Sukuna and Maki's clash in Jujutsu Kaisen holds one of Gege's biggest missed opportunities
The birth of Ryomen Sukuna might be one of the most controversial plot points in Jujutsu Kaisen, even though mangaka Gege Akutami revealed how he was born, after eating his twin in the womb. The reason for the discontent was that the author never explored the aspect of a possible 'heavenly restriction' present in one of such twins. It was important because the series' most famous twins faced a similar fate.
The birth of Maki and Mai was followed by the former having the 'heavenly restriction' of having no cursed energy. While this point might not seem very significant, it established a good lore around the series, which later led to the overall character development of Maki. So, Sukuna and his twin (Jin Itadori) should also have had a similar lore, which would have given them more depth.
Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the Jujutsu Kaisen manga series and reflects the author's opinion.
Jujutsu Kaisen: Why Sukuna's birth should have been explored more
In Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 257, in a flashback from the past, Sukuna revealed the origins of his birth. Before entering the world, Sukuna was supposed to be born with his twin brother. However, as their mother was malnourished, the King of Curses had to eat his twin brother inside the womb to stay alive.
However, before the twin's soul passed away, Kenjaku captured it. This soul then resulted in the birth of Jin Itadori, with whom Kenjaku produced the protagonist, Yuji Itadori. While the complexity of Sukuna's birth might seem special, it was deprived of any development, given that it didn't follow the author's development with other characters.
A prime example of this was the birth of the twins Maki and Mai. As Mai explained, the birth of twins has been a source of distress in Jujutsu society, given that one of them has to sacrifice everything for the other. For this purpose, Mai sacrificed everything during the Perfect Preparation arc of Jujutsu Kaisen so that Maki could fully awaken her cursed technique.
So, given how Sukuna was also supposed to be born with his twin, the enigma of a 'heavenly restriction' was supposed to be present between them. This might have made the final clash between Sukuna and Maki, in the Shinjuku Showdown arc of Jujutsu Kaisen, much more interesting, as it would have turned into a battle of the heavenly restrictions.
Therefore, this under-utilized aspect of Sukuna vs Maki might be one of the biggest opportunities that the author failed to explore. While this opportunity might not make much of a difference for some fans, it could have made the fight much more fascinating.
Final thoughts
As some fans already know, the series might not be a manga someone could binge-read, and the above-discussed factor is one of the reasons why. During the weekly serialization, every release was filled with hype, with close to no character development. The unexplored developments of Maki vs Sukuna were some of the biggest factors that might have changed the fight's perspective for the fans.
Related Links
- Jujutsu Kaisen's Mai, not Maki, should've gotten her full Heavenly Restriction
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