Jujutsu Kaisen Author Reveals the TRUE CAUSE of Gojo’s Death

During the Jujutsu Kaisen Exhibition in Osaka on April 19, 2025, Gege Akutami appeared to fans and answered a Q&A, giving lengthy explanations for some story details fans wanted to learn more about.

The information came from fans who attended the event, so the translations may not be quite accurate.

Sukuna’s Buddhist Mummy

The most curious detail from the exhibition would surprise some people, as it was centered on how Sukuna even had a Buddhist priest mummy or Sokushinbutsu.

A Sokushinbutsu is the mummy of a Buddhist holy person created when the monk chooses to meditate and starve themselves to reach a state of enlightenment.

In a way, Sukuna’s choice to reincarnate a thousand years later worked like an attempt to achieve enlightenment.

However, Gege confirms that Sukuna was not the only mummy around.

In fact, this is a fundamental mechanism of Jujutsu we have not explored as Gege says that when making a binding vow with a Curse, a part of the human body becomes cursed too.

Unlike other sorcerers, where only one part of the body became cursed, Sukuna was so powerful he produced multiple artifacts.

In Sukuna’s case, those were his 20 fingers.

Those cursed body parts are the relics used for Reincarnation.

Based on this mechanism, it is implied that Kenjaku himself was not quite human by the time he made his pact or perhaps a Binding Vow with Kenjaku has the same effect.

This could explain his own blood was key to the creation of the Death Paintings.

Urauma Had a Family After Death?

We also learn that the mummy was kept by Uraume after death.

After Uraume died of natural causes, the whereabouts of the remains became unknown.

They may not have been buried in a grave but either way, they were exhumed and it appeared that those who took the body worshipped Sukuna’s body like it was a mummified Buddha, which made Sukuna laugh out loud when he learned about it, likely from Uraume.

As to how Sukuna’s remains ended up in Tengen’s chambers, the Tomb of the Stars, Uraume might have lived to be an old person and is speculated to have lived long enough to even start a family because as it turns out, Himi Shiori is Uraume’s descendant.

The theory lies in their names containing the kanji for “ice”.

Gojo Lost Due to Cockiness?

The most relevant yet most controversial part of the panel came from Akutami’s response as to why Gojo lost to Sukuna’s World Dismantle.

“The slash that hit Gojo happened right after he said, ‘This is Gojo’s win.’ I think he let his guard down after defeating Mahoraga. At that point, he believed Sukuna had no way to counter Limitless anymore.” 

“If it had been the usual Gojo, he probably would’ve sensed something and at least dodged the fatal blow.”

The final line of Chapter 235: “Inhuman Makyo Shinjuku Showdown, Part 13” came from Kusakabe, where he stated that “Gojo won”.

But what if the reason for that is because Kusakabe here acts as the narrator.

On that note, the English dub uses Kirk Thornton, who voices Kusakabe, as the narrator for Season 2 of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime.

So, in a way, Kusakabe is a framing device to tell us what Gojo was thinking, by comparing their circumstances.

It was clear from Gojo’s perspective that after destroying Mahoraga, which was able to adapt to Infinity, Sukuna would have no other ace by this point and was thoroughly injured

Meanwhile, Gojo was buffed by the Black Flash

Keep in mind also that Gege said that Gojo was not his usual self.

There is one obvious reason: Gojo’s brain was heavily damaged and overloaded throughout the showdown.

Both Gojo and Sukuna constantly destroyed and repaired their brains to refresh burned up cursed techniques and ensure they could continually use Domain Expansion.

It is likely this brain damage that contributed heavily to Gojo’s reckless decision making to withstand the Dismantle with Infinity.

Combining that with the empowerment of Black Flash, Gojo saw no real reason to worry about the World Dismantle since, in the first place, he would have no idea Sukuna could do that and treated it as an ordinary Dismantle.

If Gojo’s brain was in a normal state by this point, he would be thinking straight and notice something different about this Dismantle and attempt to either evade it or prepare a countermeasure.

Some have criticized this answer as bad writing since this meant that Gojo did not learn from Riko Amanai’s death in the Gojo’s Past arc.

This lesson of caring for the weak and to not lose his ground was the reason why he gained enlightenment and mastery over the Limitless technique.

However, with the context of brain damage and Gojo being buffed by Black Flash, this response is less of a retcon or character assassination and more of a confirmation of what fans already knew about the outcome.

In a way, Gojo’s final moments mirrored Toji’s, the man who humbled and defeated him for the first time, even down to the narration pointing out that Sukuna was uneasy for the first time, the same feeling Toji felt and defied.

Both chose pride but unlike Gojo, Toji felt uneasiness and still defied his instincts while Gojo did not feel them at all.

The Airport Scene Was Inspired by the Anime

Gege said the airport scene was inspired by a talk with the second season’s director, Shota Goshozono, where it seemed like the two of them decided to include an emotional moment for Gojo’s death.

This might have been from Gosso’s work on the Gojo’s Past Arc given how many callbacks the airport scene had to Gojo’s flashback, not to mention how the opening and ending leave subtle symbolisms and hints towards Gojo’s final fate, implying that Gosso was well-aware of the conclusion ahead of publication.

Why Is the Shinjuku Showdown Full of 1v1 Fights?

There were some questions surrounding the setup of Shinjuku.

Gege chose Shinjuku because “it had a bunch of symbolic buildings”.

He also brought up why the shinjuku showdown ended up being focused on 1v1 matches, primarily Sukuna against Gojo and eventually, against Yuji.

