Spoiler Warning: MAJOR spoilers ahead for the Jujutsu Kaisen Anime and MangaIn many popular Shōnen anime and manga, death isn’t always permanent. The stakes of any given battle could end up costing what seems like the lives of important characters, only for the consequences to be reversed a few chapters (or episodes) later. While that may seem like a cheap way to get a rise out of those experiencing the story, it can also work to the benefit of the story whenever a character actually does die. In the case of Jujutsu Kaisen, there are just as many fake-out deaths as there are genuine, heartbreaking casualties in the war against curses and evil Jujutsu Sorcerers.
One such case of a fake-out death is Yuta Okkotsu, the first character ever introduced in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga. Yuta is the main character of the prequel comic and anime movie Jujutsu Kaisen 0, and later becomes a major supporting character in the mainline story of the manga. The character’s immense power makes him a useful ally to the main character Yuji Itadori, especially in the final arc of the manga, titled the Shinjuku Showdown arc, in which nearly every Jujutsu Sorcerer available makes a stand against Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses and main antagonist to Yuji. Yuta seemingly falls in this battle, but his death isn’t all that it seems to be.
Yuta Okkotsu Fights His Greatest Battle in the Final Arc of ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’
Yuta Okkotsu is a character who’s beloved by Jujutsu Kaisen fans, especially since the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie centered around him was released in theaters in 2022. Ahead of the character’s triumphant return to the big screen in Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, now’s a good time to look at what lies ahead for the character via the manga chapters that have already been released and not yet adapted in the anime. Particularly, the way the character manages to cheat death after experiencing what originally looked to be a grisly end. This happens when Yuta teams up with Yuji to fight against Sukuna. The duo is not the first to try and take down the villain, as several other characters had already taken a stab, with Yuta only being the latest of several waves of fighters going up against what felt like an unbeatable foe.
Up to this point in the story of Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuta had been put on a pedestal as one of the strongest characters in the story; an individual posited as the one to succeed Satoru Gojo as “The Strongest.” So, several chapters after Gojo dies fighting Sukuna, Yuta finally arrives on the scene, and attempts ot hold his own against the King of Curses. Despite putting up a valiant effort along with Yuji in a double-team fight that is sure to be a highlight of the anime when it eventually gets adapted, Yuta falls to Sukuna’s “world-cutting slash,” shown in graphic detail in a one-page spread that shows Yuta practically cut in half.
From that point forward in the manga, Yuta isn’t seen for the remainder of the fight. Presumed dead, it turns out that Yuta uses his “copy” cursed technique to copy the abilities of Kenjaku, an evil sorcerer whom he had killed a few chapters prior. Kenjaku’s technique allowed him to inhabit the bodies of dead sorcerers, and Yuta uses it to inhabit Gojo’s body. It’s an unexpected and exciting plot twist, and it allows Yuta to rejoin the fight, only in the body of the person he was supposed to replace (quite a literal twist on Yuta becoming the next Gojo).
Yuta Narrowly Avoids Death By Body Hopping in ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’
Unfortunately, the use of this specific technique is on a timer, and Yuta only has temporary control of Gojo’s body. The character isn’t sure if he will ever be able to go back to his original body, and may very well stay trapped (and dead) in the vessel of his former teacher. Yuta as Gojo eventually passes out when his ability times out, and from there, the character’s fate is a mystery. While it was suspected that Yuta had died, nothing was confirmed until after the battle was finally over and won. It’s only when the dust settles and the remaining characters pick up the pieces, that it’s discovered that Yuta actually survived and didn’t die in his fight with Sukuna.
Gege Akutami, the author and illustrator of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, has become well-known at this point for overly complicated explanations of the power systems of his hit series. So, when Yuta was shown to be alive and well (now with stitches on his forehead because of the body swap), it also had to come with a detailed reasoning for his survival. As it turns out, Yuta’s empty body was kept in working condition using a reverse cursed technique, and the character also used his connection to his Shikigami (something like a spiritual guard) named Rika to find his way back to his own body.
With that somewhat complex logic, Yuta found a way to cheat death (unlike several other characters who died fighting Sukuna), allowing him to carry on the legacy of his teacher along with the other surviving students of Jujutsu High. Given how much the character had suffered at the beginning of the series, it’s understandable that Akutami would want Yuta to at least get a happy ending. Given that the anime still has a ways to go, adapting several other chapters and story arcs before it gets to this final arc, there will be plenty of exciting battles left for Yuta to fight before he can get his happy ending.
Yuta is Making His Grand Return in the ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ Anime
The third season of Jujutsu Kaisen, which is set to air in January, will adapt the Culling Games arc of the manga, which sees a variety of newly awakened Jujutsu Sorcerers compete in a Hunger Games-style competition where killing another sorcerer earns players points. For fans who want to see a glimpse of this new season before it airs, Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution is currently playing in theaters at the time of this writing. The film features a recap of the second season of the anime, as well as the first two episodes of season 3.
The biggest point of excitement for this new season is the return of Yuta, who, at this point, has barely been featured in the anime. Those who haven’t read the manga have been excited to see Yuta finally interact with the main cast of characters, with his big fight with Yuji being the main point of promotion for the third season. While Yuta may have seemingly bit the dust in the final arc of Jujutsu Kaisen, the original main character found a way to cheat death after all.
- Release Date
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October 3, 2020
- Network
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TBS, MBS, CBC, Tulip Television, BSN, tys, NBC, HBC, RKK, i-Television, SBS, IBC, BSS, MRO, OBS, TUF, RSK, TUY, tbc, RKB, SBC, KUTV, RBC, UTY, RCC, MRT, atv, MBC
- Directors
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Ryohei Takeshita, Masataka Akai, Chie Nishizawa, Daisuke Tsukushi, Tomomi Kamiya, Kakushi Ifuku, Ken Takahashi
- Writers
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Hiroshi Seko
- Franchise(s)
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Jujutsu Kaisen
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Yuichi Nakamura
Satoru Gojo
