Every Jujutsu Kaisen arc ranked, from worst to best

While every Jujutsu Kaisen arc is incredible in its own way, some of them are a cut above the rest. So, which is the best arc of the manga?

Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the most popular battle shonen manga of recent times. The series debuted in 2018 and has 11 story arcs, some being as short as four chapters while the longest has 63 parts. Needless to say, every arc tells us something about the universe and helped the sorcerers move forward.

Jujutsu Kaisen begins with Yuji, an ordinary high school student getting dragged into the world of curses. Over the course of the narrative, Yuji meets other sorcerers and works together with them to defeat stronger and stronger entities.

The manga concludes in the Shinjuku Showdown Arc, which focuses entirely on the battle against the villains.

11. Cursed Child Arc

Number of Chapters: 4

Manga Plus

This is the first arc of the manga and lays down the foundation of the story. However, compared to the other arcs, Cursed Child Arc introduces very few characters and doesn’t provide much worth remembering. It also doesn’t help that this arc is only four chapters long and is over before you know it.

Regardless, Yuji’s swallowing Sukuna’s finger to save Megumi is still one of the best scenes in the manga. This is when the story truly begins with Yuji forcefully having to take center stage in all that chaos.

10. Fearsome Womb Arc

Number of Chapters: 18

Crunchyroll

This arc follows the first-year trio on a mission together where they encounter a special-grade curse. In a twist, it was all a trap from the higher-ups just to get rid of Yuji Itadori. Unfortunately, the top brass didn’t hesitate to sacrifice Megumi and Nobara along with Yuji.

Yuji dies in front of Megumi after Sukuna takes over his body, but that was only the beginning of the villain’s plan as he gets a chance to control Yuji thanks to Binding Vows. While the arc itself is actually good, the other ones contribute more to the plot.

9. Death Painting Arc

Number of Chapters: 10

Gege Akutami/MAPPA

This arc covers the most difficult mission the first years went through where they unravel the mystery behind the curse of the Yasohachi Bridge. Yuji and Nobara fight against the siblings Eso and Kechizu while Megumi stays behind to deal with the special-grade Finger Bearer.

The trio surprisingly win all their fights, making their sensei Satoru Gojo proud. This is also the last mission these students went through before the chaos in Shibuya. The Death Painting Arc only has a couple of hype moments so it fails to leave the same impact as Shibuya or Culling Game.

8. Itadori’s Extermination Arc

Number of Chapters: 7

Crunchyroll

While the arc itself goes without a hitch, it does feel underwhelming as a Shibuya follow-up. Yuta Okkotsu takes the spotlight as Yuji’s executioner as the former shows off his superior powers. Meanwhile, Yuji is at the center of chaos again since the higher ups are still after him.

Yuta reveals that he’s actually an ally sent to him upon Gojo’s request. Not only that, but Megumi also returns to Yuji and the duo plans their next move to fix everything.

7. Kyoto Goodwill Event Arc

Number of Chapters: 23

Crunchyroll

The Sister School Exchange Event between Tokyo and Kyoto students goes downhill because of Principal Gakuganji’s plot. The yearly event becomes an opportunity for them to kill Yuji Itadori who returns to his friends after hiding for a few weeks.

The fight between the two schools doesn’t last long before the curses attack the school. The highlight of this arc is definitely the team-up between Yuji and Todo as they join hands to defeat Hanami. This arc introduces new characters and even includes one of the best fight scenes in the entire series.

6. Vs Mahito Arc

Number of Chapters: 13

Crunchyroll

Nanami still remains one of the fan-favorite characters, so it goes without saying that his introduction arc plays a huge role in it. His protectiveness towards Yuji as he sees the latter as a child and not a weapon is still one of the most wholesome moments in the series.

Furthermore, Mahito is one of the most intriguing villains. The fight against this special-grade curse trains Yuji for the challenges ahead. Furthermore, we also find out how being a Sukuna’s vessel is a blessing in disguise.

5. Perfect Preparation Arc

Number of Chapters: 15

Gege Akutami/Shueisha

Gege Akutami dedicated this arc to Maki Zenin who, along with her sister was a victim of misogyny in a patriarchal Jujutsu world. She proves to her clan how wrong they were for underestimating her. The clan did everything they could to kill her but Maki survives thanks to Mai’s sacrifice.

She immediately takes revenge for her sister by annihilating the entire clan. While the overall arc does seem a bit rushed, the emotional weight and Maki freeing herself from her shackles makes it one of the best arcs in the manga.

4. Shinjuku Showdown Arc

Number of Chapters: 50

Manga Plus

This is the final and most controversial arc of Jujutsu Kaisen. While Gojo vs Sukuna is the best fight in the manga, the story gradually goes downhill after that. Even the ending is unsatisfactory to fans and rightfully so. Regardless, the fight against Sukuna has several hype moments as every sorcerer joins the battle.

However, the continuous cycle and Sukuna’s plot armor make things less exciting after a few months of the same thing. Not only that, but the plot twist of Yuta taking over Gojo’s body leads to nothing and the battle ends thanks to Nobara’s sudden return.

3. Culling Game Arc

Number of Chapters: 63

Crunchyroll

This is the longest and one of the most interesting arcs of the series. Culling Games introduces several characters who are all being used by Kenjaku for his amusement. It is a battle royale with strict rules where participants kill each other and gain points.

When all the participants die, the merger between Master Tengen and the entire Japanese population will happen. Now it’s up to the sorcerers to stop this calamity. Before the Culling Game is over, the fight between Gojo and Sukuna begins so the merger never happens in the manga.

2. Gojo’s Past Arc

Number of Chapters: 15

Gege Akutami/MAPPA

This is the most wholesome and yet heartbreaking arc in Jujutsu Kaisen. Gojo has always been a beloved character so his flashback along with his relationship with Geto answers a lot of questions from the prequel movie.

Not only that, but it also features Riko’s death, which triggers the tragedy between the strongest duo. The arc has friendship, heartbreaks, tragedy, and Gojo’s awakening, easily earning its spot as the second-best JJK arc.

1. Shibuya Incident Arc

Number of Chapters: 58

Crunchyroll

Although it’s been several years, the Shibuya Incident still remains the best Jujutsu Kaisen arc. The chaos in the Shibuya Ward forever changed the status quo and turned the Jujutsu world upside down. Yuji’s character development peaked during his fight with Mahito.

Furthermore, Gojo getting sealed proved how lost the Jujutsu world is without him. Every sorcerer pushed themselves to the brink but was still helpless against the overwhelming force of the disaster curses.

Jujutsu Kaisen’s manga has ended this week, so find out what happens to Gojo in the finale. For more from dark sorcery, have a look at our guide on Jujutsu Kaisen Part 2 and our list of all character deaths.