Jujutsu Kaisen: How did Miguel survive his battle with Satoru Gojo? The Black Rope, explained

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 254 of the manga saw the return of Miguel, one of Suguru Geto's former underlings from volume 0, and it seems that he is going to be the next sorcerer to face Ryomen Sukuna in the final arc. Therefore, considering that the character hasn't made a physical appearance in the series since the first arc in the manga, it makes a lot of sense that most fans had forgotten about him and wanted a reminder of what he could do.

Miguel was hand-picked by Geto to stall Satoru Gojo in volume 0, which happened off-screen in the manga but fans could see the battle in the movie adaptation of that storyline, titled Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Part of what allowed Miguel to at least withstand Gojo's rampage, at least based on the footage of the movie, was the Black Rope, which allowed him to neutralize Cursed Energy.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda.

Explaining how Miguel's Black Rope works in the Jujutsu Kaisen series

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The Black Rope is a Cursed Tool that was designed by Miguel's family of sorcerers in Africa, which has the ability to disturb Cursed Energy and, thus, keep enemies from using their Cursed Techniques. This is shown in full force during the anime battle between the African sorcerer and Satoru Gojo, with the former neutralizing the latter's Infinity, thus leading to a somewhat more even battle.

Naturally, this wasn't enough for Miguel to defeat Gojo, and the movie adaptation actually showed how much of a beating he had taken from the notorious sorcerer. However, this moment highlighted the value of the Black Rope, although Gojo destroyed it during their battle, which is why Miguel had to search for it in Africa once again.

Chapter 254 of the manga featured Miguel's return on the final page but didn't clarify if he has a new version of the Black Rope. Considering that would be his only opportunity, on paper, to at least keep up with Sukuna, it would make sense if author Gege Akutami decided that he had a new version of this Cursed Tool, although that is mere speculation at the moment.

What Miguel's return to the story represents

Miguel in the anime movie (Image via MAPPA).

There is no denying that Miguel's return to the manga was a surprise, to say the least, which is something that has led to a lot of questions and even criticism, to a degree. Miguel, coming back to the story, after not having an appearance since volume 0, and having to face Sukuna feels like a "jumping the shark" moment to a lot of people in the fandom.

Granted, there is also a chance that Miguel could have a plan to face Sukuna, or something could be explained that justifies his appearance at the moment. The manga didn't give any hints of Miguel possibly showing up, which is why a lot of people feel that author Gege Akutami is running out of ideas to give this manga a satisfying conclusion and doesn't know how to end Ryomen Sukuna.

Final thoughts

Miguel's Black Rope is a Cursed Tool in the Jujutsu Kaisen series that allows the user to neutralize the target's Cursed Techniques. He used this tool against Satoru Gojo, which led to a hand-to-hand combat in which Miguel was defeated and the Black Rope was destroyed.

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