#jjk ch 160

[psychewritesbs]

Culling Game arc re-read.

Chapter 160: Colony: Alam al-Mithal + Yes please handle Kashimo + Gege reminding us Sukuna is up to no good (and we weren't listening) + cranky Megumi + failed expectations meet existentialism

Inspired by @blog-of-hubris' idea, I'm doing a re-read of the Culling Game arc. I think I'm both looking for clues, foreshadowing, a deeper understanding, but mostly I'm curious about how my expectations held up against what actually took place.

Warning for spoilers up to chapter 200+ under the cut.

Alam al-Mithal

So I, of course, start with the obvious: majinai, the cursed realm that exists between dream and reality.

I guess that when the term was first introduced, I didn't think of Alam al-Mithal, which is the "realm" of images and imagination that exists outside of space-time as we know it.

I hadn't thought of it before, but it's interesting that Gege is introducing the audience to the Culling Game colonies by means of majinai.

(Source)

Given everything we see inside the colonies is one hell of an Existential Fest, I'm wondering about the relationship between majinai, the purpose of the barriers in the colonies, and the whole cursed energy and forcing Tengen to evolve plot line... something like that.

Maybe I should've started my re-read with Tengen's exposition dump on the culling game but I wasn't feeling it.

Anyone want to speculate about this or provide more context?

Anyways... Alam al-Mithal is an Islamic concept that I find fascinating and beyond comprehension at the moment. But exploring this little rabbit hole made me realize that we are basically witnessing Gege writing about universal truths.

While majinai is a Japanese concept, the fact that something similar exists in Islamic philosophy is the stuff of braingasms and exactly the whole point of Jung's theory of the Collective Unconscious.

All of this to say: I'm still wondering if Gege is going to do more with majinai. Like, does it have a bigger role to play or did he just name drop because he thought it was a cool concept to use? I'm hoping for the latter 💀.

By the way... these spreads?

Beautiful work. Just beautiful.

Yes please! Handle Kashimo!

Still my favorite battle in the CG.

Gege reminding us Sukuna is up to no good (and we weren't listening)

🤡.

In retrospect... who was being self-centered after all?

Cranky Megumi

Anyways, I've always loved how mean Megumi can be and how that's one of his love languages. I also like to think he was never going to come out and straight out say it, but I get the sense Megumi needed and wanted Yuji at his side inside the colony.

Thing is... as the deadline for Tsumiki's participation in the Culling Game approaches, you can see Megumi growing increasingly anxious.

Which is a lot to say for a character like him who wears a poker face at all times.

Failed expectations meet existentialism

Here we go!

Given the Shibuya incident, I remember totally expecting a blood bath out of the Culling Game. Most ESPECIALLY given the ominous aura created by the characters.

Little did we know we were in for an existential treat, and I have to say I like what became of the CG arc better than my expectations for it.

[cursedvibes]

Hey have you ever watched esper she makes great jjk videos and she made a amazing video about kenjaku two months ago

I haven't. It's an interesting video (if a bit overdramatic), summarizes some of my own theories and the ch 160 analysis was good.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that Sasaki was comforted by Kenjaku though. They broke into her home, trapped her in darkness, told her they are doing a death game she could take part in, that she will have to give up her home and at the end of it, she still seems very on edge and worried about Yuuji. Mind you, Yuuji also told her in ch2 about curses and she was attacked by them before, so she knows what she's dealing with and I don't think that would make her trust Kenjaku more, even if she relaxed a bit during their walk. She also knows Yuuji was always very lonely and that his parents aren't around. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that Kenjaku is responsible for that loneliness and I doubt that would make her like them. Yes, they're holding Sasaki's hand and that's the only non-violent bodily contact we've seen of them so far, but I don't think they come off as benevolent. It also didn't seem that different to the calmness they displayed around the curse family (the bubbles scene in particular comes to mind here) or the way they talked to Yuuji in Shibuya. Didn't get the feeling it was wildly out of character or different from their usual demeanour aside from the hand-holding.

