After becoming the host to the insanely powerful Curse called Ryomen Sukuna, Yuji Itadori joins a secret society of Jujutsu sorcerers in hopes of collecting the missing pieces of Sukuna and killing him. After premiering on October 3rd, 2020, the anime adaption of smash hit Jujutsu Kaisen was met with immediate success and praise.
One of the things that made the series a hit was how consistently top-notch its episodes were, so when the second season came out on July 6th, 2023, that trend only continued. Adapting the notorious manga story arc, “The Shibuya Incident”, fans of the manga were anticipating a slew of great episodes, given the quality of the arc in the manga. As episode reviews rolled in each week, fans were pleased to confirm that the adaption did indeed live up to expectations with its wonderful animation, slick pacing and great performances from its cast.
Jujutsu Kaisen
- Release Date
- October 2, 2020
- Cast
- Junya Enoki , Yuichi Nakamura , Yuma Uchida , Asami Seto , Robbie Daymond
- Rating
- TV-14
- Seasons
- 2
- Studio
- MAPPA
10 “Transformation – Part 2”
Season 2, Episode 22
As the Shibuya Incident begins to come to an end, Yuji gets no time to recover after his win against Mahito when an ever darker force confronts him. None other than the being wearing Suguru Geto’s body reveals himself to Yuji. The episode highlights one of the best things about the fights in Jujutsu Kaisen; its hand-to-hand combat, through the intense fight between Choso and Geto.
Fan reviews noted and highly praised this fight for its thrilling and fast-paced choreography, enhancing the feeling of experience and skill held by both Sorcerers. As one of the last fights in the Shibuya Incident and Season 2 as a whole, Choso vs Geto is the cherry on top of an exciting episode containing twists and reveals that bring viewers closer to the edge of their seats by the minute.
9 “Right and Wrong – Part 3”
Season 2, Episode 20
Beginning moments after one of the most devastating losses of the Shibuya Incident, Nobara’s untimely death, Yuji’s spirit begins to break. But just as all hope seems lost, Yuji’s best friend, Aoi Todo, appears to save him in the nick of time. Todo jumps into a battle with Mahito as Arata arrives and attempts to instill some hope back into Yuji’s heart.
One of the standouts of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, Episode 20, “Right and Wrong – Part 3” are the astonishing performances that make up Yuji Itadori in both sub and dub. Junya Enoki (sub) and Adam McArthur (dub) both brought performances for Yuji that enhance the gut-wrenching, seemingly hopeless feeling the audience feels with Yuji after suffering the loss of one of his best friends. The way the episode is masterfully paced, balancing the Todo vs Mahito fight and Yuji’s struggle gives both actors the time needed to deliver compelling performances.
8 “Red Scale”
Season 2, Episode 13
As Yuji finally arrives at Shibuya station, he’s met by none other than Choso. As they meet, a battle ensues. Along with being masterfully animated, the fight and entire episode’s cinematography is off the charts. Choso’s blood manipulation ability allows the team at MAPPA to have fun with the episode’s visuals.
The fight’s shot composition is a major part in why the fight feels as tense and nail-biting as it does. It consistently uses close shots like medium close-ups and close-ups, to keep the interaction feeling personal and in your face. That, along with both characters being backlit by neon lighting, the vibe of the sequence is spectacular overall and serves as a perfect way to introduce Yuji into the fold of the Shibuya Incident.
7 “Hidden Inventory – Part 4”
Season 2, Episode 4
The final part of the “Hidden Inventory” saga brings everything to a head when, after the deaths of Gojo and Riko, Geto must face off against the Sorcerer Killer, Toji. Things take a more severe turn when Gojo awakens, back from the dead and drunk on power. Gojo obliterates the Toji with Hollow Technique: Purple in a massive display of power.
The episode delivers two astoundingly executed fight scenes almost back-to-back, but the true peak of the episode comes with the insane revelation that Megumi is in fact the son of Toji and Gojo saved him from being sold to the Zenin clan as Toji’s last wish. This reveal marks the episode as one of the most important in the series and a huge turning point for Gojo as a character that would lead him to where he is in the present day plot line.
6 “Hidden Inventory – Part 3”
Season 2, Episode 3
Beginning the episode in a lighthearted manner with Gojo, Geto and Riko enjoying their time on the beach of Okinawa. But when they return to Jujutsu High, matters take a huge turn for the worse when Gojo is stabbed through the chest from behind by Toji, sparking a fight that ends with the murder of Gojo.
