With the release of Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 221 on April 24, readers finally got to witness the return of Satoru Gojo after three long years. This white-haired sorcerer’s unsealing from the Prison Realm was marked by visible changes to his physical appearance. However, as Hana Kurusu had mentioned, the 19 days spent within the Prison Realm could’ve passed differently for Gojo, suggesting that his mental state might have been in turmoil.
Yet, with Gojo declaring December 24 as the day of battle between him and Sukuna or Kenjaku, the white-haired sorcerer’s reaction to seeing the King of Curses possessing Megumi’s body was surprisingly placid. Much of the mystery about Gojo’s current mental and emotional state is shrouded in mystery, which is why his reactions to the several news related to Culling Game and death of his friends and acquaintances in the upcoming chapters is much anticipated. If December 24, the day he killed his best friend Suguru Geto, is considered to be important for him to defeat Kenjaku (Pseudo Geto), it remains to be seen what the postponement of this battle will mean for other characters.
How did Gojo get himself sealed inside the Prism Realm?
For someone who self-proclaims to be the strongest sorcerer in the world, Gojo’s sealing within the Prison Realm came as a huge shock for everyone. However, the capture of the strongest sorcerer involved the genius of Kenjaku, who is in possession of Geto’s body. While Kenjaku thought that sealing Gojo within the Prison Realm (a special grade curse object) would be the best course of action for the proceeding of the Culling Game, there was a condition to be fulfilled in order to effectively capture Gojo within it.
The condition stated that to capture somebody within the special grade cursed object, the target needs to be occupied or distracted for a minute within the four-meter radius after the user commands the opening of the gate. However, distracting Gojo for an entire minute within the requisite spatial distance was not supposed to be an easy task, especially since the “one minute” (nonai jikan) is supposed to work differently. For Gojo, who is the strongest sorcerer in Jujutsu Kaisen, time works much faster. While readers are robbed of an explanation on the intricacies of Gojo’s time perception, it can be deduced that a minute in real world equals to, say, a millisecond for him.
Therefore, when Kenjaku (Pseudo Geto) arrived in chapter 90 of the manga pretending to be Gojo’s deceased best friend, the memories of having killed Geto and their friendship resurfaces in his mind, and the trauma of the moment arrests his mobility. This was the chance Kenjaku needed to capture Gojo, as readers see in the next panel that the white-haired sorcerer is within the special grade cursed object. Since then, he had been captured for 19 days in the manga timeline, but three years in the reader’s time period.
Did Gojo escape from the Prison Realm on his own accord?
Gojo didn’t escape Prison Realm but was rather freed from it using Hana Kurusu’s Angel Curse Technique called Jacob’s Ladder to open the back door of the special grade cursed object. However, while Kenjaku had predicted that Gojo’s unsealing would mean that he would die, such a scenario didn’t happen when the white-haired sorcerer appeared in front of him.
What followed next was Sukuna protecting Kenjaku from Gojo by stalling him. Surprisingly, as mentioned earlier, Gojo remained unfazed by Sukuna’s abandonment of Yuji’s body in favor of Megumi’s. However, the King of Curses then boldly declared that he wishes to fulfil his promise of killing Gojo. After Kenjaku reminded Sukuna of the promise made to him, Gojo asked the former about the current date. Following this, the white-haired sorcerer postponed the ultimate fight between him and Sukuna and Kenjaku till December 24.
Is Gojo’s comeback into the Jujutsu Kaisen narrative a recipe for disaster for the antagonists?
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While considered a romantic day in Japan, the purpose of December 24 is weighted by the love and friendship that is associated with Gojo and Geto’s platonic relationship. The former had already killed Geto once on this specific day, and he wishes to do the same once again. Thus, Gojo’s bloodlust for Kenjaku is absolute.
On the other hand, Sukuna’s fate is still ambiguous. He is still the strongest curse alive, but him owing a favor to Kenjaku foreshadows that maybe the latter has the upper hand on him. Plus, Sukuna is still possessing Megumi’s body, who happens to be Gojo’s student. As such, the possibility of reversing or exorcising the curse is balanced by the death of either Megumi or Sukuna, or both. However, the postponement of the battle could also mean that Gojo may be looking for ways to save Megumi.
Meanwhile, the return of Gojo is a good omen for the Jujutsu High students, as this significant comeback would ultimately mean the reduction in casualties. While the Culling Game is far from being over now that Kenjaku and Sukuna hold a special connection to the game, this won’t be an easy victory. Moreover, with the alive status of Nobara being undetermined, Yuta’s absence from the Jujutsu Kaisen narrative, and processing the other recent events of the Culling Game, it remains to be seen how Gojo will tackle the issues.
If there’s anything that hasn’t changed about Gojo, it is his unabashed confidence. The last few panels of chapter 221 was a throwback to episode 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen, where Yuji had asked Gojo who would win between him and Sukuna, to which Gojo replied with “Nah, I’d win.” While readers vouch for the victory of the heroes, there is another possibility that remains to be entertained.
Earlier in the Gege Akutami’s series, it was revealed that:
“When Satoru Gojo was born…The balance of the world was altered.”
Gojo is still a formidable opponent, and while his fury is not quite expressing, his revenge may be a dish served cold. But the above statement’s ominous undertone could foreshadow that the balance that was altered with Gojo’s birth may be reversed with his death. Although the large speculation within the fandom is that Sukuna or Megumi may die, it could also come at the cost of Gojo’s sacrifice. Hence, only time will tell which direction the narrative will choose to go forward.
