The Shibuya Incident arc is one of the largest arcs in Jujutsu Kaisen in terms of chapters. The scale of its tragedy, its terrific death toll, and the severity of its events left many manga readers traumatized. After two years of suffering on their own, anime fans are about to witness the horrors that left many manga readers reeling over author Gege Akutami’s brutal story choices.
**Warning! This article may contain spoilers**
It’s safe to say that many beloved characters get hurt, at best—at worst, they’re brutally executed, and all fans have left to remember them by are ashes, and hatred over who killed them. Needless to say, the Shibuya Incident arc was a massacre of sorcerers and civilians alike, but it was a necessary arc for the story to move forward.
Why the Shibuya Incident arc happened in Jujutsu Kaisen
The arc helped the story contextualize and deepen many narrative plot points and strengthened the relationships between characters. In chapter 79, Satoru’s guardianship of Megumi is confirmed in a flashback, and Megumi has a sister named Tsumiki. Though they have a teacher-student relationship, it was proven that Satoru took Megumi under his wing, which fulfilled Toji’s last request after he was defeated.
The arc also confirmed who the mole in Jujutsu High was—Muta Kokichi. Kokichi, who walked around Kyoto Jujutsu High as a second-year student, made a binding vow with the enemy to be fully healed by Mahito from his physical restrictions. Despite agreeing to spy so long as Kyoto Jujutsu High students would be safe and trying to kill Mahito after he was healed, his plan failed, and he met his end before even meeting his friends and loved ones to warn them of the danger they were about to face.
It was no secret that even at the onset of Jujutsu Kaisen season 1, Kenjaku and his ragtag gang of curses were plotting to seal Gojo Satoru on Halloween in 2018. The Shibuya Incident arc happened in Shibuya because Kenjaku thought it was the perfect place for his plan. It had to take place in Shibuya because of the overwhelming number of people who go there—Shibuya is an attractive place for shoppers, and it has great access to various railway lines, highways, and other popular locations. The numerous civilians in the area would limit sorcerers’ movement, serving as living meatshields for curses to use. What made this unprecedented attack on sorcerers more challenging was the curtain that hovered over Shibuya, as this had to be deactivated by eliminating the curse user in charge of it.
What can Jujutsu Kaisen anime fans expect?
Unsurprisingly, many casualties are to be expected. This doesn’t even include the civilian casualties; many sorcerers will lose their lives, too, while trying to put other people’s lives above their own. Yuji will also be briefly losing control over his body, and Ryomen Sukuna will commit unnecessarily violent acts. Yuji also has a sibling he’s yet to meet, while Megumi will be trying to take control of a shikigami none in his family could ever successfully subdue. Some curses will also evolve to be riskier than they initially were, and the Jujutsu society will be shaken by the sealing of Gojo Satoru.
Hold on tight—a lot of tears and blood will be shed for this season. But hey, at least everybody will get to witness cool fight scenes!
(featured image: MAPPA)
Published: Oct 23, 2023 08:57 am