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Jujutsu Kaisen characters are certainly no strangers to death, seeing as to how the majority of them met a tragic end that either had huge repercussions for the overarching narrative or simply ended up being the reason for a certain character's development in the story.
As seen throughout the manga, the unforgiving world of Jujutsu Kaisen is no place for an individual's hopes and dreams to thrive. Rather, it's a battlefield where anyone can meet their end at any time, no matter their strength or mastery over Jujutsu sorcery.
While death is imminent for every character in the story, some characters have shaped the trajectory of the plot. On the other hand, there have also been characters who had to meet their end just so that the protagonist of the story, Yuji Itadori, could further develop as a character. As such, let's look at six Jujutsu Kaisen characters who died for the plot and three who died for Yuji's character development.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen manga and may reflect the writer's opinions. Reader's discretion is advised.
6 Jujutsu Kaisen characters who had to die for the sake of the plot
1) Satoru Gojo
Satoru Gojo was without a doubt one of the most beloved and popular Jujutsu Kaisen characters. Shortly after being unsealed from the prison realm, Gojo went after the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, in a battle that completely altered the course of the story.
The enthralling Battle of the Strongest will certainly be talked about for ages, mainly due to the heartbreaking outcome of the fight. Throughout the fight, Gojo had to deal with an overwhelming disadvantage, as Sukuna called out two of Megumi's strongest Shikigami, Mahoraga and Agito, to aid him in the fight. However, Gojo somehow overcame all odds and seemingly won the fight in chapter 235 of the manga.
However, his victory was short-lived, as Sukuna unleashed one final trick up his sleeve by killing his opponent with a Dismantle attack that slashed the entire world. As such, Gojo's death can be perceived by many to be for the sake of the plot, since it would leave the story with limited directions had he emerged victorious.
2) Suguru Geto
The death of the Special Grade sorcerer, Suguru Geto, paved the road for Kenjaku to put his evil schemes into action, seeing as to how the latter took over the body of the former after his death.
Geto met his end at the hands of his former best friend, Satoru Gojo, in the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 prequel movie. However, it seemed like Gojo did not give his friend a proper burial, as Kenjaku was able to retrieve the body with relative ease. From thereon, he used Geto's appearance to trick Gojo and seal him inside the Prison Realm since the latter would have been a massive hindrance to his master plan.
3) Yuki Tsukumo
Seeing how she was once hailed as the strongest sorcerer of the modern era, fans expected Yuki Tsukumo to prevail in her battle against Kenjaku. However, she ended up meeting her end in a rather unexpected and brutal manner at the hands of the ancient sorcerer.
Towards the end of their fight, Yuki's body was slashed in half by her opponent. However, she used the last of her strength to turn herself into a Black Hole so that she could take Kenjaku down with her. However, the latter ended up surviving the attack due to a Cursed Technique he had previously extracted from Yuji Itadori's mother, thereby rendering Yuki's sacrifice pretty meaningless.
4) Riko Amanai
Making her appearance in Jujutsu Kaisen's Hidden Inventory arc, Riko Amanai was revealed to be the Star Plasma Vessel, who was fated to merge with Master Tengen to maintain the barriers of the Jujutsu world. However, she met her end unexpectedly at the hands of Toji Fushiguro, who was hired to kill her.
Her passing was a major factor in Suguru Geto's turning against humanity and his own comrades, as he went down a dark path after witnessing her death. As such, Riko's death served as a major turning point, as it kicked off all of the events that led to the current timeline of the narrative.
5) Kokichi Muta (Mechamaru)
Kokichi Muta was a second year student at Kyoto Jujutsu High who briefly associated himself with Kenjaku and Mahito in exchange for receiving a healthy body. From birth, Muta was confined to a bed due to Heavenly Restriction, which gave him a frail body in exchange for a huge reservoir of Cursed Energy.
Muta's death was not only instrumental in the plot, but it also marked the first death of the Shibuya Incident arc. Had he survived his fight against Mahito, the Shibuya Incident would have had no chance of happening. Unfortunately, he ended up meeting a tragic end at the hands of the formidable Cursed Spirit.
6) Mai Zenin
While Maki's twin sister, Mai Zenin, didn't really have a major role to play for the majority of the story, her death completely changed the course of the narrative, as it propelled Maki's strength and skills to match the level of Toji Fushiguro.
Moments before her death, Mai told Maki that she would be taking the last traces of Cursed Energy present within the latter, thereby granting her an extraordinary amount of power. Following that, Maki went on to avenge her sister by exterminating her entire clan. As such, Mai's passing not only proved to be a massive turning point for Maki's character but also for the overarching narrative.
3 Jujutsu Kaisen characters who had to die for the sake of Yuji's character development
1) Kento Nanami
Kento Nanami essentially served as Yuji Itadori's mentor and a trusted comrade in the story. The two had undoubtedly gotten closer throughout their battles together, as Yuji once risked his life to save Nanami from certain death.
Nanami meeting his end in a rather brutal fashion right in front of his eyes served as a major turning point for Yuji's character. It was one of the primary causes of his transformed perspective, which resulted in an exponential growth in his character.
2) Nobara Kugisaki
Nobara Kugisaki was a first year student at Tokyo Jujutsu High and one of the main characters of the Jujutsu Kaisen series, alongside Yuji and Megumi. Her death came as a complete shock, in addition to the fact that it took place right after Nanami's death.
Seeing one of his closest friends die in front of him, right after witnessing the death of his mentor, completely shattered Yuji's resolve to fight at that moment. With Todo's help, however, he was eventually able to get back into the fight. However, Nobara's death left a deep scar in Yuji's mind, seeing as how he was afraid of the thought of anyone replacing her.
3) Junpei Yoshino
Junpei Yoshino was a normal high school student who was being constantly bullied by his classmates. He eventually turned into a Curse User when he came across Mahito, who manipulated him and led him down a dark path.
Before these events, however, Junpei met Yuji, who instantly befriended him. However, before the friendship between the two got a chance to evolve, Junpei was turned into a transfigured human right in front of Yuji by Mahito, which resulted in his death.
Junpei passing away was something that no one saw coming, mainly because the opening of Jujutsu Kaisen season 1 hinted at him joining Jujutsu High and being one of the central characters of the story. His untimely death left Yuji traumatized, and he went into a fit of rage immediately after his passing.
Final Thoughts
As evident from the above-mentioned Jujutsu Kaisen characters, death goes hand in hand with Jujutsu sorcery. In fact, it is often considered a blessing if a person dies naturally in the story, because both the sorcerers as well as innocent civilians are often subjected to violent deaths.
