi’s Ten Shadows.
I put everything I had into trying to reach him. To make him understand… All my physical training, those techniques I mastered… My explosiveness, creative thinking, and quick wit… I gave it my all, but it wasn’t enough. I had fun.
The fact of the matter is that, even if the outcome was reversed and Gojo ended up defeating Sukuna decisively, fans of Sukuna wouldn’t have been happy with the outcome and would have complained about it just as much. The truth is that Gojo needed to die in order for Gege to tell the story he wanted to andGojo’s death was the only thingthat could have completed his story arc as well.
Despite being defined by his strength, Gojo was deeply lonely since he existed on a level where none could understand him, so he worked his entire life to foster the strength of his students so they would always have one another to rely on. His battle with Sukuna was also needed for him, since, for the first time since his Awakening, he could go all out against the only person who understood the plight of being the strongest.
Although Gojo lost due to not being strong enough to defeat Sukuna on his own merits, he won the war, sincehis ideology proved to be superior. Because of this, his students had finally built up their power enough to take on the strongest sorcerer in history and win. There’s no other way for the story to have gone if Gege wanted to put this idea forth, though even if he did, many would still have a problem with it.
Why This Was The Best Direction ForJujutsu Kaisen
Gojo’s Best Possible Outcome
As much as people loved him for his strength, design, and personality, the most important aspect of Gojo’s entire character arc waswhat he learned from isolationand his desire to prevent his students from going through the same thing. Because of this, he wanted them all to become strong rather than leaving the biggest problems to a single person, which would only continue the cycle he hated. For this to happen, Gojo had to die, and the only person who could kill him was Sukuna.
The truth of the matter is that, if Sukuna was the one who was fully defeated at the end of the showdown with Gojo, then there would be no satisfactory conclusion to Gojo’s story arc and nothing about the world would change. While incredibly divisive for most fans, the direction that the story went in at the end was the only way theJujutsu Kaisencould have ended.
