When it comes to Shounen anime, more often than not, it happens that the remarkable, most anticipated arcs are difficult to follow up, resulting in a drop in qualitative aspects, as seen in the cases of some of the most popular titles like Bleach, My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, and so on and so forth. The way the second season of Jujutsu Kaisen peaked with the adaptation of the Shibuya Incident arc, fans are skeptical whether the series will be able to surpass it in the third season, which will be released after a year or so. It remains to be seen how well the makers adapt the ensuing storyline from manga, but there are ample hints and plot points provided in the course of this season that can be used to create a narrative that can match up to the brilliance.
Additionally, the third season is slated to adapt the infamous Culling Game arc orchestrated by pseudo-Geto, which will shake up the world of Jujutsu Kaisen in unprecedented ways. Let us speculate on the possible roadmap for the series’ third season by discussing the plot points—and also some of the topics from the manga—without spoiling too much.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happened To Gojo Satoru?
Currently the strongest sorcerer in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen and Tokyo High’s biggest asset in the battles against cursed spirits and other related threats, Gojo Satoru was taken out of the picture in the second half of the season during the Shibuya Incident arc. Pseudo Geto’s tactical brilliance in confining Gojo inside the prison realm resulted in havoc, as Ryomen Sukuna got freed and caused absolute destruction in the form of wiping out a portion of Shibuya. Eventually, Geto leaves, taking the prison realm cube with him, and in the aftermath, the Jujutsu elders hold an entrapped Gojo partially accountable for the Shibuya incident, banishing him forever from the Jujutsu association. What will happen to Gojo inside the prison realm remains a mystery as well, as the nature of the taboo conduit is unknown to even the best sorcerers. The third season will revolve around Yuji and the rest of the next generation of sorcerers making an effort to free Gojo, as it has already been highlighted that without him, the do-gooder sorcerers are weakened.
Adding to the fact that Tokyo High has already suffered severe losses in the form of the deaths of Nobara and Nanami, how much the elders’ outrageous verdict regarding Gojo’s banishment can be tolerated by everyone remains to be seen.
Yuta Vs. Yuji: The Prospect Of A Civil War
Acting as an occasional host of Ryomen Sukuna’s spirit has often resulted in a severely troublesome situation for Yuji Itadori since the very beginning of the series, which culminated in the disastrous Shibuya incident. Realizing what devastation Sukuna had wrought using his body as a vessel, Yuji almost reaches the lowest of his lows as he considers taking his own life in remorse, but eventually comes around after getting inspired by his compatriots. Despite the instrumental role Yuji played in stopping Mahito’s rampage and standing up in Gojo’s absence, there is an undeniable concern about his Sukuna link, which is voiced in Kusakabe’s statement, who is willing to even sacrifice Yuji for the greater good. By the end of the season, it is revealed that the elders have ordered his execution to stop Sukuna once and for all, and they have a mighty good candidate to carry out their order.
During the final moments of the second season finale of Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuta Okkotsu, the secret protagonist of the series whom fans are meeting for the first time since the prequel Jujutsu Kaisen 0, makes a grand appearance, and it is revealed that he has signed a binding vow with the Jujutsu association to take down Yuji. As fans might recall, Yuta is an extremely strong sorcerer with Rika, the cursed spirit of her late friend by her side, and is capable enough to take on Yuji. The ensuing battle between Yuta and Yuji is definitely going to divide Tokyo and Kyoto from within, and in the face of the looming threat of Geto and Sukuna, the sorcerer civil war is going to weaken the Jujutsu association even further.
However, Yuta might also be playing the long game with the elders, as given his experience of being persecuted by them, he has an idea as to how misguided and corrupt they truly are. We know that, much like Yuji, Yuta is another promising disciple of Gojo; he must have known about Yuji’s role in the upcoming struggle and in the precarious balance between opposing forces. Hence, he might’ve decided to befool the elders by pledging his allegiance while taking Yuji by his side in secret. Anyway, the interaction between these two leads will add a new dimension to the third season, which we cannot wait to see unfold.
The Culling Game Arc: Pseudo Geto’s Devious Scheme
Finally, we arrive at the most exciting and dreadful reveal of the season finale made by pseudo-Geto—his scheme to initiate the Culling Game, which will forever change the Jujutsu landscape and reform the world in his vision. Geto’s large-scale projection of idle transfiguration will imbue selected non-sorcerers with cursed abilities, creating a surge of negative energy that will engulf the nation of Japan and take it to the Heian period, the golden age of Jujutsu. Added to the eventual uprising of Ryomen Sukuna, a glimpse of whose destructive capabilities we have already seen in the Shibuya incident—the pseudo-Geto—will plunge the nation into uncontrollable chaos.
Geto’s personal philosophy was the eradication of humanity to assert the domination of sorcerers and curses, but pseudo-Geto, controlled by a yet unknown entity (Kenjaku, as manga readers already know), believes in going even further than that. Pseudo Geto believes the next step in human evolution will come through turning them into sorcerers. The Culling Game is the primary step toward that goal, and it will initiate a sort of battle royale between existing sorcerers and the new ones.
Ending the second season on such a high note has obviously made fans of Jujutsu Kaisen more expectant than ever for the upcoming season. Hopefully, the makers will capitalize on the hype by dropping updates about the third season soon enough.