“I think that everyone thought that when fighting Sukuna with was going to be a 1 v X battle, but I didn’t want to do that. Even if you gang up against a strong guy, everyone will get removed anyways, and it will still end up in 1v1.

Utahime Cameo During Shinjuku

While barely seen after buffing Gojo’s Hollow Purple in Chapter 223, the start of the Shinjuku Showdown, Utahime was actually part of the storyboard for the scene in Chapter 231: “Inhuman Makyo Shinjuku Showdown, Part 9” when Gojo made a huge smile, which Sukuna wanted to wipe away.

Is there significance to her inclusion in the original draft, perhaps highlighting their closeness in spite of the animosity she sometimes held for Gojo’s personality?

Angel Might be From the Middle East

One of the most unusual parts of Jujutsu Kaisen lore is the existence of Angel, a sorcerer with Judeo-Christian themes that appeared 500 years before the arrival of any form of Christianity in Japan.

One of the fans who were in the Osaka event asked Akutami how Sukuna became known as the “Fallen” or “Fallen Angel”, a term most associated with Christianity.

Akutami did not give a clear explanation but stated that angels were considered sorcerers from the Middle East. It seems that in the Heian period there was no interaction with the Middle East, but the idea that angels can fly was just kind of tossed in.

This does not clearly explain exactly what Angel is as there has no evidence of angels existing in Jujutsu Kaisen.

This statement seems to imply that if Angels are sorcerer equivalents in the Middle East, that means they are regular humans who can tame cursed energy rather than leak it like ordinary humans.

Perhaps these angels are the ones who fight their version of cursed spirits, demons, and might be the inspiration for Catholic exorcisms.

Kashimo was a Threat to Sukuna?

Gege would reveal that the next biggest threat for Sukuna after Gojo was Hajime Kashimo, particularly his Innate Technique, Mythical Beast Amber, that was capable of reconstructing his body to manifest different electricity-related phenomena and surpass human conditions.

His agility and speed would have rivaled Sukuna, on top of his energy beams being guaranteed hits without a Domain Expansion. However, he would be cut down by Sukuna’s World Dismantle.

Megumi was Inspired by Bleach

Gege also revealed that Megumi Fushiguro based on Megumi Wanibuchi from the 2012 idol anime “AKB0048”, and Rukia Kuchiki from Bleach.

Both Rukia and the older Megumi are characters known for their devotion to their older siblings, with Megumi Fushiguro being more connected to Rukia in concept.

Megumi was the guide and introduction of Yuji Itadori to the world of Jujutsu just as Rukia served as Ichigo’s first mentor to the role of Soul Reaper.

Megumi and Rukia were not blood-related to their adored older siblings yet they shared a strong familial bond.

Both also initially had trouble mastering their powers.

Rukia sacrificed her Soul Reaper powers to awaken Ichigo’s and initially was not as good with her Zanpakuto, Sode no Shirayuki until she attained her unstable Bankai, Hakka no Togame, in the Thousand Year Blood War.

Meanwhile, Megumi also had an incomplete Domain Expansion, Chimera Shadow Garden.

Megumi and Gojo’s Death Were Planned From The Start

On another note, Megumi was already planned by Gege to be Sukuna’s next Vessel from the beginning, along with Gojo’s death

Gege Akutami once had a prototype for Jujutsu Kaisen called Jujutsu Sousen, with Megumi, not Yuta or Yuji, as the protagonist to be possessed by Ryomen Sukuna, so this lines up.

Sukuna And Yuji Inspired by Naruto Confirmed

A lot of fans have remarked on the dynamic shared between Sukuna and Yuji, with Sukuna acting as an “inner demon” for the kind protagonist.

This seems to be the case as Gege confirmed that the idea behind their relationship was indeed based on NMAruto’s relationship with the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kurama.

“For Yuji, Sukuna is like Rika is to Yuta, similar to Naruto’s relationship with Kurama.”

More than confirming the Naruto connection, Gege also reveals that Sukuna’s connection with his Vessel has similarities with other Curse relationships, such as Yuta Okkotsu and Rika, the Shikigami after the original was freed at the end of Jujutsu Kaisen 0.

This is due to how Rika feeds off Yuta’s Cursed Energy, similar to how Naruto gains power through a cooperative relationship with the Nine Tails, both in their previous tense and presently positive relationships.

Although Yuji’s raw power and Cursed Energy reserves come from being part-Death Painting, that nature is what enabled Yuji to become a Cage instead of a Vessel for Sukuna, allowing him to contain the power of the King of Curses, as well as even awaken his own version of the Shrine technique.-

Kenjaku Was Destined to Lose to Comedy

Gege confirmed that Kenjaku was written to lose to Takaba, to comedy, because Kenjaku always liked comedy.

It is also revealed since Takaba had no knowledge of jujutsu, he is only producing this cursed technique purely from “vibes” for the purpose of doing comedy and anyone caught in his cursed technique are no threat to him at all.

The white robes he wore at the start of Idiot Survivor signified his pacifism and inability to actually do any harm to Kenjaku.

Nonetheless, Comedian was a key distraction as Kenjaku was so into the comedy routine that he died doing what he felt passionate about.

What is Morning Tiger

Gege Akutami only had a simple response to this question, that it is just a cool tiger, highlight how unserious Gege was about the topic, a neglected shikigami from the Ten Shadows Technique.

There would be another Jujutsu Kaisen Exhibition on June 9, 2025, which would hopefully clear up more things about the story or reveal new details.

Source: Twitter

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