post-261, is there hope for gojo’s return?
the answer is a resounding yes.
this is every reason why gojo’s return is still possible—and may have been foreshadowed to play out this way from the beginning.
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context
prior to 261, the main reason for doubting gojo’s return? he was cut in half, and he wouldn't survive the injury
but now, gojo's body is fully healed.
mei-mei said it’s ‘likely’ yuta will either die, or live inside gojo forever—but gojo is coming back.
this will explain every point for why gojo still can—and will return—and i'll also delve into a potential rescue plan for yuta as well, along with my own idea for how his return will play out....
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☆ i. the dichotomy of the two 'strongest' ☆
sukuna and gojo were two characters crafted with much in mind—including the concept of them eventually ‘diverging’
both were painted as ‘honored ones’
both were painted as having experienced great isolation due to their strength
→ even now, we see further similarity established in 261—not caring what happens to their corpse because they couldn't imagine losing
but if there is two ‘strongest’ in jjk, i don’t think gege would make two of a special class with such similar characterization—he’d create two ‘strongest’ that end up with significant dichotomy between them
that’s why we’ll see gojo ‘evolve’ to enlightenment
if we’re to consider similarities, we must also consider the differences in the way they chose to live their lives as well
narrator re: sukuna
→ ‘throughout heaven and earth, he alone is the honored one. only his pleasure and displeasure exist’
both sukuna and gojo being described as ‘honored ones’—sukuna not being nearly as ‘honorable’ as gojo—is representative of a conflict: there can only be one true honored one
→ this is intended to be symbolic of the conflict between buddha and mara, who many believe sukuna is based on. mara is depicted as a being with four arms and a mouth on their stomach. but the connection isn't solely based on appearance
mara fought against buddha, with the goal of discrediting him being ‘the honored one’—even challenging him to defend his claim of ‘enlightenment’
→ mara desired the ‘honored one’ position for himself
→ recall sukuna said the specific buddhist phrase for ‘unenlightened one’ to gojo, right when he was intending to kill him in the original jp text
all of this, especially sukuna’s taunting of gojo, calling him ‘unenlightened’—is all evidence of the connection. but guess who ends up winning?
buddha, of course.
i’ve explained this, but i think kashimo’s interaction with sukuna also hinted gojo’s enlightenment
→ were you born the strongest, or did you earn the title?
'are you the strongest because you're gojo satoru? or are you gojo satoru because you're the strongest?'
→ how can you connect with others…how can you love those beneath you…while knowing nothing of weakness?
'i'm no stranger to feeling isolated. there was always a gulf between me and other people, even if they adored me.’
→ ‘so enlighten me. is strength solitude? or is the endless search for power simply a cross the strong must bear alone?’
sukuna says kashimo was greedy because he lamented his solitude, just like gojo
gojo was ‘enlightened ’ against toji—but that was just the feeling of satisfaction. gojo wasn't ‘mad’ for riko, he said he didn't care and only thought of how good he felt.
self-satisfaction
gojo’s true ‘enlightenment’ will teach him to fight for the sake of others
we see ‘the one who’s satisfying him now is…’ in reference to sukuna—
→ but we see ‘the one who will teach you about love is…’ right after gojo says his students are watching
because the reality is, we saw TWO variations of the ‘loneliness that comes with strength’ line during their fight. three times
and i believe they are significant.
ch 230
gojo: my students are watching, you know. i’m gonna go ahead and keep showing off
→ the loneliness that comes with unrivaled strength…the one who will teach you about love is—
ch 233
gojo thinks of when he last felt the exhilaration he did, against toji
→ and yet, just as signs of defeat show, so too rushes forth a feeling much more intense. satisfaction.
→ the loneliness that comes with unrivaled strength…the one satisfying him now is—
ch 236
gojo reflects on the battle, as sukuna appears: i put everything into trying to reach him…i gave it my all, but it wasn't enough
→ the loneliness that comes with unrivaled strength…the one who will teach you about love is—
two chapters later, sukuna says love is worthless. clearly he’s not to teach gojo love, he thinks nothing of it. so his appearance with those words doesn't make sense
and we know how gege plans his foreshadowing—so there's no way this is a coincidence.
→ especially since we saw the words about ‘love’ with his students in 230, and the words about ‘satisfaction’ brought up with sukuna in 233
plus, right after ‘the one who will teach you about love is…’ appears in 236, SATISFACTION is emphasized yet again
→ geto: well…consider me jealous. you at least had the satisfaction of going out with a bang.
