Mappa released the 17th episode of the second season of Jujutsu Kaisen today, and the animation house is continuing to show off just how amazing it can be with each passing episode. In the last episode, Sukuna laid waste to half of the city as he gave a beatdown to Jogo before incinerating him, while the cursed technique used by Haruta Shigemo blindsided Megumi Fushiguro out of nowhere. Now, Sukuna is about to run wild in Itadori’s body as Fushiguro prepares to fight a new enemy.
Spoilers Ahead
What Does Fushiguro Summon?
The latest episode opens with a flashback of Yuji Itadori’s life, an event that greatly influenced the person he wished to become—the dying wish of his grandfather. Before passing, Itadori’s grandfather wanted the teenager to do good in life, to save lives, and to help people. What Itadori considered the ultimate goal of his life—the exact opposite of the same—was just a way to have fun with the demon that resided inside his soul. We’re transported back to the chaotic Shibuya, where Megumi Fushiguro has his back against the wall and is now faced with the deviant cursed tool user, Haruta Shigemo. Realizing that in his current state, he can’t fight Shigemo, Fushiguro executes his ultimate technique, the Ten Shadows Technique.
In times of peace, Gojo Satoru once recalled how his clan and that of the Zen’in had their elders in a match that turned serious, and they both killed each other. Interestingly, both Gojo and Megumi possessed the special skills of those ancestors, meaning Fushiguro could defeat Satoru if he ever tried. Back to the present, Fushiguro unleashes his final attack of summoning a Shikigami that has never been tamed and reels Shigemo into the taming ritual to the cursed tool user’s horror. The “Divine Sila General” Mahoraga appears with a massive wheel on its head, looking like something from a nightmare, and advances at Shigemo after disposing of Fushiguro. Shigemo is moments away from being crushed when Sukuna rushes in and pulls him out of harm’s way, thanks to Shigemo’s curse technique.
How Was Shigemo Saved Every Time?
Shigemo’s ability was to use the miracles of daily life to save himself from life-threatening dangers, which is why he’d survived those spine-crushing blows from Nanami in the previous episodes. Now, Sukuna uses reverse cursed energy to heal Fushiguro momentarily before focusing on the new enemy before him, this untamed Shikigami, who seemed strong enough to finally give Sukuna a worthy challenge. With the audience left to witness the catastrophe through Shigemo’s eyes, Sukuna and Mahoraga clash, and once again Mappa goes into overdrive with the animation. The fight is less of an exchange of blows or moves but a brute show of cosmic power, as entire buildings are ripped off and hurled at each other as each opponent brings their best moves.
What Happens Between Sukuna And Mahoraga?
Time and again, Sukuna’s slicing and dicing technique bisects Mahoraga, but he comes back to life immediately, making the ‘King of Evil’ curious. He even congratulates Fushiguro for summoning such a monstrosity and then proceeds to attack it further. Soon, the fight can no longer be kept track of with eyes, as it’s a chaos of fire, rubble, and the entire Shibuya being trapped in a whirlwind of malevolence as Sukuna and Mahoraga show off their individual strength. We can’t make sense of what is happening exactly, other than the fact that Mahoraga and Sukuna are hurled here and there, and each time they’re mortally wounded, Mahoraga comes back to life. The embodiment of evil, Sukuna quickly understands the technique that keeps Mahoraga alive—that giant wheel on its head. It spins each time after it’s attacked and helps Mahoraga adjust to each and every situation, thereby saving him. Sukuna calls it a late throw in rock, paper, scissors—something of a cheating move. However, Sukuna has a plan, even for something that is head-scratching.
What Is Sukuna’s Plan?
The plan that Sukuna has for this problem is simply unleashing his domain expansion: Malevolent Kitchen. Sukuna’s domain can exist in the same plane as reality, which means he can impact anything in the real world with his domain, even though domains are supposed to be on a different plane than the world as we know it. The narrator calls it drawing on a canvas made of air, and truly, Sukuna is about to show why he’s truly a master. Sukuna sets a perimeter of 140m around him, intentionally keeping Fushiguro out of the blast zone, and unleashes slicing. This shreds everything: cursed energy, cursed spirits, and humans included, and countless innocent people are shredded to bits. His next attack dices objects without cursed energy, and this sequence continues several times until Mahoraga is on its last legs. Just as it’s about to adjust to Sukuna’s onslaught, he launches a stream of fire that burns everything in its path. Entire Shibuya goes up in flames, leaving a massive crater-like hole on the ground, having burned away within the 140-meter radius, Mahoraga included.
What Happens To Shigemo?
Haruta Shigemo, who’d been watching this devastation happen, is finally given permission by Sukuna to run away, and he obliges with extreme gratitude. While fleeing, Shigemo can’t believe just how unbelievably lucky he is when his body is sliced down in two. Unfortunately, his cursed luck had run out when Nanami Kento battered him like cookie dough some episodes ago. Being satisfied with the chaos and catastrophe that he’s caused, Sukuna goads his vessel one last time to take in the extent of destruction he’s caused using Itadori’s body before finally relenting. With moments left to hand over control to Itadori, he transports Fushiguro’s unconscious body near Principal Yaga and Shoko so that they can save the student because Sukuna has some grand plans for Fushiguro.
What Does Yuji Itadori Vow To Do?
With the evil having dissipated temporarily, the innocence of Itadori returns to his face, which is quickly replaced by utter terror as he takes in the damage that Sukuna has caused using him as a tool. He falls on his knees and buries his head in the scorched earth, unable to imagine the extent of deaths that he’s caused unconsciously. Having shared Sukuna’s consciousness, Itadori can rewind in his mind all the murders that Sukuna committed with a lazy smile, and the teenager, with a goal to save lives, retches in disgust. Itadori scratches his nails bloody while screaming for death to take him—only him—so that the rest of the world is saved from the maniac that resides inside him. Finally, he makes a vow to keep going because he knows that if he doesn’t try and do good, he’ll only be known as a murderer.
Before the credits roll, we get to see something special: Nanami Kento is seen trudging out of Shibuya Station and looks more-or-less unharmed until the camera pans to his face. Half of his face is missing, with the skull being exposed. Looking like Gustavo Fring from Breaking Bad, Nanami is still walking with his weapon at hand and heading towards his next opponent. If there was one sorcerer who deserved your respect, it’d be Nanami. It’ll be truly interesting to see what miracles he does in the coming episodes, seeing as how he cheated death this time, although barely.
