Jujutsu Kaisen: Shinjuku Showdown Review

As the final arc of Jujutsu Kaisen, how does the Shinjuku Showdown hold up compared to the rest of the story?

Preliminary Preparation

The first part of the arc is quite brief setup.

We would have expected at least four chapters dedicated to preparations and training for the one-month gap.

Instead, we get to the action immediately and settle the preliminary fluff fast as bullet points but not afterthoughts, which is a good move by Akutami.

Ui Ui’s Spatial Transference technique allowed for “switch training” so experts can switch to their students’ bodies to drill their technique into them, such as Kusakabe with Yuji.

However, the way the process is discussed feels a bix mixed to me.

We learn most of the key preparation through flashbacks during the Sukuna raid, which somewhat break the pacing.

There isn’t much to be gained from hiding Ui ui’s technique for too long as the suspense of the “body switch” hint in Chapter 222 would be easily overshadowed by the Showdown and Sukuna Raid.

However, some aspects were better left alone for a big reveal, as Chapter 269 has proven.

The best part of the preparation phase comes in Chapter 223 when Gojo powers up his very first attack as an assertion of who will be the challenger.

We saw Uraume’s cursed technique and the emphasis of incantations begins here, which is quite timely, considering the feats on display later, such as the World Dismantle.

The Strongest in History vs the Strongest in Modern Day

Satoru Gojo and Ryomen Sukuna are the two most legendary names of Jujutsu Kaisen.

All the writing, buildup, and feats have led to this clash that was teased ever since Sukuna

We had a few chapters of mostly action, with commentary from the sorcerers, who were watching with bated breath.

Everything that took place was the true height of jujutsu sorcery, showing the brilliance of both the Golden Age of Jujutsu, the Heian era, and the modern era, with its Strongest Satoru Gojo.

These limits were seen when the idea of Cursed Technique burnout was introduced in Chapter and the risky application of Reversed Cursed Technique.

Whether in the manga or, eventually, in animated form, Gojo vs Sukuna remains

It began with Domain Clashes and eventually Sukuna brought out his trump card, Mahoraga but we saw Gojo overcome the odds and…

…get destroyed.’

Gojo’s Conclusion

The most shocking aspect of this arc has to be the death of Satoru Gojo, the series’ standard bearer.

Chapter 235 made us think that Gojo got the upper hand by making Sukuna panic and loose Mahoraga and Agito.

And we begin the next chapter with a random scene of Gojo and Geto in an airport.

Akutami allows us to immerse deeply into Gojo’s thoughts and slowly we see all of Gojo’s friends from Jujutsu High.

There, we realize that Gojo was content.

He had fun.

And it cuts to his death due to Sukuna using Mahoraga’s adaptation of the Limitless as a model to cut through space and the entire world to bypass Gojo’s Infinity.

Chapter 236 places heavy emphasis on the abstract idea of a Domain, this seemingly afterlife vision representing the fleeting thoughts of a man who has not yet recognized his death.

This could even be why the comment in Chapter 235, that “Gojo has won”, was made and not just to play with our expectations (which is still worth it).

The Comedy Battle that Ended a Mastermind

Although this seemed like a silly event, this random sidetracking is quite in line with Kenjaku’s development.

Kenjaku was the mastermind of the Merger, the ultimate crime against humanity using jujutsu.

This is all because Kenjaku wanted to see something fun.

As he admits to Choso in Chapter 207?, Kenjaku has not really found any fun.

However, unlike the reclusive Tengen, Kenjaku chooses to experience life and not dwell in disappointment, albeit in the most messed-up way possible by hopping into different bodies and conducting unethical human experimentation.

As disgusting as Kenjaku is, the ending he had is quite true to Akutami’s writing.

Kenjaku is a being that seeks new experiences and the Merger would be just like that and he shares this similarity somewhat with Sukuna.

Kenjaku receives this fulfillment through the Comedian, a way to experience the randomness of life that he wanted to be beyond even his own control or expectations and a way of being taken away by fun.

This is surprisingly one of the strongest and most consistent parts of the arc and as sad it is to not see the Merger fulfilled, Kenjaku maintained his impact without losing steam throughout.

His charm is that he is a fun antagonist, twisted as he is, and he got both aspects fulfilled, the fun and the deserved finish to a monster.

The Sukuna Raid

The Sukuna raid is a battle that definitely displayed the diversity and desperation of the modern era to even catch up to Sukuna.

I do have some gripes with the format but one aspect that is quite impressive, at least to me, is that Sukuna’s “overpowered” state is better handled than any series antagonist, in that he is extremely flexible and able to learn throughout his experiences.

He does not gain new abilities but instead improves the ones he always had, showing that his innate powers that were there since Day 1 were all he needed
Sukuna’s ability to adapt constantly and with minimal pressure, even at the cost of making or adjusting to so many binding vows, makes Sukuna so formidable.

