Is ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ Season 2 a Prequel? Explained

Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 aired its first episode on July 6, 2023. The first half of the season featured Gojo’s Past Arc, which covers the Hidden Inventory and Premature Death storylines. Gojo’s Past Arc is a prequel to the first season, since it covers Gojo Satoru’s high school days from a decade ago.

**Warning: There are spoilers for Gojo’s Past Arc below.**

Hidden Inventory focused on Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru’s assignment to escort the Star Plasma Vessel, Amanai Riko. The Star Plasma Vessel is a human designated to merge with Tengen, an immortal Jujutsu Sorcerer. Because of Tengen’s importance in the Jujutsu Society, they gained a group of followers who worshipped them as a deity. The Star Religious Group treated Tengen as a god and thought that merging with the Star Plasma Vessel would be impure. They hired Fushiguro Toji to assassinate Riko.

Over time, Riko formed a friendship with Satoru and Suguru and realized that she no longer wanted to be the Star Plasma Vessel. She wanted to be just a normal high schooler like everybody else, especially after making new friends with people her age in Jujutsu High. This wouldn’t happen since she ended up getting killed by Toji. Satoru was also momentarily killed by Toji, but he was able to come back to life and defeat him. This arc gives context to how Fushiguro Megumi fell into Satoru’s care.

The Hidden Inventory and Premature Death episodes also show Geto Suguru’s importance in Satoru’s life. Before being consumed by hatred for non-sorcerers, Suguru once believed that Jujutsu sorcerers existed to protect non-sorcerers, which Satoru didn’t agree with at the time. The Strongest Sorcerer was fond of limit testing his sorcery and didn’t care much for the principles that his power held. This all changed after Riko’s passing, and even Suguru went in a different direction after learning how curses were formed. Gojo’s Past Arc doesn’t have a happy ending, but it does give insight as to how Gojo Satoru became the strongest on his own.

(featured image: MAPPA)