Jujutsu Kaisen’s final arc, the Shinjuku Showdown, is the most popular and controversial part of the series, and it’s hard to argue otherwise. It kicks off with the battle of the strongest, a deadly match against Gojo and Sukuna, something the fans have been anticipating for years. After Sukuna takes over Megumi’s body and acquires the power of all his twenty fingers, he’s confident he’s strong enough to defeat the strongest sorcerer of the modern era. The fight ended in Chapter 236 with Gojo’s death, which turned the fandom upside-down. Fans were confused after Chapter 235, where Gojo was supposed to have won the fight. However, his death happened too suddenly, which is why it took a while for fans to accept it.
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In Chapter 236, Gojo meets the people he was close with in some sort of an afterlife, represented by an airport. After coming to terms with his defeat, he is given the choice of going south or north. Going North suggests that the deceased has a desire for new experiences and development while going South suggests that the person wants to remain who he is. Gojo’s fate after his death remains unknown, but it’s implied that he chose to go south. A recent Q&A reveals that the Jujutsu Kaisen creator, Gege Akutami, was inspired by Season 2 director Shota Goshozono.
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Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Director Inspired a Pivotal Scene From Chapter 236
After Sunghoo Park established his own studio and left MAPPA, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 was handed over to Shota Goshozono, who even received the Best Director Award from Crunchyroll. Gege and Goshozono hit it off during the production of the second season, and surprisingly, both media influenced one another. Currently, a Jujutsu Kaisen Exhibition is being held in Osaka, Japan, exploring the behind-the-scenes process of creating the manga, alongside Q&A from the author, Gege Akutami.
One of the answers confirmed that Goshozono influenced the famous “Going South” scene in Chapter 236. Since the Exhibition is only being held in Japan and there are no official translations available, the Q&A is being discussed on social media platforms by fans, mostly those who were present there. @lightningclare is a famous translator in the community who usually provides clarifications on mistranslations and their own explanations of complex scenes.
Lightning also officially translated Chapter 236, when John Werry, the English translator of JJK, was on leave. On their official X account, Lightning shared, “Gege was inspired by his discussions with him & Director Goshozono (anime season 2). It’s a case where the current anime influences the original work.”
The answer continues, “As for the way it turned out, Gege really thought about it for a very long time. He constantly worried over whether it’d be interesting or not, & that such a straightforward depiction of the battle from start to finish wouldn’t properly convey what he wants to readers.” While the scene is widely accepted in the community now, it caused a lot of controversy when the chapter was released. Now, however, Chapter 236 is considered one of the best, if not the best, chapters in the show, and the “Going South” scene has a major role to play in it.
H/T: @lightningclare
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