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Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 197 ended on a shocking note with Naoya returning from the brink of destruction and using Domain Expansion. Leaked spoilers for chapter 198 have revealed that the chapter will conclude the fight between Maki and Naoya, possibly bringing an end to the ongoing Sakurajima Colony arc.
With the official english translation of the chapter now available, this article breaks down and highlights the major events in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 198.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen manga. All external media in this article are the property of their respective owners.
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 198 summary and highlights
Naoya uses Domain Expansion
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 198, titled Sakurajima Colony Part 8, features a semi-humanoid Naoya using Domain Expansion. While the lower half of his body remains in its previous cocoon-like state, his upper torso takes back his original human appearance, allowing him to use hand seals to cast his domain.
Naoya’s domain, Time Cell Moon Palace, manifests with a giant eye at its center, which, as he later explains, is also what activates the sure-hit technique within the barrier. Daidou and Miyo get caught inside the domain, and their necks get embedded with what resembles film from a camera. They both notice the embeds but dismiss them as a misfire since nothing feels out of place.
Daidou and Miyo attack
Daidou and Miyo both decide the best time to attack, and simultaneously rush towards Naoya. But as soon as they start moving, wounds appear on their body and they begin bleeding out of their eyes and nose. Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 198 then demonstrates how Naoya’s domain works, confirming that it is based on Projection Sorcery.
Naoya then explains that anyone he touches must move exactly like him or freeze up for one second, and his domain magnifies the effect up to a cellular level. Once affected by his Cursed Technique within his domain, any movement will destabilize the cellular alignment of their body and cause severe internal injuries.
Naoya fails to sense Maki’s presence
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 198 shows Miyo succumbing to the effects of his cellular structure, falling apart first. He falls to the ground and admits that it is indeed a good domain, which Naoya arrogantly agrees with. He then shifts his attention to focus on Maki, who he still cannot sense.
Naoya had remarked earlier during his fight against Noritoshi that Maki is like Toji in terms of hiding her presence, so he doesn’t notice her absence at first. But he realizes that within his domain, he should at least know where Maki is, even if he can’t sense her because of her lack of cursed energy.
Daidou chooses that moment to attack and Naoya cuts his arm off, warning him to not put up a useless fight when he’s thinking. Daidou simply laughs as two hands rise out of the darkness to grab the sword and stabs Naoya from behind.
Mai shows Maki the sword’s true ability
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 198 also explains that just like Toji, Maki has no cursed energy which results in barrier techniques treating her in the same way they would treat inanimate objects like buildings. The chapter further adds that without her consent, no barriers can stop and references Megumi’s domain from Tokyo No. 1 Colony, stating that only such an external barrier can trap her within a domain.
Chapter 198 then shifts to a sea shore where Maki and Mai hold hands. Mai tells her sister that she let Daidou "handle her” to show her what the sword is capable of, confirming that the sword is imbued with Mai’s spirit.
The chapter text elaborates that the sword Mai creates is a replica of Toji’s five-hundred million yen cursed tool, the Split Soul Sword. The sword can ignore the toughness of external materials and cut someone's soul directly. But utilizing the sword to its fullest extent is impossible unless the wielder’s senses are honed enough to even sense a soul within inorganic matter.
Maki kills Naoya
Although Maki stabs Naoya straight through the chest, it does not immediately kill him. Naoya turns his head all the way around, insulting and taunting her that she will die because she couldn’t kill him in one blow.
Naoya confidently states that Maki can no longer move now that she is inside his domain, while morphing back into his grotesque worm-like form due to his soul being damaged. But the domain’s sure-hit technique does not affect Maki due to her lack of cursed energy, and slices him all the way through, killing him and shattering his domain.
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 198 ends with Daidou and Miyo remarking that they have escaped by the skin of their teeth, while Maki walks out with her sword and a broken shard of the domain’s barrier. The chapter text exclaims that a demonic fight who is Toji’s equal has finally appeared again.
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 198 finally concludes the drawn-out fight against Naoya, with Maki’s sheer lethality overpowering his persistence. With Naoya dead, the ongoing story arc will probably come to an end with the next chapter.
By this point, the manga has covered almost every major character in the series and will hopefully shift its focus back towards Yuji and Megumi’s status, especially with the latter being heavily injured after his fight against Reggie Star.
