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Jujutsu Kaisen has long since left clues regarding Kenjaku’s elaborate planning and execution of the Culling Game. The ancient sorcerer’s conversation with Choso in chapter 202 finally revealed his motives for wanting to force the evolution of Japanese non-sorcerers, while confirming that the real purpose of the Culling Game had been fulfilled by November 16.
Chapter 209 spoilers take readers back to November 14, giving fans a summary of the events taking place in the two days separating the invasion of the new players and Kenjaku’s hunt for Tengen in the Star Corridor. This article takes Reggie Star’s prediction and Kenjaku’s conversation with Uraume into account, and attempts to put the pieces together to get a full picture of the Culling Game and what it means for the future of the Jujutsu Kaisen series.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen manga.
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 209 spoilers show Kenjaku disclosing his real motive behind luring foreign military into the Culling Game
Reggie’s prediction about the Culling Game
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 167 first introduced the possibility of the Culling Game taking an unpredictable turn during Megumi and Reggie Star’s confrontation. Once the reincarnated sorcerer deemed the Ten-Shadows user powerful enough to make him an ally, he was curious about what the latter knew about the Culling Game.
Megumi repeated what Tengen had relayed to them about Kenjaku’s plan to force the evolution of non-sorcerers, but Reggie stated that it was a bluff at worst and a secondary or tertiary outcome at best. The reincarnated sorcerer anticipated that every colony would quickly reach a deadlock after stronger players like Kashimo and Yuta weeded out the weaker ones, bringing an end to the rise in cursed energy levels within the barriers.
Reggie pointed out that if Kenjaku’s goal was to use the cursed energy of the players, lengthy, drawn-out conflicts between players would be the best course of action. He was convinced that Kenjaku had something much greater planned, and would drop a bomb when only the strongest players were left standing, which would fulfill the Culling Game’s real purpose.
Kenjaku and Uraume conspire in chapter 209
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 202 showed Kenjaku telling Choso that the purpose of the Culling Game had been fulfilled, before launching into an explanation of why he wanted to merge Japan’s non-sorcerers. But the body-hopping sorcerer has proven himself to be extremely shrewd and secretive time and again in the series, so it stood to reason that he would not disclose his real intentions to his enemy, even if he were confident that he could kill the Death Painting.
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 209 spoilers finally reveal the “bomb” that Reggie had anticipated, with Kenjaku and Uraume’s conversation disclosing that the villain would betray the countries that he rallied into invading Japan with their military forces and use the soldiers as fodder to raise the cursed energy levels within the barriers.
It has been repeatedly mentioned throughout the Jujutsu Kaisen manga that cursed spirits and sorcerers are rare outside Japan, an argument that Kenjaku used to reason with the U.S. and justify the need to abduct Japanese sorcerers and study cursed energy. But even if their brains are not wired for jujutsu, every human being contains some amount of cursed energy born out of their negative emotions.
When a person is on the brink of death, especially when the cause is a cursed spirit, even non-sorcerers can develop the ability to see curses due to a spike in their cursed energy. This fact remains true for all non-sorcerers, regardless of their nationality. The spoilers show Kenjaku admitting to having released cursed spirits in the Culling Game in order to provoke such a response out of the invading soldiers and create enough cursed energy within the barrier.
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 209 spoilers also suggest that the real ritual Kenjaku and Uraume are preparing for is related to Sukuna’s return, a theory that is further supported by the body-hopping sorcerer’s amusement in chapter 208 upon noticing the similarities between Sukuna and Tengen’s appearances.
How will this affect the storyline of the series?
Kenjaku is one of the most complex villains in Jujutsu Kaisen, and is proving to be a meticulous, cautious, and extremely patient antagonist with every new arc in the series. Sukuna’s interaction with Uraume in The Shibuya Incident arc of the manga proved the former’s loyalty to the King of Curses.
Sukuna told Uraume not to neglect the “preparations” and assured his underling that he would soon be free, implying that he is very well aware of the body-hopping sorcerer’s plan. This would also explain Uraume’s cooperation with Kenjaku, since it is evident that the body-hopping sorcerer had interacted with Sukuna and Tengen in the distant past, possibly during the Heian era.
If the true purpose of the Culling Game is indeed to carry out a ritual to bring Sukuna back, it would be reasonable to guess that the King of Curses’ special interest in Megumi is related to his resurrection. Sukuna's return would undoubtedly be a catastrophic event for the world, which explains why the Angel appeared to be desperate to kill him before he is free once more.
