Okay, so I’m not here to talk about aliens this week (at least not entirely, anyway). The element that really stuck with me after Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo #2: Deterrence is how focused these first two chapters have been on family, siblings in particular. A solid shonen trope, sibling rivalry has the power to drive a story only so far, so it’s a good thing Akutami-san and Iwasaki Yuji aren’t planning for this story to go long term.
The one question I do keep asking myself, however, is whether Modulo is the introduction to something larger that will come down the line later. A whole new reason to keep the Jujutsu world going in a whole new direction with elements of the past peppered throughout. As an undeniable JJK fangirly, I’m all for that. Like I said before, I’ll read it forever, even if it’s terrible, so…
The Role of Family In Jujutsu Kaisen Wasn’t Typical, But It Was Powerful
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Blood family wasn’t really much of a focus in Jujutsu Kaisen, beyond the society-driven importance of the three central clans. There was the rivalry between Maki and Mai Zen’in, Choso’s unbridled devotion to his younger death painting womb brothers, and the unanswered questions Megumi Fushiguro quietly carried about his deadbeat dad, Toji. When it came down to it, though, there wasn’t a lot of focus outside of the found family trope a lot of shonen anime rely on.
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Yuta found family among his fellow second year sorcerers, even falling in love with Maki, going on to marry her. Yuji bonded with Megumi and Nobara in a sibling fashion, with Gojo Sensei easily falling into the role of mischievous older sibling influencing, teaching and challenging his students, while also making all three of them feel cared for and appreciated.
Yuji also fell into an unbreakable bond with Aoi Todo, who decided it was brotherhood forever for the two of them after realizing they both shared a deep appreciation for very specific (albeit different,) types of woman. Later, Yuji would build another bond of brotherhood with his fellow death painting womb, Choso, who embraced Yuji as his younger brother and threw himself into the role without hesitation the way any good big brother would do in the face of danger.
Despite there being only a ten year gap in their ages, Nanami played a father-figure role in Yuji’s life. Too serious to be brotherly like Gojo, and refusing to take on the role of sensei, Nanami shared fatherly wisdom with Yuji he never got from his own father (or grandfather). He treated him like a child, wanting to protect and teach him, all while maintaining as much of his innocence as he could for as long as possible. When the time came, Nanami knew he had to let go, bravely passing the torch on to his successor the way a father would to his own son.
That’s the kind of found family vibe that keeps readers invested, but Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo is going a different route. Modulo feels like it’s all about blood ties, so far, and honestly, I’m here for it.
Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Follows a Different Family Trope With Sibling Rivalries At the Core
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Akutami-san established the sibling rivalry between Yuka and Trsurugi Okkotsu in the opening pages of Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Chapter 1. With that theme dominating a significant part of the plot, it was followed up shortly thereafter with Maru scolding Yuka for her rivalry with Tsurugi. Maru admits to having a strained relationship with his own brother that he deeply laments, which only provokes Yuka into sassing him about minding his own business.
After reading that first chapter, some fans speculated the possibility of Maru’s big brother being Sukuna, but that theory was quickly shut down in Chapter 2 with the introduction of Cross, a Simurian Dispatch Officer accompanying the the Simurian Diplomatic Envoy, Jabaloma. (Completely off topic, but Jabaloma gave me serious Tengen vibes, suggesting Tengen may have been an original source of jujutsu’s establishment among humanity.)
Later, we see Cross and Maru together, talking about their purpose there. Maru’s interactions with the Okkotsu siblings have him excited for the Simurians’ future interactions, but Cross is obviously not sold on humanity’s worth as allies. When he orders Maru to go back to the jujutsu sorcerers and observe them like a warrior, it becomes clear that the aliens aren’t here on Earth to trade cursed techniques and dumpling recipes. The way Cross brushes off Maru smacks of older brother with a superiority complex vibes, which flashes back to his statements to Yuka in chapter 1.
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Whatever happened between Maru and Cross in the world before Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, Maru is trying so hard to reestablish their bond before it’s lost forever. The hurt he feels from Cross’s flippant rejection carries over into the next scene, when Tsurugi finds Maru on the roof. Joking around with him about people calling the cops because they think he’s gonna jump doesn’t get the reaction Tsurugi was looking for. Instead, Maru tells him to shut up before demanding he doesn’t talk to him.
If this doesn’t remind Tsurugi of his own strained relationship with Yuka, nothing will. He’ll need to get Maru to open up to him the say way Maru opened up to Yuka in the first chapter.
Cursed Energy vs. Cursed Tools Is the Perfect Grounds for Sibling Rivalry
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As much as I hate the reason behind the rivalry between Yuka and Tsurugi, even I can’t deny it’s a great Jujutsu Kaisen thread to keep pulling on. To know that decades later, there are still people who look down on those without cursed energy makes me super sad, especially considering it’s our main character who is denying her brother’s need for the ring Yuta entrusted to her.
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Initially, it bothered me that their mother took the ring away from Yuka to give to her brother, but over the last week and now with a second chapter, my perspective has definitely shifted. I don’t feel sorry for Yuka the way I initially did. I understand how unfair it feels, but Tsurugi actually needs that ring. Like Granny Maki, he has no cursed energy, needed to rely on cursed tools to make it as a jujutsu sorcerer.
We also learn in Chapter 2 that Tsurugi didn’t want to take Yuka’s ring from her. He always intended to give it back. Now that the Simurians are here, and there’s no telling what their motivations are, he needs it more than ever. Tsurugi wants to be strong like Maki, wants to prove himself the way she did. In order to do that, he needs one of the most powerful cursed objects in the Gojo clan’s arsenal.
Yuka’s inner-dialogue does make a strong point, as she recalls that Maki wiped out her entire clan. She could interpret that wrongly, assuming that Tsurugi would be willing to kill her to get what he wanted. I don’t think that’s true. It is my hope that as the story continues to find its feet, these two siblings can figure out how to do what Maki and Yuta most likely wanted for them all along. Working together means they can draw on each other’s strengths and compensate for each other’s weaknesses, which is how it should be.
Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Chapter 2: Deterrence On a Scale of 1 to 10
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Two chapters into Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, and I’m invested now. I want to know more about these Simurians and modern Jujutsu society. I’m curious to see how Yuka and Tsurugi can find common ground. I also want to know whether Cross and Maru will find themselves at odds in the long run about their plans for humanity.
Am I still sick of aliens? Yes. Will I excuse it for Jujutsu Kaisen? Ahem, yeah. Yeah, I will.
Chapter 2, Deterrence, gets upgraded from last week’s 6 to a 7.5.
