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Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 201 introduced the second phase of the Culling Game, revealing Kenjaku's plan to rally foreign nations to send armed military forces into Japan to abduct sorcerers. However, before fans can dive deeper into theories regarding the actual use of the Culling Game, it is necessary to take stock of the happenings that took place after the events of Shibuya on October 31, 2018.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen manga. All external media in this article are the property of their respective owners.
This article revisits the Jujutsu Kaisen manga to map out an exact timeline of events in each colony during the Culling Game.
A chronology of events in the Culling Game in
Jujutsu Kaisen
The Culling Game begins
The Culling Game was first introduced in the Perfect Preparation arc of Jujutsu Kaisen when Megumi asked Yuji for his help in rescuing his sister, Tsumiki. Yuta, Yuji, Megumi, and Choso traveled back to Jujutsu High to meet up with Yuki Tsukumo and Maki and paid a visit to Tengen. The immortal sorcerer explained Kenjaku's motives and provided the sorcerers with a brief outline of the Culling game.
Tengen also provided an approximate two months for the ritual's completion, suggesting that Kenjaku would take measures to ensure that the Culling Game isn't interrupted before the ritual is completed. Maki revealed that it was currently November 9, 2018, giving them approximately ten days to save Tsumiki, since the first rule of the Culling Game mandated that a player declare their participation within 19 days after awakening a Cursed Technique.
True to its name, the Perfect Preparation arc of Jujutsu Kaisen showed Yuki and Choso remaining as Tengen's guards. At the same time, Maki decided to collect cursed tools from the Zenin clan's warehouse.
Yuta announced that he would immediately join the Culling Game to collect information in advance, reassuring the others that he would avoid nearby colonies to prevent bloodshed. Yuji and Megumi were directed to persuade the suspended third-year, Kinji Hakari, to join the Culling Game with them.
The Zenin clan massacre and Hakari's cooperation
Maki returned to the Zenin clan, where her father attempted to murder Mai and her, labeling them as traitors to the jujutsu world. Mai's death triggered Maki's evolution, and armed with Mai's sword and Dragon Bone, Maki killed off the entire Zenin clan, beginning with her father, Ogi Zenin. These events likely occurred while Megumi and Yuji were heading to Hakari's underground fight club to persuade him to help them unseal Gojo and save Tsumiki.
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 153 revealed that they gained access to the fight club on the afternoon of November 10, 2018. Chapter 154 provided further updates regarding the timeline when Yuji texted Megumi post midnight on November 11, informing him that he would meet Hakari at 1 am.
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 158 stated that the Zenin clan massacre occurred the day following Hakari's negotiations with Megumi and Yuji, marking the date of the bloodbath as November 12.
Itadori and Fushiguro in Tokyo No. 1 Colony
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 160 revealed that Yuji and Megumi entered Tokyo No. 1 Colony on November 12, 2018, at 12 pm in search of Hiromi Higuruma. However, they separated upon entering the barrier, landing in one of the nine designated spots within the colony. While Yuji encountered Higuruma, Megumi was forced to face off against a reincarnated sorcerer Reggie Star and his associates.
Although their fights against their opponents each encompass several chapters, the battles occur at an incredible speed. Yuji's altercation with Higuruma happened quickly enough for their fight to end even before Megumi began fighting in earnest.
While he was facing off against Reggie's cronies, the Kogane announced the addition of a new rule. Takaba arrived to assist Megumi, tackling Hazenoki while the Ten-Shadows sorcerer took on Reggie. The seemingly long-drawn fight between the two ended with Reggie's death, after which Megumi collapsed in an alley and was rescued by Hana Kurusu.
Okkotsu's three-way battle in Sendai
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 173 signaled the beginning of the Sendai Colony arc, showing Yuta breaking the three-way deadlock by killing Dhruv Lakdawala on November 12. Yuta engaged in near-continuous battles throughout this arc, beginning with the cursed spirit Kurourushi. Ryu Ishigori and Takako Uro witnessed the face-off, attempting to defeat Yuta while he was still worn down from the battle against Kurourushi.
But Yuta's Reverse Cursed Technique, bolstered by Rika's cursed energy reserves, allowed him to keep fighting at full strength against both. This led to an all-out brawl, each trying to kill the other two. The battle culminated in a three-way Domain Expansion, but the domains shattered due to the appearance of Kurourushi's offspring.
