Jujutsu Kaisen has had its fair share of intense arcs, each one upping the ante in terms of stakes, action, and sheer jaw-dropping moments. But if you thought the Shibuya Incident was the peak of the series’ insanity, think again.
The idea of a battle royale-style competition is nothing new in the world of shonen anime. We’ve seen it in series like Dragon Ball, Naruto, and My Hero Academia. But what sets the Culling Game apart is how it subverts the typical tournament arc tropes and weaves them into the larger narrative of Jujutsu Kaisen.
You see, the Culling Game isn’t merely a flashy showcase of powerful techniques (although it certainly has plenty of those). In the grand scheme of things, it is a twisted brainchild of Kenjaku, a sorcerer with centuries of experience and a penchant for manipulation. And what exactly does Kenjaku want? Well, nothing short of reshaping the entire jujutsu world in his image.
What happens in Culling Game Arc?
The Culling Game arc, the ninth story arc in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, follows the Itadori Extermination and Perfect Preparation arcs, which are relatively shorter in comparison. With over 60 chapters, the Culling Game arc is an extensive, and certainly a controversial, part of the manga’s storyline. At the heart of this arc is the Culling Game, a battle royale-style event that takes place across Japan. It’s a high-stakes competition involving a diverse cast of characters, including both sorcerers and curses.
The objective? To earn points and survive. It’s a simple premise, but the execution is anything but straightforward. One of the most intriguing aspects of the Culling Game is the variety of participants. Sure, you have your seasoned sorcerers, but thanks to Kenjaku, there are also newcomers in the mix who have just awakened their Cursed Techniques. Even though the Culling Game is thick in chaos, it has some rules that the players must abide by.
That’s right, even in a world where people can have physics-defying powers and summon shikigami that could give you nightmares, there’s still a code of conduct. As the Culling Game unfolds, we see our favorite characters pushed to their limits. Yuji, Megumi, and Yuta find themselves in the thick of the action, fighting not just for their own survival but also to protect the innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.
What are the rules of the game?
The Culling Game arc in Jujutsu Kaisen introduces a complex set of rules that govern the brutal battle royale. At the heart of these rules is the idea that anyone who awakens with a curse technique is obligated to enter the Culling Game within 19 days. Failure to do so results in dire consequences – either the removal of their curse technique or, in blunter terms, death.
The Culling Game itself is spread across multiple barriers, each overseen by a game master who establishes the specific rules for their domain. This decentralized structure allows for a diverse range of challenges and scenarios within the overarching framework of the game.
Now, it’s not just the cursed folks who get to ‘play’– anybody can walk into the wrong movie theater and find out it’s a gladiator ring. Once inside, it’s survival of the fittest. Players hunt each other down for points, with each person’s head having a different price tag. For example, if someone is valued at 5 points, whoever takes him out of the equation bags those points. It’s harsh, but that’s the game.
If you’re in the game and you decide to take a pacifist route for 19 days without scoring you will face the consequences by the game master. This rule keeps everyone on their toes and in the fight. But there’s an interesting twist — rack up 100 points on top of your own value, and you get a chance to play game designer by pitching a new rule to the game master.
What’s Kenjaku’s end goal?
In a nutshell, Kenjaku wants to completely reshape the world of jujutsu sorcery. He’s not content with the status quo and believes the current system is holding back the true potential of cursed energy. But here’s the thing — Kenjaku’s vision for the future is not pretty as he wants to merge the world of cursed spirits with the human world, creating a new reality where the lines between the two are blurred beyond recognition. The culling game is essentially a ritual by which Kenjaku will gather cursed energy to perform the merger.