Highlights
- Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 231 showcases Gojo's Limitless technique and its devastating effects, making every punch feel like a critical strike.
- Gojo currently has the upper hand in the battle against Sukuna, as Domain Expansions are no longer possible and Sukuna is still adapting to Gojo's Limitless technique.
- The battle is nearing its climax, with a limit of three turns for Sukuna to adapt to Limitless. Gojo must finish the fight before Sukuna completes the adaptation process or he risks losing.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen 230, "Inhuman Makyo Shinjuku Showdown, Part 9" by Gege Akutami, translated by John Werry, and Lettered by Snir Aharon, available in English from MangaPlus.
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 231 dropped recently and it continued the fight between Gojo and Sukuna, as expected. This fight has been going on for quite a while now and it looks like it is still going to continue for a few chapters before finally coming to an end. That said, Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 231 saw to it that this fight edges closer to its climax now.
Finally, fans have their first indication of this battle coming to a wrap, however, before that happens, fans still have quite a lot of the battle left. This week's chapter only showcased once again that either of them can go on to win the fight and nobody knows what will happen from here onwards, except for the author himself.
Satoru's Limitless
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 231 explored Satoru's Limitless technique quite a bit. The chapter opened up with a discussion about how it feels to be hit by Satoru's ability. Very few characters, including Yuta, mentioned that they were truly hit by Satoru in the past and that it feels absolutely horrible. Yuta ended up puking upon being hit by this powerful technique. When Satoru lands a blow, he isn't simply punching his enemy. In fact, Satoru is not even just enhancing his fist with Cursed Energy but he is using Blue to absorb the space in between himself and his target. Essentially, the blow feels like a counterattack clocked with quite a lot of power. According to Itadori, Nanami mentioned something similar to him in the past. Simply put, every single punch from Gojo feels like a critical strike while all the others are simply jabbing.
Getting into competition with Gojo is a stupid mistake and he will always win. This segment of the chapter is there to reinforce the idea that no matter what Gojo is up against, he always has the advantage because he has the power to absorb space and deliver critical blows all the time. This means that even though Sukuna is taking quite a lot of blows from him, the value of Gojo's blows and the value of his blows is not the same. Sukuna might have powerful techniques, however, Gojo is landing critical hits on him with each moving step.
Gojo Takes The Front Seat
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 231 proceeded to show Gojo having the upper hand in the battle for the vast majority of the clash. In the previous chapter, it was made pretty clear that Domain Expansions are now impossible to use. Gojo's body has suffered so much that he cannot use Unlimited Void anymore and, at the same time, Sukuna has taken so much damage from Unlimited Void just from being in it for 10 seconds that he cannot make use of Malevolent Shrine either. Now, the battle simply comes down to using Cursed Technique as well as hand to hand combat. So far, Sukuna's strategy is very clear. Sukuna wants to get used to the Limitless using Mahoraga's wheel. This wheel was seen in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 231 as well. However, it did not stop Gojo from launching a relentless barrage of attacks at Sukuna.
Using blue, Gojo was easily able to yank Sukuna around and deliver blow after blow to him. Gojo also noticed how Sukuna makes use of Mahoraga's wheel. In order to touch Satoru, Sukuna has to rely on Domain Amplification, and when he does this, the wheel on his head turns gray. This means the adaptation process essentially stops during this time. He cannot do both things at the same time. However, at the same time, it also means that he can use Domain Amplification but not any Barrier Technique to expand his domain. At the same time, Sukuna also noticed that Gojo was avoiding using anything other than the basic powers of his Limitless, which is to be expected, since he does not want Sukuna to adapt to his powers.
Mahoraga In Action
Mahoraga played a massive role in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 231. Sukuna is using the adaptation powers of Mahoraga to adapt to Limitless, however, it isn't as simple as it seems. For one, as mentioned previously, Sukuna cannot use the adaptation and Domain Amplification at the same time.
He desperately needs Domain Amplification to get past Satoru's Limitless, and that means Satoru has plenty of opportunities to counterattack. However, Satoru also has to land his attacks, meaning Sukuna will have ample opportunities to adapt to Limitless. In this chapter, fans could see the wheel on top of his head turn, which means the process of adaptation is actually already underway.
However, unlike most techniques, Limitless is very special. For anyone to adapt to it is not an easy task, even if it is the strongest of the Shikigami of the 10 Shadows Technique, Mahoraga. Adapting to Limitless will take quite some time and this means there is essentially a timer for Gojo before which he needs to finish off Sukuna and the battle for good. Gojo keenly notices that it will take a total of four spins of the wheel for Sukuna to adapt to Limitless. So far, the wheel has turned only once, which means Gojo still has three spins left before the adaptation process is complete.
The Climax Of The Battle
With the 3-turn limit that was introduced in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 231, Gege Akutami has essentially put a timer on this battle now. The time is running out and this means the climax of the battle is finally here. Everything from here onwards is going to be a desperate attempt from both of these characters to take down the other one. Gojo will desperately try to finish things off before Sukuna can adapt to the limitless technique and, at the same time, Sukuna will desperately try to get Gojo to attack him so he can make sure that the wheel on his head spins and the adaptation process is completed sooner rather than later.
Either way, the battle will not last long now and should end within the next few chapters. So far, Gojo seems to have the upper hand, however, he is also the one who is on limited time. If he doesn't finish this off carefully, he will end up losing this fight. He also cannot prolong this fight for too long now that he cannot use Reverse Cursed Technique to replenish his burnt-out Cursed Technique. Essentially, every single step from here onwards counts. One simple misstep from Gojo could be the end of him and he needs to be extremely careful. Sukuna, despite taking quite a lot of beating, should be more relaxed, given that he has an overpowered ability up his sleeve that can easily adapt to Limitless, given that a proper procedure is followed. This fight will be extremely carefully planned out in the next chapter and fans cannot wait to see what's next.