Jujutsu Kaisen’s ending already seems unsatisfying

Tulisha srivastava
Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi in Jujutsu Kaisen

The Jujutsu Kaisen manga has almost reached its conclusion, but the ending already seems unsatisfying.

Jujutsu Kaisen is a popular battle shonen manga by Gege Akutami set in a world where negative emotions pile up and give birth to cursed spirits. Those monsters threaten people’s safety, which is why Jujutsu sorcerers risk their lives to deal with those curses. 

However, the battle against curses is never-ending since they will continue to exist as long as humans do. It debuted in 2018 and will finally end in Chapter 271 on September 29, 2024.

However before its conclusion, Jujutsu Kaisen has a lot of loose ends to cover before drawing its conclusion, and five chapters just isn’t enough to have a satisfying ending.

Jujutsu Kaisen dragged Sukuna’s fight longer than needed

Chapter 237 panel from Jujutsu Kaisen manga chapter 237

The main issue with the Shinjuku Showdown Arc is the long fight dragging on for over a year without progressing the story at all. Throughout the battle of the strongest and the battle against the strongest, there were little bits of story thrown along the way.

Being a battle shonen means JJK will always emphasize fights. However, at some point, the fight was reduced to a new character joining the battle, risking their life by fighting the villain, and then the villain finding some way to counterattack. 

What could’ve been a good time to shed more light on Sukuna’s past life was used to show battle strategies instead. The sorcerers had several contingency plans so they could ensure Sukuna’s defeat. Yuta Okkotsu played a key role in the planning and its execution.

Sukuna, the King of Curses has been running the gauntlet since the arc began. However, the manga sidelined a lot of plot lines that could’ve been elaborated. Although Sukuna took damage after the long battle, the fight was still ongoing before the final announcement was made.

As of August 26, 2024, Jujutsu Kaisen has 267 Chapters and will end in Chapter 271. Four chapters aren’t enough to cram Sukuna’s defeat, the trio’s return, and everything else fans are curious about.

Kenjaku’s conclusion is the worst part of the story

Yuta killing Kenjaku in Jujutsu Kaisen

Kenjaku was the main mastermind in the entire story who had been forging a plan for over 1000 years. Instead of a conventional fight, Gege shows a creative “comedy performance” before Takaba dies, which allows Yuta to land the finishing blow on Kenjaku.

Although Kenjaku falls for the trick, the series doesn’t elaborate on his past as well as the merger he wanted to do. What is the merger? What form can it take? The questions may never be answered at this point. 

Before taking his final breath, he says his will shall be carried on. He leaves the responsibility of the merger to Sukuna. Furthermore, Kenjaku had an unknown number of cursed techniques, and his flashback would’ve made his character more impactful to the story. He also had a connection with Master Tengen, which the manga leaves up to fans’ imagination.

Fans will never see a full Hakari vs Uraume fight

Jujutsu Kaisen Hakari Uraume

While there is a possibility we will see glimpses of the battle, Jujutsu Kaisen doesn’t have enough chapters left to feature the entire fight perfectly. We only see the fight for a brief time before the manga moves on to the battle against the strongest.

According to Gojo, Hakari is one of the students who has the potential to surpass him. Hakari was introduced in the Culling Game Arc and captured fans’ hearts during his fight with Kashimo.

After Gojo dies, Uraume tries to join Sukuna’s side but Hakari stops them. Uraume’s real strength is unknown but they are in a stalemate as their fight has yet to reach a conclusion even after all these months. The entire time sorcerers are fighting Sukuna, Hakari is holding off the other ancient curse user.

Hence, there isn’t any chance for Jujutsu Kaisen to cover the entire fight before the ending. Fans were looking forward to watching Hakari defeat Uraume and join the fight against Sukuna. Sukuna is almost on his last leg, so Hakari has no role to play in the battle now.

Jujutsu Kaisen will still be an epic story

Megumi, Yuji, and Nobara

Nobara Kugisaki makes her controversial return to the manga. While the community is divided over having her back this late in the story, she makes a final move against Sukuna. It’s fair to assume Sukuna will meet his end in Chapter 268. 

Hence, before the ending, the manga needs to explain Nobara’s and Megumi’s return, Uro’s status, and Yuta’s situation. Five chapters won’t be enough to flesh out the entire story, so the manga will cram all the important plot points.

However, despite the rushed ending, Jujutsu Kaisen will always be one of the best new-gen manga whose popularity reached immeasurable heights. The manga became more popular after the anime adaptation in 2020.

It has some of the best characters, fights, and incredible plot twists. The Shibuya Incident Arc is only the tip of the iceberg. The story gets more intense in the Culling Games Arc, which will be adapted in Season 3 of the anime. 

Leaving some things unexplained always leaves room for spin-offs or prequels/sequels. The story may never explain everything about Jin Itadori, Gojo Clan, and so many more things. Heian flashback is one of the things that would’ve been epic but there are not many chapters to cover it at all.

The story begins with Sukuna’s incarnation and ends with his defeat. In Chapter 267, Yuji says that the cycle of curses will end with Sukuna’s defeat. This is something the world desperately needs.

For more on dark sorcery, have a look at the MVP of the final battle and an explainer on the Shinjuku Showdown Arc. Since JJK is ending, check out our list of incredible manga that can take its place.