Warning: the following article contains spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, up to and including chapter 236.
One thing you can bet that all battle shonen fans will do is power scaling. It’s just as inevitable as it is fun. And, of course, being one of the most popular shonen series out there, Jujutsu Kaisen is frequently part of the conversation. It also helps that the series has some of the most powerful characters in anime, full stop, but I digress.
There are plenty of characters worth comparing in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen. Gojo vs. Tengen is an example that easily comes to mind, but more often than not, the debate centers around Gojo and Sukuna. These are unquestionably the most powerful characters in the series, so the thought of them going toe to toe to determine who is stronger is wildly appealing. So, in a decisive fight between the two, who would come out victorious?
Is Sukuna stronger than Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen?
Ask any die-hard Gojo fan, and they’ll immediately tell you that he is the strongest. This isn’t an outlandish claim by any means; the character is recognized as the current strongest sorcerer in the world and has showcased his power more than enough times for us to believe him. However, one thing is the be the most powerful sorcerer, and another completely different is to be the most powerful character in Jujutsu Kaisen.
While it’s true that Gojo completely humiliated Sukuna in their first face-off at the beginning of the series, it’s worth remembering that at the time, the cursed spirit was nowhere near reaching his full potential. His vessel, Yuji Itadori, had only consumed one of Sukuna’s fingers, so it’s unsurprising that Gojo defeated him then. As the series progressed, though, Sukuna managed to absorb more of his fingers, and as if that wasn’t enough, the cursed energy in them had also been increasing.
Of course, Gojo has incredibly powerful abilities, such as the Six Eyes, Limitless, and his domain expansion, Unlimited Void. These, mixed with his impressive physical strength, speed, endurance, and an immeasurable amount of cursed energy, make him the type of opponent no one wants to face. That said, Sukuna has proven to be able to match Gojo’s power, break the barrier of his domain expansion, and overall be a better tactician. This isn’t to say that Gojo isn’t impressively smart (he obviously is), but when it comes down to it, Sukuna’s keen eye for battle and strategy gives him the upper hand in that regard.
At the end of the day, it seems safe to conclude that Sukuna is stronger than Gojo, and those up to date with the manga know exactly why. Despite how convinced Gojo was that he could defeat the King of Curses, even if he absorbed all of his 20 fingers, reality has proven him differently.
The battle between these two characters went on for a while in the manga, but just as we thought it was over, and that Gojo had come out victorious in chapter 235, everything came crashing down. Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 236 revealed that Sukuna was able to prevail by using Mahoraga to adapt to Gojo’s Infinity and using that as a blueprint to base his own attack. The result of this was a slashing technique that managed to cut anything in its path, be it existence or space itself. Not even Gojo was able to stand against such a thing, as the attack overcame his Infity and cut the sorcerer’s body in half, instantly killing him.
If none of this is enough to convince you that Sukuna is a stronger character than Gojo, then maybe his own words will. In the same chapter, when Gojo is shown in the afterlife, he finally acknowledges that the King of Curses is stronger than him, and admits he is thankful to have died at the hands of a more powerful opponent.
With this debate settled, we should now start to focus on the bigger picture and the problem that Gojo’s death raises. If the strongest sorcerer in Jujutsu Kaisen couldn’t defeat the series’ big bad, who or what will? The power of love and friendship, maybe? For all our sakes, let’s hope that Gege Akutami has something better in store.
