This post contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, currently available for U.S. readers from VIZ Media
Jujutsu Kaisen rightfully earned its place among the “Shonen Dark Trio” when it debuted alongside Hell’s Paradise and Chainsaw Man. The graphic violence, complex characterizations, and bleak themes turn shonen on its head. Over the last few years, more anime and manga have taken the darker path, proving that mature content that doesn’t pull punches is what the masses crave. I can’t help feeling, even though it’s still early days, Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo takes the darkness one step further than its predecessor.
With that in mind, I’m already imagining the story growing bleaker as it progresses. A monstrous antagonist like Ryomen Sukuna sets the bar for senseless violence higher. The trend I’m seeing as Modulo advances feels more terrifying than Sukuna ever was. (Even when he put a massive crater where Shibuya used to be.) And the reason for that is simple: monsters hiding behind a veil of innocence.
Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Chapter 4 Toys With My Emotions
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As Chapter 4, “The Boy Who Kept Repeating” begins, Tsurugi, Yuka and Maru debrief about the alien truth.This chapter wastes no time messing with my head as Usami reminds Tsurugi to mine as many details as possible from Maru. Tsurugi flashes back to their conversation in Chapter 3, but he doesn’t say anything to Usami about what he learned.
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Trust is already fragile between Maru and the Okkotsu siblings, which is making it hard to build friendships. Now, Tsurugi is in a position expecting him to report back on someone who trusts him. It’s just going to further complicate matters and continue brewing distrust.
The fact that Maru is like an adorable puppy just happy to be there making human friends doesn’t help matters. He’s tugging at heartstrings, almost in the same way Yuji Itadori did. Maru’s obviously not stupid, but he’s idealistic. Despite his people losing everything, including their home, Maru continues to stay optimistic. It’s as if he’s setting himself up for the ultimate breakdown, not unlike Itadori before Sukuna took over his body and blasted Shibuya off the map.
I can’t help fearing the potential losses Maru will face in upcoming chapters. We already know he’s powerful, even though he holds back because of his brother. Imagine how dangerous he’ll become if something happens to his brother.
Modulo Is Already Taking Darkness to a New Shade
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Despite how much we all love Gojo, Nanami and Geto, Jujutsu Kaisen is about the kids. Passing the torch to the next generation of jujutsu sorcerers was the premise. But it put high school kids’ lives in danger. That is one of the things that makes the story so dark.
Modulo already feels darker, and it has nothing to do with the students this time. The storyline for Chapter 4 centers around an eight-year-old boy who mysteriously keeps returning to first grade. Three times, this same boy attends the same teacher’s first grade class. Each time, his name is slightly different than the year before, but there’s no mistaking it’s the same kid.
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Sent to investigate the situation, Tsurugi and Maru split from Yuka and Mino to hunt down Masaki. Tracking him down on his way home from school, Masaki looks like a vulnerable eight-year-old. He even gets scared when Tsurugi approaches to talk, taking off running. They follow into an alley, where they come head to head with a shikigami guardian spirit.
Assumption and innocence make it easy to surmise that Masaki is a curse user. He hasn’t learned to control his techniques yet. That theory is further supported by the story he tells Maru and Tsurugi about his mom dying and becoming a ghost. When he takes them to the place he buried his mom, it’s so easy to fall into the compassion trap. But there’s more going on than we can see on the surface.
Takeda Masaki Isn’t an Innocent Little Boy At All
Yuka and Mino make discoveries of their own that point to a much darker scenario. As Yuka puts in a call to Tsurugi, she announces the boy’s guilt while leaning over a pit of skeletons. With both siblings claiming to be at Takeda’s house, it hits Tsurugi that something’s wrong.
As he turns around to look at Takeda, he sees Maru on the ground. The seemingly innocent boy looms like a menace. As he reaches up to take off his face (yeah, you read that right,) the scene is chilling for several reasons.
First and foremost, Maru just spent the last few panels lifting this downtrodden little boy out of the dumps. He shared his loneliness with this kid, spreading hope and kindness in that way so reminescent of Itadori, only to have it thrown back in his face. Secondly, there have been dark incidents surrounding kids already introduced.
What is happening to these kids? How does it tie in to the arrival of the Simurians? And OMG, is Maru okay?
Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Chapter 4 On a Scale of 1 to 10
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Things are escalating quickly in Modulo, and I couldn’t be happier. I went from being sick of shonen aliens to quickly warming up to Maru and the Okkotsu siblings. The future of Akutami-sensei’s world is incredibly compelling. I can really see their growth as a storyteller. Iwasaki’s art is so dark, but in the best way imaginable. Modulo establishes itself each week as something new. It isn’t borrowing the same ideas from its original source material, and that gives me hope for future chapters.
I find myself really looking forward to each new installment, and reading through it several times before voicing my thoughts here. That’s testament to a good manga in my world! In fact, I’m so into this next chapter in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen that my rating this week went from 7.5 to 8.5.
