This post contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, currently available for U.S. readers from VIZ Media
When Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo launched back in September, the focus immediately centered on the Okkotsu siblings. With the arrival of the Simurians on Earth, we quickly met Maru and his people. Across the last 13 chapters, we have seen the Okkutsus build a powerful bond with twin Simurians, Maru and Cross. But things took a turn for the worst when the Simurians discovered Japan’s cursed spirits were like the sacred beasts of their world.
As the conflict quickly elevated, shots were fired in the chaos. With Cross now on his deathbed and the peacekeeper Usami likely to follow after Dabura resisted his cursed speech technique, relations are disastrous. The Simurians have demanded retribution for Cross’s injury and the protection of cursed spirits in the Inhuman Makyo. With Japan refusing to yield the Tokyo ruins that house the cursed spirits to the Simurians, the only recourse left is a duel between Dabura and Jujutsu Society representative, Yuka Okkotsu.
Yuka Okkotsu’s Death Is a Convenient Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Loophole
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Yuka sharing her inevitable death with Cross the day they spent together was a major catalyst in bringing Cross around. Before that, Cross had no interest in allying with the humans. The bond they formed in sharing stories and secrets was the first real step toward making peace with each other. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.
Now, with Yuji Itadori incommunicado, and nuclear weapons to defeat Dabura out of the question, it falls to a dying girl to step up. First of all, if Satoru Gojo was around, he wouldn’t have it. No one should take youth from young people. Even if Yuka is braving out her final moments to save everyone else, it still feels wrong. I’m trying to imagine their face-off in my brain, and I can’t.
Dabura is an overpowered (but adorable) menace with a little sister. Is he really going to be able to obliterate a teenager in good conscience? Especially a teenager who had nothing to do with Cross’s fatal injuries? In the end, it boils down to them all being “warriors,” I guess. And even if she is dying any day now anyway, it’s still messed up. It feels like everything Gojo died to protect is meaningless. Babies are still out there throwing their lives away on the front line. *insert sobbing emoji here*
A Return to Sibling Relationships Was Just What Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Needed
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When Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo first began, there was a powerful focus on the sibling bond and rivalry between both protagonist duos. Yuka was resentful of Tsurugi for taking the ring their grandfather specifically left for her. Maru was upset that he and Cross no longer saw eye-to-eye. The perspective we had until that point was surface-level, which made it easy to pick sides. Limited information made Maru seem like he was in the right, and Cross was the problem. Yuka’s point-of-view painted Tsurugi a little differently than we came to understand him as chapters progressed.
As we get to know Cross, a similar thing happens. It turns out, he isn’t the one with bitterness inside. The cause of their falling out is Maru’s inability to let go of his own pride. He hid the truth about their father’s death from Cross, allowing him to believe he destroyed the precious mineral their father died clutching. Only it wasn’t a precious mineral at all. It was just a rock, and Maru hid that fact from his brother to protect him.
The rift between Cross and Maru only seems to grow after they leave their home. Now that Cross is incapacitated, and possibly at death’s door, his twin has regret. All he wants is one last chance to talk to him and apologize for the tension between them and the lie he told.
Tsurugi and Maru Can’t Fix the Problem Earth Faces Right Now
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On the day of the duel, Tsurugi is out walking as he thinks through everything he knows about Simurians. The story they told isn’t making sense in his mind. It seemed to take forever for them to build the canal in Cross’s story, but they manage to flee and make it to Earth in such a short amount of time. He’s coming to understand that this, and a lot of other things made possible since their arrival, is entirely because of Maru and Cross’s shared cursed technique.
As he and Maru come face to face, it’s to have one last conversation as friends before it all goes to hell. Neither side is going to budge when it comes to their beliefs. But there is a simple solution.
Tsurugi asks Maru why they can’t just leave Japan. Discovering the relation between Kalyans and cursed spirits will never let the Rumelians leave. Their reverence for Kalyans won’t allow them to just walk away, even if it is the easiest solution.
The cycle of violence and oppression on the Rumelian home world is beginning again, right there on Earth. In order to preserve that which they hold sacred, they will go to war.
Jujtusu Kaisen’s Binding Vow Could Be Japan’s Saving Grace
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Yuka going up against Dabura is absurd, and both Tsurugi and Maru both know it. Maru’s solution is simple: Forfeit. Either way, the result is the same, and the Simurians get what they want. Tsurugi doesn’t know that because jujutsu sorcerers have the last resort of a binding vow that could increase Yuka’s power exponentially. He doesn’t want his little sister to die one second before her time, and in one last ditch effort, he tries to persuade his friend.
The stakes are just as high for the Simurians, though. After traveling two years through space with 50,000 people, finding Earth was the first time many of them felt like they could breathe. Leaving their home planet was a terrifying gamble, so discovering Earth made them feel like they finally found a place to call home again. No one is going to want to leave, no matter what.
When Maru asks Tsurugi how he can feel compassion for Yuki without considering the Kalyans, it’s the final straw. These two people on the verge of friendship now have no choice but to defend what they believe in. Even if it means facing each other as warriors. Maru and Tsurugi didn’t start off on a great foot when they met, but over time, they developed a bond.
Sadly, the one thing that was inevitable from page one of Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo is about to unfold. This showdown between Maru and Tsurugi was always going to happen. The question is, without Cross to help Maru draw on his full technique, does he stand a chance? We still don’t know enough about the way their technique worlds to truly gauge an outcome, but either way, I wish there didn’t have to be one.
Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Chapter 14 On a Scale of 1 to 10
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As the pieces both fall apart and come together, an inevitable fight between humans and Simurians will launch the beginning of the end. For whom is anyone’s guess, and the way Akutami sensei has portrayed both sides of this battle until now, it’s hard to pick a side. That has been one of the best parts of the manga so far. The emotional impact is going to be severe, no matter which way the sword falls.
Watching the tensions rise between Maru and Tsurugi in Chapter 14 was heartbreaking. The fact that the title of the chapter, “An Older Brother’s Duty,” refers to both characters spotlighted in the chapter doesn’t spell victory for either. They are both fighting for more than a planet to call home. They’re fighting for their flesh and blood, and it’s devastating. This week’s chapter gets a 9 out of 10, and I hope like hell Chapter 15 isn’t short on the dramatic fallout of what these two are about to do.
Void Rating: 9/10
