The Shinjuku Showdown Arc sees the mages finally team up to fight against Sukuna. This has led many to believe that this is the final Jujutsu Kaisen Arc, but is that true?
Jujutsu Kaisen is currently one of the biggest manga and anime series in the world. Despite being relatively young, with the first Chapter released in 2018, the series has competed with older titles such as One Piece, My Hero Academia, and Black Clover.
In its six years of release, Jujutsu Kaisen has had 11 arcs, with Shinjuku Showdown currently ongoing. This arc began in 2023 with Chapter 222 and has run for 40 Chapters.
Shinjuku Showdown is famous for the much-anticipated battle between Gojo and Sukuna, and sees the mages hit rock bottom as Sukuna regains his original body and full power. It's considered one of the best Jujutsu Kaisen arcs, but will it be the final arc?
Is Shinjuku Showdown the finale of Jujutsu Kaisen?
After much speculation, the manga's ending has finally been confirmed by the author. In a recent interview, Gege Akutami revealed that the Culling Game Arc was built as the penultimate arc of the manga, aiming to set things up for the final arc.
“I think of it as a crutch to get us to the Inhumane Makyo Shinjuku arc (final part/saga). I've decided what needs to happen (like the characters and Colony stuff),” the author revealed, “but I keep each Colony segment self-contained as a separate episode, and think about how to make them as interesting as possible as I progress.”
“I remember discussing with my Editor how great it would be if each Episode was like a separate album,” he continued.
Furthermore, the word the author used to call it means “finale”. This reinforces the fact that Jujutsu Kaisen will indeed end with the ongoing arc. And it will come sooner than we expected. As the manga author teased earlier: “The Jujutsu Kaisen ‘Shinjuku Showdown’ arc is at its PEAK!!”
In short, we don't have much time left with this beloved shonen manga. However, given the state of the story and the number of plot holes left, it will be a while before we can say goodbye to Jujutsu Kaisen.
What will happen in Jujutsu Kaisen after the Shinjuku Showdown Arc?
Since the Shinjuku Showdown Arc hasn't ended yet, it's hard to say what will happen next. With the author's unpredictable personality, no one can really predict. It's likely that the story won't have a traditional happy ending.
But one thing is for sure: when the story ends, the villain must be defeated. So at least we can expect Sukuna's defeat at the end of the story. Now the biggest question is the survival of Yuji and Megumi.
What will happen to the rest of the cast is anyone's guess. Many of the main characters have died, like Gojo, Choso, Higuruma, Kashimo, and Kenjaku, which happened in the current arc. The rest are not safe either. That's especially true for Yuta, as he fights Sukuna again after taking over Gojo's body.
Aside from the characters, Jujutsu Kaisen also has to deal with the merger issue before it ends. With this important plot, many believed that the Merger Arc would follow the Shinjuku Showdown Arc. But since that won't happen, the manga will have to end neatly.
So we can look forward to a large number of upcoming chapters in the future. At least, that's what the manga would need if it didn't feel rushed. But with Jujutsu Kaisen's track record, we can be sure that won't happen.
Currently, Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 262 is set to release on June 9, 2024. For more information on mages and curses, check out our articles on Yuji's Cursed Technique Shrine, Yuta Okkotsu's Territory Expansion, and The Strongest Characters Sukuna Has Defeated.