Jujutsu Kaisen once again proves that they know how to execute the pacing of their episodes very well. Starting the episode off with a fun beach excursion, audiences are given just enough downtime to spend real time with the characters before the action-packed turnaround towards the end of the episode, making the sequence feel even more impactful. Not to mention the death of Gojo serving as a huge shock to fans everywhere. While the world knew he’d come back, the fashion in which he is killed is so brutal, you can’t help but feel like he truly is dead.
5 “Fluctuations – Part 2”
Season 2, Episode 15
As Dagon activates his domain expansion, Megumi hatches a plot to attempt an escape from Dagon’s domain, believing Dagon can only activate his domain once a day. But before the group can make their escape, Toji bursts in through the hole and a battle ensues. While this serves as a great and engaging start to the episode, viewers primarily note the second half and it being the real highlight of the episode.
Around halfway through the episode, Jogo force-feeds Yuji ten more of Sukuna’s fingers and awakens Sukuna. As soon as Sukuna awakens, the second half of the episode really picks up. Sukuna begins to murder those around him in what is one of the goriest displays in the series so far. It’s a sequence that had jaws on the floor across the world, serving as a real turning point in the Shibuya arc.
4 “Shibuya Incident – Gate Open”
Season 2, Episode 9
As the battle between the cursed spirits and Gojo continues on, they put Geto’s plan into motion, surrounding him with humans to get in the way and limit Gojo’s ability to let the full force of his power loose. After a battle that displays an incredible feat of strength and precision from Gojo, he’s taken off guard by the reappearance of Geto and is sealed away.
An episode where Gojo gets to go wild and showcase his skills is always a good one and this episode is no different. This episode sets the standard for what would go on to make the Shibuya Incident special. It’s not the spectacular fights that define the excellence of the arc, although they are a highlight, it’s the superb storytelling that has brought the plot to this point that makes this episode so special. Especially with the ending bringing about the reunion of Geto and Gojo for the first time in years.
3 “Transformation”
Season 2, Episode 21
After saving Yuji from Mahito and boosting his morale to get him back in the fight, Todo and Yuji delve into battle with Mahito. The fight that ensues features Mahito as he uses Body Repel and Soul Multiply, bringing the fight to a climax. The finale of the fight also manages to bring one of the best moments of the Shibuya Arc.
Upon defeating Mahito, Yuji delivers a final monologue to Mahito. The monologue does a magnificent job at representing the character journey Yuji has experienced throughout the Shibuya Incident. Yuji proclaims to Mahito that no matter how many times he’s reborn, no matter how he looks, he will always be there to kill him because that is his job, while Mahito scrambles away in terror. It’s chilling and shows exactly how much the Shibuya Incident has changed Yuji.
2 “Thunderclap – Part 2”
Season 2, Episode 17
When Megumi is knocked into a state of suspended death, he’s saved by none other than Sukuna, who goes into battle with the Curse, Mahoraga. The battle that follows is so grand that the two end up bringing a building to the ground.
Sukuna activates his domain expansion to defeat Mahoraga and in doing so, destroys a gargantuant portion of Shibuya. This action would act as a huge watershed in Yuji’s arc and would be one of the major factors that would lead to where Yuji ends up in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, Episode 21, “Transformation”. Upon regaining control of his body and seeing all the destruction that Sukuna caused, Yuji is horrified and pukes. He would then vow to save as many lives as possible because if he doesn’t, then he’s just a cold-blooded murderer.
1 “Thunderclap”
Season 2, Episode 16
While Megumi fights and is overwhelmed by Toji, both unaware of the others’ true identities, Jogo and Sukuna fight with Kusakabe and Panda caught in the crossfire. Upon Toji realizing who Megumi truly is, he stabs himself, destroying his own vessel in hopes of saving his son.
This episode fires on all cylinders in pretty much every way possible. The animation is movie-level quality (as it is every week), the performances are breathtaking, and the editing keeps the pace flowing at a consistent rate, which makes the events of the episode feel like they’re truly happening at the exact same time. The episode brings not only one of the most impactful deaths of the Shibuya Incident, but also displays what may be the best fight in the series thus far. Jogo and Sukuna’s battle is awe-inspiring and downright beautiful.
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