Is Kashimo dead in ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ chapter 238?

Warning: the following article contains spoilers for chapter 238 of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga.

Gege Akutami seems to be on a killing spree, and who knows when or if he’ll ever stop. The author of Jujutsu Kaisen has been dealing blow after blow to fans of the series, having Sukuna come out victorious over everyone who has attempted to stop him in recent chapters. Unfortunately, it seems like we’ve just witnessed the King of Curses claim another victim.

After Gojo’s shocking defeat in chapter 236 and Megumi’s presumed demise, Jujutsu Kaisen continued with the confrontation between Sukuna (now in his true form) and Hajime Kashimo. Needless to say, it didn’t go well for the sorcerer. In chapter 238, Kashimo and Sukuna trade blows until the cursed spirit decides it’s time to put an end to it and unleashes an attack we’ve never seen before. This, of course, puts his opponent in a seriously perilous situation, but weirdly enough, the chapter takes an ambiguous route that leaves fans wondering about Kashimo’s vital status.

Did Kashimo really die in chapter 238 of Jujutsu Kaisen?

Yes, Hajime Kashimo appears to die in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 238. Although his dead body is not actually shown, the fact that Sukuna used a much more dangerous version of the slashing attack he defeated Gojo with should tell us everything we need to know.

In case that isn’t enough to convince you that he’s dead, the manga then abruptly changes tone to show Kashimo in his previous form while Sukuna talks about all the people he must have killed in the past. As the sorcerer then returns to his current form, he exchanges a few words with the king of Curses, before we’re dragged back to reality. Sukuna clearly has more pressing matters to attend to.

So, while we never see Kashimo be hit by the slashing attack, it’s safe to assume that he was, meaning that what see we after are the character’s final moments, removed from reality. In fairness, we already expected that Kashimo would meet his demise at Sukuna’s hands, as it was something heavily hinted at in chapter 237. However, not everyone thought it would happen so soon, with their confrontation lasting only two chapters.

It also doesn’t sit well with some fans that Gege Akutami has opted to make this particular death ambiguous, killing Kashimo off-screen much like he did with Gojo. But oh well. It is what it is.