→ gojo: satisfaction, huh? maybe if you had pat me on the back, i would have been satisfied.
and while sukuna was the one who ‘satisfied’ gojo, the ones who will teach gojo about ‘love’ are his students
→ gojo will return and fight for others (love) rather than himself (satisfaction)
sukuna represents mara, existing to hinder buddha from enlightenment
→ gojo lost himself in the battle, the 'satisfaction'
the cast even said he ‘forgot’ megumi
→ this showed gojo losing himself in the ‘satisfaction’ of the battle with sukuna—not thinking of what he was truly fighting for
→ fighting for himself rather than others (i.e megumi) is reflective of gojo being unenlightened
he says it was fun, and i do think he meant it. but north and south was introduced—for gojo change his mind
because then, gojo says he wouldn't want to die from disease or old age
→ this is the very first noble truth (‘the truth of suffering’) buddha encounters as he leaves home to begin his journey to enlightenment: old age, sickness, and death
the same journey buddha left for, at 29...
→ gojo is just about to turn 29, when you account for time he’s spent in and out of the prison realm…
haibara then says:
after all, you never cared about keeping sorcery going, or protecting people. you were just in it for self-satisfaction.
this isn't entirely true, but we do there is a 'bad' side to gojo
→ gojo in chapter 11: i have a lousy personality... (but) i have a dream.
then, nanami says curses can bring people back to life
→ gojo: love is the strongest curse of them all
→ the first time we see ‘teaching about love’ during the fight was after the students were acknowledged by gojo
gojo can choose to die as one who 'fought for himself', or choose to return and fight for others
that's not to say gojo never fought or cared for anyone
but in ‘enlightenment’ context, haibara suggests gojo fought for himself
when he goes north, he'll reflect riko’s thoughts when she was given the choice to live
it also may reflect toji's thoughts during his death
→ he just wanted to prove himself, and discredit who was in front of him
→ he thought he abandoned his petty pride
this is why a return doesn't 'ruin gojo'
→ 236 helped us understand him, and his future decision—if anything, the choice provides character development
showing he was the true honored one, as buddha did when challenged by mara
→ sukuna vs. gojo was presented as a battle for the title of ‘the strongest’
→ sukuna mocked gojo, calling him unenlightened and a nobody
upon return, he'll defend his title
→ kusakabe's 'honored one' parallel hinted this
now, let's talk souls.
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☆ ii. the body is the soul / the soul is the body ☆
consider the significance of kenjaku and gojo's interaction in shibuya, in this context
geto 'responded’ to gojo's words
→ this is the only time we saw a "soul” response from geto's body
→ gojo’s sealing itself was a major event in jjk that lasted for half of the story
a significant event with strong foreshadowing elements wouldn't end in nothing—especially since kenjaku is now ‘dead’ (i think he'll return, but not with his ct)
→ this is the very last opportunity to make 'geto' in shibuya mean something
people often cite the "dragonfly” answer, but way before 261, i never believed it
either way
→ this doesn't erase the story having directly told us the body is the soul
→ but not only is the body the soul—the soul is also the body
kenjaku said he ‘acted like geto’ soon after the incident with gojo—but after this, he never says it again
→ it could've been geto’s recent ‘awakening’ influencing him
some are skeptic so i won't delve too much—but i think during kenjaku vs. takaba, geto resurfaced as well. when kenjaku says takaba bow is impressive, and it took him til his late 20s to get his right
this is because:
→ geto's age as he passed? late 20s
→ mimiko and nanako bow down to sukuna like this, and geto raised them (so he taught them)
→ they then ask sukuna to ‘free master geto’ (they can just mean 'freeing' his body, but it has underlying implication)
+ we mainly see kenjaku experience 'forced thought’ during takaba's ‘scenarios’. but in those moments, there was no ‘scenario’ being brought into reality
(but the way it's written, people may interpret it as soul resonance)
kenjaku says himself,
→ the body being the soul is the only explanation for having memories of the body he possesses.
→ and why geto responded in shibuya when gojo speaks to him.
and this means gojo’s own soul is inside of yuta.
many thought geto would awaken before kenjaku was killed, but nothing happened
as i said, the last chance for what happened in shibuya to mean something. why would gege write this in for it to not foreshadow a future occurrence? especially being at a major point?
and, a character was revealed to be able to swap souls…
which brings me to my next point
who did research on the soul? yuki—in shibuya, she says ‘i'm talking to geto’
and what did she say when she faced kenjaku in her last fight?
→ i’ll have to beat you up…until you're the same
i don’t think this wording is a coincidence, coming from one who researched souls
as said by yuki
→ two souls never fully become one, no matter how deep they sink
if souls never merge, and the body is equivalent to the soul, as the body is the soul and the soul is the body…
→ then it also means the other soul will always be there, even if being controlled by kenjaku
gege stated kenjaku didn’t want to try to possess toji, as ‘he knew there was a chance toji’s heavenly restriction may clash with his own cursed technique’—which is proof there ARE certain ways to overcome kenjaku’s ct
if kenjaku knew there was a chance toji’s heavenly restriction would overcome him—i repeat—that means it is VERY MUCH possible to reclaim ones body from even HIS ct, EVEN AFTER transplanting an entire brain
→ like it's been said all along, the body is the soul
furthermore,
it was interesting to have the cursed corpse secret mentioned right before the battle by gojo
→ since by referencing yaga’s secret, we were reminded of when the connection between soul and physical information was stated
and if you can replicate soul information from physical information?
