The Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 finale aired on Thursday, officially bringing a close to the “Shibuya Incident” arc. After the episode aired, it was also immediately announced that a new season would soon cover the “Culling Games” arc. While most of this season had me on the edge of my seat, this season finale, however, didn’t do much for me.
After ending the Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 finale on what was almost a two-minute sequence of nothing (the majority of that being an overhead shot of Itadori walking on a bridge), it sucks to see the “Shibuya Incident” arc — which was almost a masterpiece of a season– end on a low note. Yuta’s return was a sight for sore eyes, but other than that, there wasn’t really much to explore with this finale episode.
For instance, Geto is on the run with Gojo sealed away. Meanwhile, Itadori’s execution will be handed out by another former apprentice of Gojo. Nobara is also dead, while Megumi is down for the count. There were constant still shots of buildings and parks emphasizing the ghost town that Shibuya has become, as well as the slaughtering of a few innocent people (courtesy of the cursed spirits roaming free) that prove how dangerous the area is. And since the damage is over and done in Shibuya, the rest of Japan is now reacting to the situation. That’s pretty much all there is to the Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 finale.
And then there was Yuki who pretty much did nothing at all besides making some funny faces and having a meaningless conversation with Geto. It was about his views of the world and what he wants to (sort of) create, which we basically already understood at this point. Sure, Yuta coming in toward the end of the episode as the one ordered to kill Itadori creates an exciting storyline, especially since we got a glimpse of his raw strength way back during the Jujutsu Kaisen movie.
But overall, this finale episode did nothing to excite me, not even on a writing level. That’s not to knock the production staff though because even the environmental artwork in this episode was great for the most part. Simply put, the episode was a slow and uneventful ending to what some consider the anime’s best story arc.
A new season of Jujutsu Kaisen is always good news for the fans of the series. However, the memes have already started about MAPPA not giving their employees a break. At this point, even fans who aren’t as into anime production as others can easily tell that the exploitation was on full display this season. So while I’m glad to see a new season was announced, I don’t hope to see it any time soon in 2024.
As for the “Culling Game” arc, many consider it to rival the “Shibuya Incident” arc in many aspects, specifically for its action. I’ll warn anime-only fans though that at times, this arc might get a little confusing if you miss even the slightest of details. A lot of new characters will be soon introduced and some parts with unnecessary characters drag on longer than they should be. That being said, it’s still a huge part of Jujutsu Kaisen’s story filled with a lot of lore and character development.
I wish there was more for me to say about this finale episode, but that basically covers the events and reactions that I had. Compared to other season finales from the Fall 2023 season, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, in a blunt way, had one of the worst last episodes. But still, that doesn’t take away from the incredible season we all got to experience. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 is my pick as “Anime of the Season” for more than one reason. And so, to all the staff who put their blood, sweat, and tears into this season — thank you! Words cannot express the gratitude I have for all of you.
Season finale rating: 6/10
Make sure to vote for Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 in our Fall 2023 seasonal awards! The series is streaming on Crunchyroll with English subtitles.
©Gege Akutami/Shueisha/JUJUTSU KAISEN Project