I'm also highly doubting that Kenjaku didn't want to influence her or play mind games. By telling her all that, they only pulled her further into the world of jujutsu. They didn't talk to Iguchi this way, despite him also being one of Yuuji's friends. Sasaki was told about sorcerers and curses by Yuuji, Iguchi was asleep during that, so he didn't hear it. She is a very curious girl that is not afraid to unravel a cursed object and one of Sukuna's fingers on top of that. It would only stand to reason, that finding out more about the world of jujutsu and Yuuji's strange parent, she would want to look deeper into it. For Yuuji's sake, but also to satiate her own curiosity. Iguchi is more cautious, that's part of why I think Kenjaku didn't talk to him like this. I don't doubt that Kenjaku's parental feelings are real (remember you don't have to hate your child to abuse it), but I wouldn't rule out an alternative plan either.

Other thoughts I have on this:

Choso feels a connection to Yuuji because of Kenjaku. Kenjaku is immune against Choso's CT because some of their DNA got transferred to Choso with Noritoshi's blood. Yuuji was supposedly in Kenjaku's womb, so that makes an even stronger connection between the two, but either way that's the explanation we have been given so far for why Choso feels that blood connection, it's Kenny's brain juice. I have this headcanon however, that at the end Kenjaku gave the Death Painting mother a full hysterectomy and kept her womb for later (just in case, you never know what you might need it for), so I don't think it's impossible that they transplanted it later into Kaori.

Also, I just gotta jump in here and say that Jin was the one who wanted a child, we don't know what Kaori's thoughts on the matter were, only that they could not have one together (because she didn't want one, because she was infertile, because she was physically incapable of having one or they just didn't have the time before Kaori died due to external circumstances, or whatever).

I don't think Kenjaku knew Megumi would become Sukuna's vessel, but they counted on him switching bodies. Kenjaku never mentioned Megumi until Sukuna showed up with his face (seems like from their perspective Yuuji's only friends are Sasaki and Junpei, everyone else doesn't matter) and wasn't fully in on the Fushiguro sibling drama, only the Sukuna/Yorozu drama. They might have had their suspicions, but so far it doesn't look to me like they counted on it. It just had to be a strong vessel.

I saw this video came out one day before chapter 220, which explains some of her theories like why and how Yuuji is special. I think Kenjaku intended for Sukuna and Yuuji to learn from each other. Sukuna had time to learn how to turn himself into a portable cursed object (and Yuuji's flesh might've helped contain his CE long enough to make the switch), while Yuuji adapted to Sukuna's CE and his body became more susceptible to processing and taking in cursed objects in general, letting him make use of their CE. So while I don't know what Kenjaku's plan for Yuuji is - it might just be that they want to be surprised and see what would happen to such a special body similar to why they want to see the merger curse - they definitely didn't just intend for him to be Sukuna's vessel and then useless. By dehumanizing Yuuji when saying they have no plan for him anymore they also kinda gave away that they're lying. It's their defence mechanism.

The whole Megumi & Yuuji becoming twins/one is...eh idk. I wouldn't count out Yuuji eating Megumi, but the way it was presented in this video was not that convincing to me, I need some more info to believe that. I like that she brought up the Ryomen Sukuna urban legend though because I was just recently thinking about how the role of Mononobe Tengoku seems to have been divided between Kenjaku and Tengen (initially I thought it was just Kenjaku). Tengen suddenly appeared in the Nara period, like Mononobe coming from outside the country. Tengen also prepared Sukuna's mummy and Kenjaku spread his fingers all over the country, causing disasters and using him to destroy Japan. Would not be surprised if the two put Sukuna through a kodoku ritual to maximize his strength.

