10 most engaging Jujutsu Kaisen story arcs, ranked

The Jujutsu Kaisen manga went on an unexpected hiatus this week, with Chapter 178 scheduled to be released on March 19, 2022. Chapter 178 will be the fifth part of the ongoing Sendai Colony arc, focusing primarily on Okkotsu Yuta.

So, as we wait for the upcoming chapter, this is the perfect time to revisit previous story arcs of the series.

Major Jujutsu Kaisen manga spoilers ahead.

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Top 10 interesting and significant story arcs in Jujutsu Kaisen

10) Cursed Womb arc

The Cursed Womb arc of Jujutsu Kaisen was the first major arc, with Sukuna taking over Itadori Yuuji’s body and killing him by ripping out his heart. Not only was the arc heavy in action, it was also extremely significant because of the binding vow that Sukuna set upon Yuuji to repair his heart with Reverse Cursed Technique.

It foreshadowed that sometime in the manga, Sukuna will take over Yuuji’s body voluntarily and the consequences of his actions will probably be catastrophic. The arc also initiated Sukuna’s interest in Megumi and his trump card, Mahoraga, who we finally see in the Shibuya Incident arc.

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9) Itadori’s Extermination arc

The Itadori Extermination arc directly followed the emotional roller coaster that was the Shibuya Incident arc in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga. This arc dealt with the aftermath of everything that happened in Shibuya, including the higher-ups accusing Gojo of being an accomplice for the massacre at Shibuya and announcing the order to execute Yaga Masamichi.

The arc also revealed the shocking truth regarding Yuuji’s parentage and Okkotsu Yuta saving Yuuji by killing him a second time. This cemented Choso as an ally and formally introduced Yuuta into the plot.

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8) Kyoto Goodwill Event arc

The Kyoto Goodwill Event arc was the series’ take on the 'tournament arc' trope which appears in almost every shonen manga.

Todo and Yuuji’s fight against Hanami took center stage, highlighting Yuuji’s four consecutive Black Flashes, Todo’s Boogie Woogie and Gojo’s Hollow Purple being the cherry on top. But rather than remaining just a tournament arc, this arc of Jujutsu Kaisen also set the stage for future arcs of the manga.

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7) Death Painting arc

The Death Painting arc of Jujutsu Kaisen was extremely significant in several ways. A major portion of the focus was on Fushiguro Megumi and his relationship with his sister, who was cursed into a comatose state, foreshadowing her forced participation in the Culling Game.

The arc also showed Megumi using Domain Expansion for the first time, a technique that he used more expansively during his fight against Reggie during the Tokyo No. 1 Colony arc. Yuuji’s conflicted feelings towards Eso and Ekizu’s deaths also foreshadowed Choso’s confrontation and the truth about his own heritage.

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6) Perfect Preparation arc

The Perfect Preparation arc was an underrated but significant arc. It showed the elusive Tengen who outlined what the Culling Game was and pointed out the only way to free Gojo from the Prison Realm.

The arc also showed Gakuganji killing Yaga, but the highlight of this arc was Mai’s sacrifice, which allowed Maki to access the full potential of her Heavenly Restriction and single-handedly annihilate the Zenin clan. It also fueled the possibility that Maki might come after Megumi in the future, with the latter being the head of the Zenin clan.

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5) Tokyo No. 1 Colony arc

The Tokyo No. 1 Colony was the first major story arc in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga that encompassed the Culling Game. Unlike the Kyoto Goodwill Event arc, the Culling Game did not classify as a tournament, since it became very evident early on that the entire ritual was merely a means for something major that Kenjaku was planning.

The arc showed Yuuji grappling with his guilt over being unable to control Sukuna, but mostly focused on the development of Megumi’s character and his skills. Unlike Yuuji, Megumi did not shy away from the concept of having to kill for points, his desperate wish to save Tsumiki overriding his conscience. His fight against Reggie also highlighted his combat abilities and his ability to strategize.