This is the smart battle shonen Jujutsu Kaisen is supposed to be.

However, some of the battles during the Sukuna Raid were quite repetitive, such that some fans have created a simplified “Sukuna challenger cycle” as a meme.

Yet the meme is reflected of the repetitive structure throughout the battle.

Characters who needed a moment to shine (Yuta’s domain expansion, War God Maki, Kusakabe’s skills, Miguel and Larue’s cursed techniques, and so on).

The very first act of the Sukuna Raid itself set the stage for it as Kashimo’s arrival clearly signalled to the readers that Kashimo’s fate will reflect every challenger after that point.

In many ways, this repetitive nature can be felt in the “raid” format of the final battle, which is similar to what happened in Demon Slayer’s Sunrise Countdown (especially towards the end).

The Final Battle Between Love and Loneliness

The series concludes its major themes through Yuji Itadori finally activating his Domain Expansion.

Gojo wanted to teach Sukuna about love and the loneliness that comes from strength, which we know very well about through Gojo’s Past but it is Yuji who completes the theme.

For the first time, Sukuna seems offended by pity.

While Chapter 265 is a spectacular chapter that completes Jujutsu Kaisen’s messages within itself, this, Choso’s death being an incineration like Nanami’s, and the conclusion of the Sukuna battle reminds me of the Shibuya Incident.

Callbacks, especially thematically-resonant ones, are great, but from a reviewing standpoint, they reveal the structure of the Shinjuku Showdown to be problematic.

Once again, Yuji’s level of presence and involvement as the protagonist feels so minimal compared to many.

As much as Yuji is in the center of events as Sukuna’s vessel, most eyes, both in-story and the real-life audience’s, are fixed on Gojo, who is not positioned as the protagonist as well due to his strength by this point making him above the journey of a hero.

We learn about Yuji’s hometown and life, which are still great to put here, but we do not feel as connected to Yuji.

Season 1 maintained Yuji’s presence throughout the series but around midway, specifically after the loss of Junpei, the story seemed indifferent towards him.

Both Shibuya and Shinjuku give Yuji a personalized final battle but for most of the arc itself, he is either barely involved or his mere existence is treated with indifference by the plot, almost as if Sukuna was writing this story.

Yuji was the only human to trigger actual resentment out of Sukuna but this would have been more impactful if he was as involved as, say, Tanjiro Kamado from Demon Slayer, whose kindness and saint-like behavior are similar but more visibly connected to the story he is in.

The Merger

This is the biggest problem of the Shinjuku arc as a finale, that the Merger never substantiated in a meaningful way.

One hint towards the Merger being a possibility is the constant inclusion of visions, or from my approach, “inner Domains”, that interact with living or dead people or the person’s perception of them.

This was especially the case with Chapter 265 as Yuji used his domain to show Sukuna another way to live life beyond accepting loneliness.

This is a familiar theme for those who have seen Neon Genesis Evangelion, which I feel the entire chapter has taken some inspiration from.

Eva was also a likely inspiration for the Merger and for Chapter 265’s walkthrough.

The idea of human bodies as barriers and souls as domains would have been fully realized through at least an attempt at the Merger.

Even if the Merger would not happen, it’s puzzling how Sukuna refuses to activate it, almost as if he forgot that he had the big red button in his four arms.

Conclusions

The concluding chapters are somewhat of a mixed bag. 

Chapter 268 does finish the story off with Megumi and Yuji parting ways with Sukuna in their own way.

For the moment, Megumi’s presence during the arc was well-used, as Yuji was the key to getting his soul involved in some way.

As a character conclusion, Sukuna’s death was actually fine.

He fell to his original form, in a sense, a helpless infantile form that was truly alone, still in denial that love mattered as much as his strength.

However, it still fell flat in other areas as the “Sukuna cycle” seemed to “delay the inevitable” for some readers, rather than give any meaningful changes to circumstances.

Chapter 269 was the best concluding chapter because of how it tied loose ends around one concept: Simple Domain.

I have covered it more thoroughly in my explainer on Simple Domain but it is amazing how we can still uncover greater evil even after witnessing the end of the current Jujutsu society at the hands of Kenjaku and Sukuna.

Overall Thoughts

Shinjuku Showdown is structurally Akutami’s messiest arc, though it is the same comment given to most final arcs, from Tokyo Ghoul:re’s Dragon War to Attack on Titan’s Rumbling portion of the War for Paradis, both arcs excelling strongly in many areas in spite of structural hiccups.

Chapters 236 and 265 remain two of the best chapters of Jujutsu Kaisen in terms of their individual content and how they connect back to the core themes of the series.

As a whole, this final arc presents strong ideas but relies heavily on repetition and a reliable main antagonist that starts to overstay his welcome, to the point that he loses his charm even through his most meaningful moments.

Score: 7/10

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