This post contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Chapter 22, currently available for U.S. readers from VIZ Media
Since the moment I learned both Yuji Itadori and Mahito were going to figure into Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, I’ve been waiting. Unfinished business in Shibuya decades earlier leaves them both chomping at the bit to face-off. Their face-off, however, does not come close to the hype I’ve been envisioning.
So far, I have not had much to complain about in Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo. I don’t foresee myself slinging a lot of mud anytime soon. I do have to admit Chapter 22, “Pathway of Souls,” did not have quite the impact I was expecting. We come decades into the future, to a time and place where Itadori and Mahito both exist. Is it wrong to want to see them throw down? Okay, I’m getting a little ahead of myself, so let’s save it for the review.
Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Says This Curse Is Gonna Need a Reckoning
Okay ya’ll. I’m not gonna lie. I was really looking forward to some kind of epic showdown between Mahito and Itadori, as I mentioned above. It’s been all the hype in my brain since the moment each of them made their presence known in Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo. With Marulu drawing the current most powerful sorcerer in the world into his plan, there seemed to be promise.
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Yuji even says on Chapter 22, Page 1, “Just so ya know, this guy’s not really the obedient type.” And Maru answers with the basic equivalent of, “It’s cool, bro. We got this.” It sort of takes all the hype out of Mahito, a nasty little jerk everyone loathed since the moment he told Junpei Yoshino he’d fully sanction him for murder.
The embodiment of human hatred, Mahito makes us hate him. And in my epic, imaginary hatred, I want to see Yuji whoop him just a little bit into next week before they dismantle him with his own Idle Transfiguration. Both of them are pretty confident they can take him, no problem. Mahito even tells them to quick talking trash, but as it turns out, they really aren’t.
Marulu is so overpowered, this Pathway Between Souls he’s brought them to is exactly what is needed to cut Mahito down to size. Literally. The pieces of him are all nicely carved out and ready for Maru to use as needed.
To Cursed Energy or Not to Cursed Energy, That is the Question
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I think the thing that threw me most was that we didn’t even really get to see them fight. Yuji just stood there and watched Mahito more or less get sliced to pieces. It is like Pinhead from Hellraiser shows up on scene to direct the sweetest torment. If we want to get theoretical and deep, we could give Akutami sensei the benefit of the doubt. We can surmise that hatred turns upon itself and tears itself apart. I want to go with that, but I’m struggling, ya’ll.
More time in this chapter is spent with Yuji and Maru debating the rights and wrongs of what they’re about to do. People won’t be happy. They get this. It’s going to change everything. They get this, too. They are making a world-altering decision that affects absolutely everyone, and they’re doing it without consent. It’s a little jarring.
“For the greater good, we will make this choice for you all.”
I think the saddest part is that future-humanity likely can’t be trusted to make this kind of decision on their own. If it comes down to losing one’s own personal power for the benefit of all, nope. Not gonna work. I need that power. So, as unfortunate and disheartening as it is, Maru and Yuji making this choices for everyone… tracks??
Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Recognizes the Sin, but Chooses It Anyway
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As Yuji and Maru go back and forth, debating the pros and cons, it’s clear how much weight this decision carries. Maru wants to make right the wrongs his own people brought to Earth. Yuji gets it, but he seems to be missing some really important factors. What they are about to do is a huge sin.
Yuji even points out that getting rid of cursed energy could potentially rob the future of a viable energy source, damning humanity. He also recognizes that they are tampering with peoples’ bodies without consent. It’s a huge realization for him to make, but he still chooses to commit the sin. This decision is proof that he is Gojo’s protege, because this level of decision-making is so Satoru Gojo. He’s gotta be somewhere in the afterlife either yelling, “That is so not what I meant,” or laughing his head off.
Discussing how things will work, Maru doesn’t want to affect current sorcerers, and as he’s explaining his plan, Yuji interjects. Even if they get rid of all the cursed energy in Japan, cursed spirits will probably still be born. I can’t tell if Marulu’s mind exploded, or he’s grinning in that last panel because he’s happy. Guess we’ll find out next chapter.
Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Chapter 22 On a Scale of 1 to 10
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There are some really beautiful panels in this chapter, with artwork absolutely taking my breath away at times. I am also happy with the moral debate that comes with this epic decision the two of them are making for humanity as a whole. That being said, I am disappointed Mahito is such a weak little nothing. Even Yuji is so OP at this point in his life, that he asks Mahito if he was always so pathetic. Definitely Gojo’s student.
It’s a new generation, decades lost to time. But, at times, it feels like context is missing that would help improve the overall flow of the story being told. More than once, I really had to wrap my brain around things to figure out what was happening on the page, but it mostly felt like a worthwhile journey. This chapter, while it had its high points, feels a little like a letdown. It leaves me wondering: Is it really going to be this easy to solve world cursed energy?
I want to believe in Akutami sensei. So far, they have not let me down. That being said, I’m still holding Gojo bitterness in my heart, which makes trust hard. Even as I’m eager to see the story come to its close, I don’t want it to feel like something that was easily solved. Unless… Sensei has a plan for the next installment, set in a world these two clowns are about to completely break without asking anyone else’s thoughts on the matter.
