Jujutsu Kaisen’s Finale Proves the Series Was Always About Love Despite its Lack of Romance

Warning: Contains spoilers for chapter #271 of Jujutsu Kaisen.

One of the most distinct features of Jujutsu Kaisen is its utter lack of romance and its sharp focus on its fights, which is unsurprising given that its title quite literally means “sorcery battle.” That said, another major focus of the series is its themes, which have been gradually developed over the course of the series, the biggest of these being the theme of love, and Jujutsu Kaisen‘s ending just proved that its story was perhaps always about love despite its utter lack of romance.

In chapter #271 of Jujutsu Kaisen, Sukuna’s soul meets Mahito in a limbo-like realm that Mahito calls “a passageway for the circulation of souls.” Here, Sukuna admits that he would live differently if he were given another chance before walking off into the next life with a young Uraume instead of a young Yorozu.

Sukuna’s decision to go north with Uraume represents not only his physical defeat by Yuji, but also the collapse of his ideals that were defined by ultimate strength and solitude, which is how Yorozu described love. In choosing Uraume over Yorozu, Sukuna chooses a different kind of love that isn’t dependent on strength or loneliness but relies on someone weak but steadfast like Uraume, who has been by his side all along.

Jujutsu Kaisen’s Finale Sees Sukuna Finally Learn About True Love

Uraume and Yorozu Represent Different Definitions of Love

Despite the lack of romantic love and romantic relationships in Jujutsu Kaisen, love has always been one of the central themes of the story. As Gojo states in Jujutsu Kaisen 0, love can even be the greatest curse of all and can shape multiple characters’ actions and character arcs, and Sukuna is no exception.

Sukuna’s ideals and philosophy have been defined by his strength and the solitude that comes with it.

Throughout his life, both as a human and a curse, Sukuna’s ideals and philosophy have been defined by his strength and the solitude that comes with it. In fact, as Sukuna states at Shibuya, he even sees flocking together and relying on one another as a weakness. He echoes this sentiment during the final battle in Shinjuku when he claims he never thought of needing someone else to fulfill him as long as he had his overwhelming strength and aggression.

Yorozu and her description of love that brings strength and solitude represent the life Sukuna has led so far. Hence, as Yorozu surprisingly learned in chapter #218, Sukuna already knew about love, or at least Yorozu’s definition of it. Sukuna lived rigorously by this philosophy, believing it to be his very nature, but this only led him to an empty life of kill-or-be-killed where his only goal was to pass the time until he died. Sukuna’s final conversation with Kashimo even hints that the reason he split his soul into cursed objects was perhaps because he was unsatisfied with his life.

In contrast, Uraume represents love that does not rely on Sukuna’s strength, or even testing their own strength against Sukuna for his recognition. Uraume has silently stayed by Sukuna’s side all along, supporting him every step of the way without expecting anything in return. Even when Sukuna was defeated, Uraume was quick to end their life to join Sukuna, and despite Uraume being weak, Sukuna inexplicably kept them around. As such, when Sukuna chooses Uraume, he accepts that the strong and the weak can co-exist, that he can rely on other people, and that he can live with someone instead of cursing them like Yuji claimed in his final moments.

Sukuna’s Final Decision Represents Yuji’s Victory

Yuji Was the One to Teach Sukuna About True Love While Uraume Made Him Accept it

One of the biggest takeaways from the final chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen and Sukuna’s conversation with Mahito is that Yuji did indeed achieve complete victory over Sukuna in every regard. Though Sukuna scorns Yuji in his final moments, in the end, Sukuna does let go of his beliefs and decides to change the way he lives as Yuji asked him to. Despite using his final words to remind Yuji that he was a curse, Sukuna finally realizes that it was not his innate nature to be a curse but a conscious choice he had made.

As Yuji stated towards the end of the battle in chapter #268, both Sukuna and Yuji were born burdened by a curse, but while Yuji had people like his grandfather around him to help him shoulder it, Sukuna did not. As such, as Sukuna states in chapter #271, he was afraid of being immolated by this curse and knew no other way to live than by cursing others. This is most likely why things like love were worthless to him in the face of strength, which he viewed as more reliable.

It was only because Sukuna’s strength failed him in the final battle that he was able to acknowledge another alternative. As Sukuna tells Mahito in chapter #271, his defeat is what led him to this realization, proving that Yuji did indeed teach Sukuna about true love in the end, with Uraume being the one to make him accept it.

Sukuna’s Ending is Proof of Jujutsu Kaisen’s Layered Writing

Overall, while many fans have criticized Jujutsu Kaisen’s finale for its anticlimactic ending and rushed pacing, the final chapter is indisputable proof of the series’ strong writing and characterization, which remains its biggest strength even six years down the line. Despite being a fairly short, simple scene, Sukuna’s final appearance and every word of his conversation with Mahito is layered with meaning. The scene directly ties in with Sukuna’s final battle against Yuji and brings many of the series’ carefully fleshed-out themes to fruition.

Sukuna is easily one of the most complex characters in the series and the final chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen beautifully wraps up his character arc through the unexpected theme of love, which has always been present in the series, albeit not in the traditional sense of the word.

Jujutsu Kaisen is available from Manga Plus and Viz Media.