~ essay on Gojo & Sukuna in Jujutsu Kaisen (2018-2024) by Gege Akutami. Spoilers ahead.
Strength & Isolation
Something Gege Akutami draws on throughout his saga is the harsh reality of power. What kind of impact does overwhelming power have on friends, foes, and the self? What roles must the strongest of us play? Who are the strongest?
Gojo and Sukuna are two answers to such questions.
Shounen series often depict raw magic and martial *power* as a primary means of exploring characters and introducing challenges; protagonists train and squabble against opponents in the form of rivals and sub-bosses, ultimately leading into a confrontation with the big bad(s).
Gojo mentors Yuji while Sukuna lives inside his body, waiting to be unleashed…These three principal characters mark the core conflict.
Jujutsu Kaisen (JJK) is a story about learning and adapting as much as world domination. *Power* in the occult realms of the Jujutsu World, with Sorcerers battling Curses over centuries of gathering plans and might, boils down to Cursed Energy. Cursed Energy, otherwise known as latent, emotional *life* energy, is the mana between sorcerers and the curses they wield like weaponry. Cursed Energy must be trained, developed, and even inherited to be made effective.
From the first two chapters of JJK, the inevitable mortal showdown between the two strongest Cursed Energy users is introduced. Gojo & Sukuna are a fated pairing — the strongest of today and the strongest of yesterday.
One wields the power of time and space, while the other can cut the world apart. Gojo’s Limitless Technique pairs with his Six Eyes, making him a highly perceptive telekinetic whose abilities include Push, Pull, Teleport ~ and otherwise be a thermonuclear martial artist to any who encounter him. Sukuna’s “Cleave” and “Dismantle” alone can destroy the world; with Sukuna’s “Shrine” technique, he is capable of cutting apart practically any foe, natural or supernatural.
Naturally, such transcendent abilities serve as an isolating variable — both within their lives and the narrative. There is great pressure upon Gojo’s leadership at the head of the Jujutsu World, as sensei to the next gen and the final arbiter of justice against outside threats. Sukuna, on the other hand, is a legend marked by a boogeyman story stoked by sorcerers & curses past, present, and future. His documented strength is unrivaled and yet challengers yearn to avail themselves of his divine techniques nevertheless.
When Gojo and Sukuna face off, you can witness the satisfaction of power’s reciprocation. From Chapter 223-236, the two strongest can finally exert themselves — and thus *know* themselves as if for the first time. In this exchange is a kind of love. It is Gege’s and it becomes the reader’s too. As the two monstrous battle artists get down, one returned from exile and the other now wielding a new student’s body, we bear witness to the joy of a mysterious outcome, a precious novelty for the strongest of the art.
Gojo vs. Sukuna is a battle of techniques and wills and the limits of reality. The true versatility of Domain Expansions and the lovely artistry of improvisational Cursed Technique mastery is on display throughout the fight. Within Gojo and Sukuna’s relationship, martially and spiritually, is the climax of a saga-long foreshadowing, an expectant clash of the best that turns out to be more satisfying than you imagined.
The relief of loneliness’ end is met by the mental tension of true mortal combat.
Gege’s manga succeeds in its core promise here ~ Gojo vs. Sukuna was truly a battle for all time.
Adaptation
Each of Gojo and Sukuna must initially adapt to their own overwhelming power. One must be slain to understand just how far his Limitless can go; the other feared he would be immolated in the viscera of his violent technique before he could even grow into an adult. Gojo was hunted by assassins as a child; Sukuna was, to quote, “an unwanted child.”
Gojo and Sukuna are not the product of easy or friendly childhoods; you could say they have been fighting, and adapting to harsh circumstances, from the moment of their birth. They become harsher than the world around them as a result.
Gojo’s power affords him responsibility over the Jujutsu World and its overall direction. That power also gathers enemies against him, sorcerers and politicians and curses. His arrogance is earned, his past marked by harrowing tragedy and roughening conscience. His old friend Geto is reborn and altered, further corrupted.
And yet, Gojo is a good man, a healthy influence on the youth. His every joy is borne of adaptation to malevolence from above and below. He bears the burden of “Monster” because there is a world he wants to defend with such a mantle in tow. And there is a world that Gojo wants to create ~ filled with strong and intelligent allies prepared to make better decisions than the previous generations.
Sukuna was born in ancient times and his power extends beyond his natural life. Planting himself inside of cursed objects is a way to achieve immortality, to spirit his essence into the far future, from whence he can again walk the earth — and slice it apart. Sukuna’s true motivations remain mysterious throughout the story, but one thing is true: he is a genius of Cursed Energy and can adapt to practically any situation, no matter how ridiculous or unexpected.
Sukuna’s life inside of Yuji Itadori is mostly spent plotting his way into violent mischief, all the way until his final awakening into the body of Megumi, ready to end all his opps and live on as master of the new world that he and Kenjaku might make.
And of course, Sukuna’s eventual victory over Satoru Gojo is (arguably) only borne of his mastery of the Zenin clan’s legendary Ten Shadows (10S) technique — and the ultimate shadow apparition of Divine General Mahoraga.
Sukuna’s “World Slash” is a melded result of Mahoraga’s rampant *adaptation* to all hostile stimuli, including Gojo’s Limitless Technique and its so-called impenetrable barrier.
Adaptation *must* become the name of the game in any battle between the strongest – whether they be sorcerers or the grandmasters of strategy games. Mastered techniques are on the way, requiring novel offensive and defensive strategies. The sight of such a battleground is one of dueling genius, a joy to participant and spectator alike.
Gojo vs. Sukuna. Limitless versus Shrine. Who wins? We all do.
Joyous Tricksters
One thing I love about Gojo and Sukuna, especially as contrasted with many of their contemporaries within JJK, is how carefree they are.
They are not worried. And not just because of their strength. Gojo and Sukuna are Tricksters at heart; they love to troll and to enjoy themselves first and foremost and above all other things such as “responsibilities.” They teach primarily by example and they are enthusiastic to danger. In all of it, there is a peerless joy to be found.
In their own ways, these two men see the world as their playground.
(Gege perhaps sees them as his action figures, colliding at his precisely satisfying design.)
One primary distinction between Gojo and Sukuna may be seen as how they critique and judge lesser powers. Comedic and yet profound, the character of Jogo, the cursed spirit of unearthly fire and rage, is cast as a fall guy against both Gojo and Sukuna at different parts in the story.
After much rip-roaring blasting and racing across the landscape, Jogo loses to both of them. Gojo embarrasses him and uses him as a lesson plan for yungling and clueless Yuji; Sukuna mercilessly coaches him while dodging all his inferno attacks and ends up taking his life in a battle of firepower — Jogo’s literal specialty as pyromancer.
However, the way Gojo and Sukuna treat their lessers to defeat could not be more different. Gojo belittles while Sukuna builds up, ironically so. Gojo makes fun whereas Sukuna recognizes the spirit that brings one into battle in the first place. Lovely character quirks between our two strongest tricksters, one hero and one villain. They are equally eager for battle and loquacious in their critique upon it, to our benefit.
Jujutsu Kaisen is one of my favorite stories in large part because of the roles and relationships of Sukuna and Gojo. I mark the former as my favorite character of the saga and the latter as second best, in form if not in fact.
However, given the end of Chapter 271 and the conclusion of Gege’s tale — we must face reality.
In the end, Gojo was right. Sukuna was stronger, but Gojo did win. ~
Thresholds of Transformation 