Within the intense battle in opposition to the King of Curses, Yuta Okkotsu didn’t draw back from taking drastic measures to extend his possibilities of victory. He was able to turn into a monster to defeat Sukuna.
To raised place himself and the wizards, Yuta took over Gojo’s corpse, utilizing Kenjaku’s cursed method.
Nevertheless, this choice was not with out dangers and uncertainty. The largest concern on the time was in fact whether or not Yuta would be capable of return to his physique after taking up Gojo’s, as Kenjaku’s cursed method offered a number of unknowns.
Mei Mei outlined three attainable situations to Yuta, and warned him of the risks of this body-swapping method. She acknowledged the next:
- If Kenjaku’s cursed method works continuously or at common intervalsYuta could be unable to help himself, physique and soul, which might finally result in his demise.
- If the cursed method features erraticallyYuta may not die instantly, however his demise could be inevitable.
- If the Cursed Approach is activated simply as soon asYuta would possibly nonetheless be capable of survive in Gojo’s physique after the 5 minute restrict for the Copy Approach expires. This additionally offered one other attainable end result: after switching our bodies, Yuta would possibly lose his cursed method utterly and be pressured to dwell in Gojo’s physique completely.
These situations pointed to a one-way road for Yuta that might require an final sacrifice. Whereas the quick focus was on Yuta’s try and assist in the struggle in opposition to Sukuna, the underlying concern centered on what would occur to Yuta as soon as the five-minute restrict on his copied method expired.
As occasions unfolded in Chapter 263, Yuta’s destiny appeared much more unsure. Earlier than the five-minute restrict was reached, Yuta was sidelined in an enormous conflict of domains in opposition to Sukuna.
Kenjaku’s cursed method stopped working after he used Area Growth whereas in Gojo’s physique, leaving Yuta in a precarious state of affairs.
Because the method burnout precipitated Yuta to fall and lose management of Gojo’s physique, this pointed to a relentless activation of Kenjaku’s CT – the primary of Mei Mei’s proposed instances
This meant that Yuta would perish when the 5-minute restrict was reached. Nevertheless, in JJK chapter 269, that didn’t occur and we see Yuta alive – and extra importantly, again in his personal physique.
I’ve described in one other article how Yuta didn’t die instantly from Kenjaku’s CT burn. It could be higher should you learn that first after which watch this text. The hyperlink is beneath!
How did Yuta get his physique again?
After the battle, Yuji confronts Yuta and asks him how he managed to return to his authentic physique. Everybody was definitely shocked by that, together with the readers.
Yuta revealed that the important thing to his survival – after switching his mind and taking up Gojo’s physique – was Rika and the cursed spirit’s connection to him.
Whereas Yuta was preventing Sukuna in Gojo’s physique, Rika was busy utilizing RCT to heal Yuta’s physique, which had been sewn up by Shoko Ieiri.
This explains why Rika didn’t comply with Yuta into Gojo’s physique. Her function had shifted to holding Yuta’s empty shell throughout this dangerous maneuver.
Should you learn the article I linked to above, that Yuta didn’t die instantly after the CT burnout – which was additionally a chance .
Because of this when he bought the tech again (which I consider occurred earlier than the 5 minute mark), he was nonetheless in possession of the Copy Approach – which might additionally clarify why he nonetheless had a connection to Rika.
This additionally means that the unique bond between Yuta and Rika was not damaged regardless of the shortage of the ring, and that the Queen of Curses was supporting him in a roundabout way from a distance.
When Kenjaku’s cursed method was restored, Yuta, who was close to demise, was capable of reconnect with Rika. Rika then made certain he may return to his authentic physique.
What we will inform from this data is that Rika one way or the other helped Yuta switch his mind again to his authentic physique earlier than the 5 minute timeline ended.
Akutami opted for an easier answer on this case, elevating much more questions in regards to the physique swap and Yuta’s final destiny.
A missed alternative for influence
One of many key questions is whether or not Yuta returned to his physique throughout the five-minute time restrict set by Mei Mei.
If Yuta had remained in Gojo’s physique after this era, would he nonetheless have been related to Rika? Akutami didn’t explicitly tackle this, main followers to surprise if the time restrict performed a task in Yuta’s return.
One other unanswered query is how Yuta’s connection to Rika helped him return to his physique through the battle. Did Rika bodily switch Yuta’s mind again to his authentic physique, or was this switch extra symbolic?
Since we do not see Rika carry Gojo’s physique again through the climax of the battle, it’s assumed that Yuta returned to his physique after Sukuna was defeated.
This might imply that the 5 minutes had already handed by the point Yuta returned, making the timeline of occasions much more complicated.
Whereas Akutami did present some readability on Yuta’s return, the shortage of detailed clarification is really unsatisfying. Because the earlier chapter ended on a cliffhanger surrounding Yuta’s destiny, many readers, myself included, assumed that Yuta would possibly proceed to dwell in Gojo’s physique.
This might have added a layer of emotional depth and bittersweet finality to Yuta’s sacrifice. Whereas that did not occur, some readability would have been good.
Lastly, the decision that Yuta survived is one thing I can dwell with and be completely satisfied aboutHowever like many different examples in Jujutsu Kaisen, the physique swap storyline additionally ended with a number of untapped potential.
Akutami has been praised for subverting expectations in Jujutsu Kaisen, however this was one occasion the place a extra fleshed-out storyline would have been helpful. And due to that, all the pieces surrounding Kenjaku inserting the Kaisen in Jujutsu stays a thriller.
After all of the preparations surrounding Yuta’s destiny, a clearer understanding of how the physique swap labored – and the attainable penalties – would have made the state of affairs tougher.
As an alternative, we’re left with lingering questions which will by no means be absolutely answered. As Maki rightly mentioned within the chapter, not all the pieces was okay as a result of Yuta returned to his physique!
