Jujutsu Kaisen: Why Gojo cannot die at this point in the story, explored

Jujutsu Kaisen has a lot of charismatic and endearing characters and Satoru Gojo is probably the most popular of the whole bunch. However, things don’t seem to be going too well for Gojo at the moment: the last chapter of the manga suggested that everybody’s favorite sorcerer could be on death’s door in his current battle and reactions online have been quite notorious.

Now, these leaks don’t truly reflect if Gojo is going to die soon, but it does lead to the discussion that him dying right now would do his character and the whole story a disservice. This is why Gojo should not die at this point of the story in Jujutsu Kaisen.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen manga series.

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Explaining why Satoru Gojo shouldn't die right now in Jujutsu Kaisen

Tweets such as the one above indicate the reaction of the fandom to the idea of Gojo dying.

Chapter 225 of the manga is going to be published on June 12, but there are already some discussions about the powerful sorcerer getting a cut in his neck, which has led to a lot of dread online about his wellbeing.

From a storytelling perspective, Gojo dying so quickly at the hands of Sukuna, the King of Curses, would be quite underwhelming. Their battle has been hyped since the very beginning of the series and while it is uncertain who will come out on top in this confrontation, what most fans would want is just a great battle between two extremely powerful characters.

Ending it so quickly would leave a sour taste in people’s mouths.

While author Gege Akutami is known for subverting expectations and classic shonen tropes, the reality is that Gojo dying right now would be a waste. He is one of the most pivotal characters in the series, with a clear connection to the core themes of the story, and his own arc hasn’t been fully concluded, which is another factor worth taking into account.

It is true that a straightforward battle between him and Sukuna was never going to happen because that would be too easy and predictable, but the issue is how it evolves. Taking down Gojo so quickly would be a shocking twist, but one without much substance and mostly relying on shock factor, which runs out with ease.

Elements such as Gojo telling Megumi about his father or him not even knowing about the state of Nobara are just some of the things that still need to be addressed regarding his character. While Gojo dying later on could be a very logical and significant point of the story, doing it right now, at the very beginning of the battle, could be a major disappointment for readers everywhere.

Some fans have argued that this was inevitable, considering Akutami’s very known dislike of Gojo, but it has to be said that the mangaka has never been unfair to his character throughout his run with the series. He never had any qualms about giving Gojo time in the spotlight or giving him a fair assessment, so that doesn’t seem like a logical conclusion for this character in Jujutsu Kaisen.

This is probably the most anticipated moment in all of Jujutsu Kaisen and while subverting expectations is all well and good, Akutami needs to do it in a way that feels logical and satisfying to the reader.

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Final thoughts

Jujutsu Kaisen is a series known for taking its fair share of risks when it comes to killing characters off, and while Satoru Gojo not making it to the end of the manga is a very real possibility, the timing for his death is key for a good execution. As of this writing, it is too soon for his character to die in the story.