[pearlsephoni]

Yuuji: I’m scared of what Sukuna will do if I’m by your side

Megumi: if you don’t SHUT the FUCK up—

[moviekid826]

the latest jjk chapter made my itafushi brainrot act up

their “shut up!” convo made me so alsnskdnsksn they’re both idiots trying to protect one another with their entire beings but they’re such dumbasses about it, my heart can’t take it 🥺

[kruqer]

guys leave the genderless curse alone, they are just now finally able to flex on successfully birthing a living son after years of trying

[good-girlinhell]

currently losing my mind over jjk ch. 160. i will be throwing myself off a bridge first chance i get. consider me deceased and mentally unstable. thank gege akutami

[fanwarrior321]

JJK ch 160

.

megumi picking a fight with itadori and their back and forth here brings me back to better times in the manga, but also makes me extremely cautious and these two have been awfully friendly and happy (as much as they can be) recently and I feel like its all gonna be taken away

[animebltches]

*JJK MANGA CH160 SPOILERS*

WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN ITADORI IS THE SON OF THIS FUCK FEST THAT TOOK OVER GETO'S DEAD BODY????????????????????

[petri808]

SON 😶

HE CALLED ITADORI SON! 😶

[itachis]

ITAFUSHI IN CH: 160 ✰ jjk.

[psychewritesbs]

Chapter 160: How much of Yuji’s life has been orchestrated? + Megumi the stage-five clinger

Happy JJK-Sunday!

If I had to describe chapter 160 with as few words as possible, I would say: Oh f*ck...

My favorite moment was, of course, Megumi acting like a stage-five clinger. His interaction with Yuji in this chapter is especially ominous in light of Yuji being adamant of protecting Megumi from Sukuna.

A second favorite was Sasaki showing up in this chapter because of the implications moving forward.

Let’s jump right in. 

How much of Yuji’s life has been orchestrated by Kenjaku?

We start the chapter with Kenjaku talking to none other than Sasaki, one of the members of the Occult Club at the high school in Sendai that Yuji used to attend.

Of course, the bomb that Gege dropped on us in this chapter is when Kenjaku thanks Sasaki “for getting along with my son”. 

Like... excuse you?

Not only does this 100% confirm that Kenjaku used Yuji’s mother’s body to give birth to him, but this specific moment + some foreshadowing from previous chapters also opens an interesting can of worms about Yuji’s life: just how much of Yuji’s life has Kenjaku orchestrated?

For me, the implication is that Sasaki had an assigned role to play in Yuji’s life that would inevitably lead to him eating Sukuna’s finger. 

I am assuming this because although we don’t see Kenjaku’s interactions with the other people in Sendai, we get to see that, in addition for thanking her for getting along with Yuji, Kenjaku is incredibly kind to Sasaki. We also learn that she’s the only one who has received a special message from him (thanking her).

Ready to make this whole interaction more ominous? Someone pointed out that the kanji in Sasaki’s name means assistant. 

All of this brings us right back to Yuji’s free will--or lack thereof?

We already know that Kenjaku claims he made Yuji “ingest” Sukuna’s finger and that Megumi is rightfully concerned with this idea because he witnessed Yuji eat Sukuna’s finger “of his own free will.”

It’s also becoming increasingly obvious that Yuji was "created” solely for the purpose of becoming Sukuna’s vessel. 

What this new reveal about Sasaki does is that it makes everything feel like certain events have been part of Kenjaku’s master plan all along. While this still feels a little farfetched, it will come down to how Gege works this idea into the story moving forward.

Come to think of it, even Yuji’s grandfather’s dying words to Yuji take on a new meaning since we know Wasuke knew something was definitively up with Yuji’s mother.

Another possible bit of foreshadowing all the way in chapter 1: While the intersection in the second panel below could be ANY intersection in Japan, it sure looks like the Shibuya crossing:

A quick note on the importance of kanji meanings in JJK before moving onto the next section: knowing the meaning of Sasaki’s name tells us that names are important in JJK. If you haven’t, I recommend you read my break down on the meaning of Megumi’s FULL NAME. His first name is important, but so is his last name.