The battle ended with both Ishigori and Uro being defeated at Yuta's hands. A Kogane appeared right as Yuta asked Ishigori to transfer all his points to let them know the rule Higuruma had added.
Hakari fights Charles and Kashimo in Tokyo No. 2 Colony
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 181 shifted the focus from the Sendai Colony to Tokyo No. 2 colony. After a brief flashback into Charles Bernard's unsuccessful mangaka career, the chapter showed Charles clashing against Hakari on November 12 at 12.11 pm. They engaged in small talk while riding a Ferris wheel to scope out the area until their discussion developed into an argument.
Both Charles and Hakari began using their Cursed Techniques, with the latter using his Domain Expansion to deal with the predictive ability of Charles' Cursed Technique. A fierce battle followed, which Hakari finally won using the Idle Death Gamble.
Elsewhere, Panda encountered Hajime Kashimo, who brutally tore the cursed corpse apart while interrogating him regarding Sukuna's whereabouts. When he had Panda's head on a spike quite, literally, Hakari arrived at the scene. Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 186 showed him battling Kashimo, who cut his arm off.
Hakari was able to regenerate his limb since he was still in the 4-minute 11-second "Unkillable Mode" awarded to him when he hit the jackpot during his fight against Charles. Hakari used the Idle Death Gamble once more, winning a jackpot. Kashimo mortally wounded him several times, but Hakari repeatedly used his domain to heal himself. He finally pushed Kashimo into the sea of Tokyo No. 2 colony, which was infested with cursed spirits.
After a vicious underwater fight, Kashimo exhausted all his cursed energy and was defeated by Hakari, who sacrificed one of his arms to survive after his unkillable mode ended and he could no longer heal himself. Just then, the Kogane appeared to inform them that points could now be transferred between players.
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 190 showed Kashimo agreeing to partner up with Hakari in hopes of encountering Sukuna, while the third year returned to talk to Charles. Momo Nishimiya arrived, stating that they could not yet implement the rule to establish communication between colonies.
Maki's awakening in Sakurajima Colony
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 191 moved on to the Sakurajima colony, where Maki and Noritoshi Kamo were confronted by Naoya Zenin, who had transformed into a cursed spirit after his death. Both sorcerers were initially gravely injured by Naoya, with Maki asking Noritoshi to hold the fort for 5 minutes so she could recover. Even using Blood Manipulation, Noritoshi was no match for Naoya's speed which had further increased after his Cursed Technique evolved after death.
Noritoshi's life was saved when the fight was interrupted by two reincarnated players, Daidou Hagane and Miyo Rokujushi, who had both awakened on November 2, 2018. While Daidou began fighting Naoya, Miyo asked Maki to wrestle with him inside his barrier. Miyo acted as a sort of mentor to Maki, enabling her to awaken the true potential of her Heavenly Restriction and become as powerful as Toji.
Maki could then unlock the true power of the sword Mai had left her, a replica of Toji's cursed tool. After another bout of intense fighting, a frustrated Naoya used Domain Expansion and neutralized Daidou and Miyo. But Maki, immune to barrier techniques due to a lack of cursed energy, used the Split Soul katana to finally kill Naoya and shatter his domain.
Angel rescues Fushiguro in Tokyo No. 1 Colony
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 199 concluded the Sakurajima Colony arc and focused on Yuji and Megumi's situation in Tokyo no. 1 colony. Hana Kurusu had rescued Megumi and was intercepted by Yuji and Takaba, joining forces with them. They set up camp in a hotel suite overlooking the city, waiting for the Ten-Shadows sorcerer to recover from his injuries.
Megumi woke up on November 14, following which they began negotiating with Hana to help them unseal Gojo. A mouth appeared on Hana's cheek, similar to how Sukuna often appeared, introducing itself as the angel and declaring that they would unseal Gojo after they killed "the disgraced player."
Sukuna brought Yuji into his innate domain, revealing that he was the player who had to be killed to ensure Gojo's return. But before the topic could be further broached, the angel alerted them about an inordinate number of players entering the colonies.
Final thoughts
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 202 provided the latest update to the Culling Game timeline, with Kenjaku invading the Tombs of the Star Corridor on November 16, 2018, in search of Tengen. He told Choso that preparations for the Culling Game ritual and the evolution of non-sorcerers throughout Japan had been completed.
The declaration signals the beginning of the next major assault upon the sorcerers participating in the Culling Game and may very well indicate the beginning of the finale of Jujutsu Kaisen.
