Jujutsu Kaisen is widely recognized as one of the most influential anime series of recent times, thanks to its excellent storytelling and memorable characters. Speaking of which, Gege Akutami created the most iconic character of the decade in Gojo Satoru, the face of the anime and its most powerful sorcerer. Gojo has been a phenomenon since the anime’s 2020 release, thanks to his graceful presence in the debut episode and the humorous demeanor that kept fans entertained throughout the season. Even though Itadori Yuji is the series’ protagonist, Gojo has always been the one in the spotlight, making him a fan favorite.
One would expect an imposing presence like Gojo to live long enough to give anime and manga fans a satisfying conclusion, but Akutami had other intentions. During the final showdown between Gojo, the strongest sorcerer who ever lived, and Sukuna, the King of Curses, the latter emerges triumphant, leaving behind the young sorcerer’s lifeless body. Naturally, readers are left wondering whether Gojo truly died in his bout with Sukuna, and the answer may surprise you.
For context, the anime has now caught up to this stretch of the story: the third season, adapting the Culling Game arc, aired in early 2026 and ran for 12 episodes, and a fourth season has since been confirmed to continue the arc. The Gojo and Sukuna clash itself sits just beyond the chapters Season 3 covered, so anime-only viewers will see it animated down the line. What follows is drawn from the manga.
Gojo Satoru Really Dies in ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’
The second season of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime, centered on the Gojo’s Past and Shibuya Incident arcs, delivered some of the most mind-blowing battles in the entire series. Several arcs follow it in the manga, including Itadori’s Extermination Arc, the Perfect Preparation Arc, the Culling Game Arc, and the Shinjuku Showdown Arc, yet somehow the story’s most prominent character meets his end. During the Shibuya Incident Arc, Gojo is unexpectedly sealed inside the Prison Realm by Kenjaku, who has taken over Geto’s body.
For the next two arcs, Gojo plays no significant role in the story until he is unsealed in the Culling Game Arc, which sets up the most crucial battle in the anime. The clash between Gojo and the fully revived Sukuna delighted manga fans, not only because it was so eloquently illustrated, but also because of Gojo’s fate at its conclusion. In an ideal world, Sukuna would never be able to get through Gojo Satoru’s Infinity, but the King of Curses had a plan in place from the very beginning of the series.
During their epic battle, Sukuna, who now inhabits Megumi Fushiguro, uses the Zenin Clan’s 10 Shadows Technique to summon General Mahoraga, the strongest shikigami in existence and the same one he battled during the Shibuya Incident Arc. Using Mahoraga’s secret technique, which slices the world itself, Sukuna takes a gamble and eventually comes out on top by cutting through the Infinity of the world’s strongest sorcerer, though this was only possible because Gojo let down his guard after falling into the antagonist’s trap.
How Gojo’s Revival Brought Hope to Fans
Gojo’s death was especially unfortunate because his body was cut in two, dwindling his chances of resurrection to almost none. But Akutami, as much as he claims to dislike Gojo as a character, is a brilliant author. Fans were introduced to a crucial character in the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 film: Yuta Okkotsu, a Jujutsu sorcerer training overseas with Miguel. Following Gojo’s demise, Ui retrieved his body and sewed it back together so that Yuta could temporarily transfer his consciousness into Gojo’s body using a technique he picked up from Kenjaku, with Rika serving as an anchor.
Yuta was able to wield the reverse cursed technique, allowing him to fight Sukuna to a great extent, but he could not defeat the King of Curses. Ultimately, it comes down to the anime’s main protagonist, Yuji, to defeat the persistent nemesis, and he does so with such effectiveness that he demonstrates his significance to the story despite being overshadowed by Gojo for most of it. Gojo’s revival through Yuta gave fans a glimmer of hope, but Akutami ultimately refused to offer a satisfying conclusion for his readers.
Gojo Satoru Deserved a Better Ending
Even though Yuta possessed Gojo’s body to fight Sukuna and fully healed it with Rika’s help, Gojo Satoru was never resurrected, contrary to what fans expected. The revival was certainly possible, considering that no mortal wound could truly erase Gojo from existence, and with his body fully healed, he would have at least been able to live to fight another day.
Unfortunately, Akutami’s dislike for the character was on full display, as the anime’s most popular figure was not only poised to return but also denied a proper farewell, with his death unacknowledged by his students. Were it only the former, the ending might not be regarded as such a letdown, but since Gojo is such an exceptional character, with one of the world’s largest fanbases, the failure to pay him tribute feels deeply underwhelming.
In other words, the author did not handle the final phase of Jujutsu Kaisen effectively, resulting in one of the most disliked manga endings of all time. So, how do you feel about Gojo’s ending? And how would you justify his death from the author’s standpoint?
- Release Date
-
October 3, 2020
- Network
-
TBS, MBS, CBC, Tulip Television, BSN, tys, NBC, HBC, RKK, i-Television, SBS, IBC, BSS, MRO, OBS, TUF, RSK, TUY, tbc, RKB, SBC, KUTV, RBC, UTY, RCC, MRT, atv, MBC
- Directors
-
Ryohei Takeshita, Masataka Akai, Chie Nishizawa, Daisuke Tsukushi, Tomomi Kamiya, Kakushi Ifuku, Ken Takahashi
-
-
Yuichi Nakamura
Satoru Gojo
