Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25

The new volume of Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen has arrived, and with the series currently ramping up to heights we’ve never reached before, fans are on the edge of their seats to see how the story unfolds. Jujutsu Kaisen has been one of shonen’s biggest highlights over the past few years, majorly down to Gege’s dedication to crafting an incredibly complex and multi-layered narrative – but like all good things, Jujutsu Kaisen must come to an end, and Jujustu Kaisen Vol. 25 begins to herald the story’s conclusion in its latter half.

Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25 acts as a melting pot for two arcs – we see the conclusion of the Culling Game arc, a storyline currently set to be the basis of the anime adaptation’s third season, while the second half of Vol. 25 introduces the Shinjuku Showdown arc, the final arc of the series. In this way, Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25 has a lot of ground to cover, and considering there are only ten chapters in this volume, not a lot of time. So, let’s get down to business, and talk about all things Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25!

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Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25 Review

Image by VIZ Media

Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25 starts in a bit of a strange place – we are thrown directly back into the fight between Yorozu and Sukuna, a fight that initially broke out multiple chapters ago. In fact, the title of this volume’s opening chapter is ‘Bath, Part 3’, meaning that the abruptness of this opening chapter is not really a matter of opinion – it is quite literally taken from the middle of a collection of chapters from the last volume. Then again, Jujutsu Kaisen, at this point, is so ridiculously action-oriented, it may be practically impossible to find a clean point to open a volume – there’s always some sort of long-form fight happening somewhere in the story.

Now, let’s talk about Yorozu – I have a very complicated relationship with this character. On the one hand, I get very little out of her characterisation. Her obsession with Sukuna isn’t really explained, and mostly just mimics many surface-level character tropes we’ve seen before from battle shonen projects. It’s also incredibly twisted that Yorozu is currently incarnated into the body of Tsumiki Fushiguro, which should make me hate her even more. However, I can’t help but be entertained by Yorozu in this volume. You can’t deny that she keeps you on your toes as a reader, and in particular, I cannot wait until her voice actor brings her to life in the Jujutsu Kaisen anime – there’s some real opportunity for some insane voice acting here, making for a really fun time when we eventually see these chapters animated. Who knows when that will be, but we can hope to see it before the end of the decade surely?

The fight between Yorozu and Sukuna is definitely entertaining, but did little to keep me hooked emotionally, considering how there was never really any doubt that Sukuna would come out on top. However, what I did absolutely love about this fight was its ending – I love how disturbing the idea of Yorozu’s death is. In practice, Sukuna is killing Yorozu. However, given their incarnation status, this scene also doubles as Megumi Fushiguro killing his own sister, Tsumiki. We never got to see much of Tsumiki throughout the series, but it’s been clear since the early stages of Jujutsu Kaisen that she was one of Megumi’s sole motivations. Her death not only feels like a devastating moment for Megumi, but also for those who hoped he would find the willpower to fight off Sukuna’s possession.

Image by VIZ Media

Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25 plays very well with an idea that has been present since the early days of the series – if a vessel is possessed by a malevolent spirit, which soul is responsible for the spirit’s actions? When Yuji Itadori razed Shibuya District to the ground under Sukuna’s control, it was Yuji himself who was deemed the perpetrator. Yuji himself played into this, blaming himself and his existence for Sukuna’s destruction. This isn’t the first time the series has played with this idea, but I find it the most poignant. After Tsumiki’s death, we last see Megumi’s soul drowning in darkness – a bad sign, considering he’s going to need all the strength he can get to break free of Sukuna’s grasp.

However, the Yorozu-Sukuna battle is only the start of Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25 – the real meat of the volume comes from the long-awaited return of Satoru Gojo, who we haven’t seen since he was sealed away during the Shibuya arc. To be critical here, this fight between Gojo and Sukuna does feel a little sudden, and I definitely see how this section of the manga made people think that Gege was done with this story, and couldn’t wait to wrap it up. Gojo vs. Sukuna is potentially the most anticipated fight of Jujutsu Kaisen. People have been predicting it for years, and it feels strange to see the last fight wrapped up, Gojo freed from his seal, and his fight with Sukuna begin across the span of about three chapters.

On that topic, Chapter 222 is by far the lowest point of Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25. It’s moments like that chapter that justifies my decision to review volumes rather than chapters – there’s really nothing that can be said about Chapter 222. The official synopsis of the chapter describes it as both sides making their ‘preparations’ – essentially, both sides of the conflict say they’ll be the ones to win in as many different ways as possible, and then the chapter ends. We then see Gojo head off to fight Sukuna, and to be honest, as dishonourable as it may be, I do wish everyone would just fight Sukuna at once, rather than hanging back and letting Gojo take him on solo. I love a good 1v1, and I guess the Sukuna-Gojo fight would be so destructive, it may be difficult for anyone else to get involved, but still. Back in Shibuya, all of the characters had no issue with teaming up against the villains – I wish they would take the same approach with their biggest threat yet.

Image by VIZ Media

Considering the vast majority of the remainder of Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25 follows the battle between the two strongest sorcerers in the series, now is the best time to talk about Gege’s art style. Personally, I love it, though I know his harsh character designs have been the subject of some criticism over the years. Unlike many other manga artists, I find that Gege’s art, particularly in battle scenes, makes you feel the action unfolding in front of you. There’s also some huge, grandiose sorcery scenes, like the one depicted above, that I can’t see many other artists being able to pull off with the same finesse. This is not to say that Gege is the best manga artist of all time – however, his action drawings are stellar, a hugely important asset in such an action-heavy series.

I do love the approach of having all of the other characters gathered around to watch the fight between Gojo and Sukuna unfold – the panning between each of the characters as they weigh in on the battle is pretty funny, especially when you remember that many of these characters couldn’t actually care less if Gojo lost. Sure, no one wants Sukuna to win, but it’s no overstatement to say that Yuji would be much more devastated if Gojo lost than say Mei Mei. Not only, then, is this approach comedically effective, but also allows each character to contribute to the optics of the battle in their own way. Some characters weigh in emotionally, while others deduce the best strategic approach for our competitors. It makes the battle move in a unique way, beyond just the action on the page.

Then, Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25 comes to a fairly abrupt end. As I stated in the beginning, I feel like these volume collections weren’t exactly planned in advance. We cut off right in the middle of the Shinjuku Showdown between Sukuna and Gojo, and while I never expected the whole fight to fit in one volume, I would’ve preferred that it had a volume or two dedicated to the fight itself, so that it was somewhat separated from the rest of the story. This abruptness makes it a little difficult to give a score to this volume – we see the end of one fight, and the beginning of another, but nothing in its entirety. Still, Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25 did propel the story forward, unveiling one of the most anticipated battles of the entire series, adding new emotional dimension to some of the manga’s characters, and of course, showcasing Gege’s artistic talents at a very high level. What did you think of Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25? Are you excited for the release of the next volume in May? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading!

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