The plans moving forward

Going off to Tokyo Colony #2 are Panda and Hakari. 

As the strongest, Hakari feels like he should take on Hajime. As for Panda, it looks like his focus will be on hunting down Angel.

Side note: I love that Hakari is still calling Megumi names. Guess Senpai can’t help himself.

I must admit I was disappointed to find that Kirara will stay behind to report, but it is what it is. I am assuming Gege could see no use for Kirara and decided to leave the character out of the action for the time being. 

As for Megumi and Yuji, they’ll be heading to Tokyo Colony #1 to target Higuruma, everybody’s new favorite Law & Order boss. 

This brings us to Megumi’s current state of mind...

Megumi the stage-five clinger

I had a hard time coming up with the title for this section because what I see happening is that Megumi is starting to feel the pressure of the looming deadline for Tsumiki joining the Culling Game. What his behavior shows, however, is that he needs Yuji with him and is clinging onto him but won’t come out and say it--opting instead for aggression towards Yuji, the very same person he needs most. 

His behavior reminded me of how Megumi could be mean to Tsumiki even though he clearly adores her. Apparently that’s the meaning of being tsundere. I’ve read about the term tsundere before but it never “clicked” until this moment and I just love Gege’s interpretation of the trope through Megumi’s character. 

It goes without saying that it was REALLY interesting to me to see Megumi’s dynamic and interaction with Yuji in this chapter because it looks like Gege is letting us know Megumi’s state of mind continues to be one of desperation--remember that dogeza bow from chapter 157?

The thing about Megumi is that he looks stoic on the outside, but he’s actually an incredibly emotional person who doesn’t often show how he’s feeling. 

I hadn’t caught on, but in chatting with @justafrenchlondoner​ about the chapter, they pointed out Megumi’s behavior in his dynamic with Yuji appears nervous and aggressive.

Upon a second look I have to agree that Megumi is acting out of character and aggressive with Yuji when all that Yuji really wants is to protect Megumi from Sukuna.

And yes, let me go ahead and sound like a broken record as I remind you of Yuji’s rather ominous words from chapter 143 yet again:

And this is the part of the chapter that knocked the air out of me: Megumi telling Yuji to stfu about Sukuna but Yuji thinking to himself “as long as I’m around you will suffer” back in ch143 is so damn ominous.

Oh f*ck...

But this is what REALLY gets me about this whole interaction and why I’m calling Megumi a stage-five clinger...

Even though Megumi is calling Yuji selfish, in reality, the one being selfish is Megumi.

This is, of course, my own interpretation of the situation, but to me it feels as though Megumi is clinging onto Yuji’s strength for dear life. 

It’s almost like Megumi needs not just Yuji’s physical strength, but also his unwavering conviction or mental strength.

If you think about it, Megumi has only recently started fighting to win. Remember how unsure he was of himself when fighting Sukuna for the first time? It wasn’t until he went up against the Cursed Spirit from the Yasohachi bridge that he let go of his inhibitions.

Megumi’s battles during Shibuya were the pinnacle of his growth as a character in that moment. If I remember correctly, according to the timeline of events, the Shibuya incident happened around two weeks prior to the current chapter. You could say that although he is more comfortable in his strength than before, Megumi is still growing into his strength at this point.

The thing about Megumi is that everybody and their Divine Dog believes in him and sees his potential except for him. As Gojo tells him “you undervalue yourself.”

Looking back, the way Megumi asks begs Yuji for help in chapter 143 is very enlightening of how Megumi needs Yuji’s strength: 

I initially had read this to mean Megumi needed Yuji’s physical strength. Upon second look, however, Megumi has always seemed to have admiration for Yuji’s conviction.

With the looming deadline for Tsumiki’s vow to join the Culling Game, as Megumi starts to feel the pressure to make his plan work, who better to keep around than the person who will always go for the home run and whose strength he admires?