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4) Vs. Mahito arc

The Vs. Mahito arc was one of the most gripping arcs of the Jujutsu Kaisen series. Set during the time Yuuji’s return to life was still a secret, this arc established the bond between Nanami and Yuuji, and covered the tragic fate of Junpei. The arc provided more insight into Sukuna’s personality and firmly planted him as a major antagonist, debunking all possibility of him becoming an ally to Yuuji.

Mahito’s rapid evolution as a cursed spirit and him clashing against Nanami also foreshadowed his role during the Shibuya arc. Lastly, his cursed technique raised some disturbing ethical dilemmas which shattered Yuuji’s initial beliefs about what constituted a good death and the regret that came with being a jujutsu sorcerer.

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3) Cursed Child arc

The Cursed Child arc was the prequel to Jujutsu Kaisen set a year prior to the current timeline, revolving around Okkotsu Yuta’s first year at Jujutsu High.

While it was a pilot arc with Yuta as the protagonist, this story arc became an important clue to the mystery around Geto Suguru’s presence in the series, who met his demise during this arc. This arc is especially relevant to the currently ongoing Sendai Colony arc, since it seems to be focusing exclusively on Yuta.

The Cursed Child arc being Yuta’s origin story, also makes it prominent in how far Yuta has come since then. It is as evidenced by his reputation as the second strongest sorcerer of this generation, right after Gojo who happens to be his distant relative. Both of them being ancestors of one of the Three Great Vengeful Spirits of the Heian era, Michizane no Sugawara.

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2) Gojo’s Past arc

Gojo’s Past arc was possibly one of the most important story arcs of Jujutsu Kaisen. Directly preceding the Shibuya arc, this flashback arc elaborated on the relationship between Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru, and detailed the circumstances of Fushiguro Toji’s death.

Toji, who was blessed with Heavenly Restriction, was the black sheep of the Zenin clan and worked as a contractual sorcerer killer, who managed to even temporarily kill Gojo.

It awakened his Reverse Cursed Technique and allowed him to access the full potential of his Six Eyes and Limitless abilities. But the experience traumatized Geto and over time, he developed a deep hatred towards non-sorcerers, who remained ungrateful despite sorcerers dying every day to protect them from cursed spirits. He defected, became a curse user, and set up his own organization in order to create a world with only sorcerers.

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1) Shibuya Incident arc

The Shibuya Incident arc was easily the most gripping, and probably traumatizing, story arc in Jujutsu Kaisen. Almost every arc before this was a lead up to this, and the events of Shibuya turned out to be even more catastrophic than was expected.

The arc started off with Kokichi’s (Mechamaru) death who was revealed to be the traitor mentioned during the Kyoto Goodwill Event arc. The situation in Shibuya turned out to be pure chaos, with the sorcerers all split up.

The first major shock came with Kenjaku's possession of Geto’s body, followed by Gojo being sealed within the Prism Realm. A curse user in cahoots with Kenjaku tried to summon Toji’s soul to help them kill the sorcerers, but the latter became instrumental in the sorcerers’ fight against Dagon with his domain.

This arc also provided back-to-back shocks in the form of Nanami, and presumably Nobara’s deaths, and Todo losing his arms and consequently, his Cursed technique.

The chaos intensified after his fight against Choso, when Yuuji was fed eleven of Sukuna’s fingers in one go, awakening the King of Curses, who proceeded to wreck havoc in Shibuya.

The Shibuya Incident arc also revealed Megumi’s trump card, the hype for which was built up from the beginning of the series. The arc ended in a bloodbath, with the stability of the Jujutsu Kaisen universe torn apart.

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The Introduction and Cursed Training arc of Jujutsu Kaisen did not make it onto this list because of their status as purely expositional or breather story arcs.

While some arcs do rank higher than others in terms of significance, almost every Jujutsu Kaisen story arc is engaging in its own right, being heavy in plot, information and action throughout.