In other words, like hell he’s going to let Yuji leave his side. Which, again, only makes it more heartbreaking to think Sukuna is up to no good regarding Megumi and Yuji wants to protect him from that.

Oh f*ck.......

The panel below feels like a bit of a lighthearted and comical moment, but it’s also interesting to note that this is the second time they “fight”.

The first “fight” having taken place during the Cursed Womb Arc.

If you will remember, Gege used the Cursed Womb Arc and the Origin of Obedience Arc to show us how much our favorite trio had grown. 

Not sure Gege is going to parallel something here again, but just interesting to note.

Oh f*ck...

Ya, please excuse the French.

Despite the many words I’ve shared here, this chapter left me mostly speechless. 

I feel like I’ve been trapped in Gojo’s limitless domain expansion and all I can think is “oh f*ck” or “halloween” (if you catch my drift).

Chapter 160 was incredible because it looks like Gege has finally finished putting all his pieces into place and is ready to go for the kill by: 

Starting to unravel the story bit by bit, giving us all of the twists we both saw and did not see coming, and

Ramping up the stakes. Taking into consideration the estimates that JJK is somewhere around 60-70% done at this point, It’s not a matter of whether some of our beloved characters will die, but about who, when and how they will die

One last detail

I love the last four panels of the chapter showing Panda, Hakari, Yuji and Megumi all wearing their uniforms (barring Panda) and getting ready to become official participants of the Culling Game by entering their respective barriers.

Knowing that Gege is a very talented artist capable of showing and expressing emotions through his art, I feel like these panels tell us a lot about what the characters might be thinking and I thought I’d expand on that. 

Bear in mind this is my personal interpretation as an artist:

Panda looks excited and ready to fight, perhaps even confident. Panda is saying “bring it!” with his body language

There’s a hint of something I can’t describe in Hakari’s face. It’s almost like he’s coming face to face against how big of a challenge this is going to be and yet he’s resolved to walk straight into “the depths of hell itself”

Yuji looks focused, determined to go in and give it his best no matter what comes his way--that’s just who he is

And then there’s Megumi. I’ve been drawing Megumi recently, and one thing I noticed is that he has very specific micro-expressions. In his panel, he’s warming up his wrists as though he’s getting ready to fight, he has a focused look on his face, but the shadows around his eyes say he might be feeling like he is carrying the heavy burden of the uncertainty surrounding the situation he’s going through

With all that being said... the Culling Game is officially starting and we’re in for a one-way ride straight to hell.

Thank you for reading and happy JJK-Sunday!

What about you? What did you enjoy most about chapter 160?

[megumis-mascara]

Itadori & Fushiguro || JJK Ch.160

[samsilverlight]

Jjk chapter: 157-160

(Actually minus ch 159)

My heart fvkin aches for these kind of panels tbh😔 (The less smiling yuuji)

But then, theres also this kind of panel that just makes me feel so soft u know🥺, like yuuji worrying for panda senpai

And these interactions between Itadori and Megumi

Or this particular part😂

Anddd THIS ITADORI (+tsumiki)

[sarniewolf]

JJK Ch 160 leaks/Spoilers:

We finally get the JJK/ Kim Possible crossover we deserve. 👏😅

Jokes, but look at giant Rufus 😱

I also saw on twitter that some people are speculating that the person with Kenjaku here is Sasaki the girl from the occult club in the first chapter.

If it does happen to be her then I’m curious as to what Yuuji and the gang will do.

Since both Yuuji and Megumi know of this person I wonder if they will try and save her along with Tsumiki. 🤔

[kruqer]

akutami really made the couple of months wait worth it to see him again looking so good <3

[kentutmendidih]

currently losing my mind over jjk ch. 160. I will throw myself off a bridge first chance I get. Consider me deceased and mentally unstable. Thanks gege akutami