→ that means physical information itself contains pieces of soul information
which is even more proof that gojo’s soul is inside of his body, even with yuta is ‘controlling’ him.
→ because his body is entirely HIS physical information, which we know contains soul information
the other time soul and physical information were referenced in jjk:
seance granny about toji: ‘i only summoned body information, i never summon soul information for this very reason!’
→ ‘my rule is never to summon the souls information…to avoid this exact worst-case scenario!!’
it’s implied that seance grandma was able to separate them DUE to her ct—but kenjaku’s functions differently, unable to separate soul information from body information
→ this is why geto resurfaces, and why gojo can too
many say geto’s soul was never inside of his body, but the breakdown tells us this just can't be
but…gojo returning won’t make yuta disappear.
i've explained connections between the body and soul—
→ we know they're equivalent
→ but we know two souls will never mix to become one
so long as yuta doesn't immediately die after the ct is released...
→ if gojo’s soul returned (just explained why his soul is undoubtedly inside his body and can return)...
→ then yuta and gojo can both ‘inhabit’ the body (temporarily)
...and i don’t think yuta is dying
main reason being we barely saw him do anything yet. his domain was sick, but short-lived
it doesn't make sense for someone second only to satoru gojo to go out so quickly. especially if other characters have survived, like miguel
→ we also know this is still not the final arc, which i think yuta will play a huge role in
next, i'll explain why i think ‘the plan’ will be able to be commence.
☆ iii. co-existing ☆
yuji and sukuna were two souls co-existing in one body. this is the single instance
but according to the story, yuji is not sukuna’s twin
→ he's the descendant of his twins reincarnation
→ meaning, it's not the ‘twin’ connection that allows their souls to co-exist
→ it’s solely the fact that they 're related by lineage
and guess who is also related by lineage?
gojo and yuta.
and yes, it is distant, but this doesn't change the fact that they are. and this is randomly brought up in 261.
recall the exact panels of
→ yuji choking himself when ‘sukuna’ was in possession in the beginning of jjk
paralleled
→ ‘geto’ choking himself in shibuya when kenjaku was in possession.
but obviously, in shibuya, we didn't see geto and kenjaku have a ‘two face’ moment like yuji did.
but in yuji’s case, they both manifesting at the same time. why would these parallel eachother so closely when they're different scenarios, if it wouldn’t ever mean something?
→ i believe it was a hint gojo would return after being possessed, and be able to ‘be conscious’ even while ‘possessed’ by yuta, having their own ‘two-face’ moment
kenjaku’s ct allows him to take over the bodies of others safely...
→ but his hesitance to do so with toji means there are ways to get around this
if yuta were to feel gojo’s soul, yuta wouldn’t suppress him from ‘coming up to surface’
there's a few ways i can see this going theoretically—
but like i said, gojo is coming back and i don't think it's yuta’s time. so, i’ll be talking about how we can separate the two.
☆ iv. the plan ☆
ui ui's soul swap ct.
as i've went over, yuta and gojo’s distant relation in 261 may have been a hint planted for the reason why they are able to co-exist within the same body (similar to how yuji and sukuna are)
so, in order to save yuta, i believe ui ui will try to transfer yuta’s soul back to his own body.
→ if yuta and gojo both possess the same body, this could be a way of separating them without killing either of them
ui ui has said himself he can ‘swipe’ the ‘contents’ (the soul) of ‘boxes’ (the body) which allows him to ‘swap’ souls
→ the characters ‘soul swap’ for training purposes
→ but i don’t think it’s impossible for ui ui to simply ‘put’ a soul into another ‘container’, instead of being required to swap
i don’t think yuta would want to stay inside of gojo forever. he’d want to return to his body somehow
→ and like i said, i don't believe he's dying yet, so of course this would be a success
→ considering yuta’s emotion about the whole situation, i don't think he would want to live inside of gojo forever (and i do not think he's dying)
→ gojo always respected the students wishes, so even though he’d be scared for yuta he wouldn’t fight against him wanting to try and return to his body
if you are able to create cursed corpses by putting ‘compatible’ soul information inside of a doll, effectively creating life
→ i don't see why ui ui can’t at least attempt to put yuta back into his original body. his ‘box’ (body) was always originally with its ‘contents’ (soul)
→ it would just be a bit of a gamble. because i'm sure it hasn't been done before
if you can only swap twice a month, they likely did immediately, so they can refine their increased skills after the soul-swap training gives a headstart
→ plus, yuji said “we have a month” right before switch training
→ so it's safe to assume the characters can swap again, due to the month-mark having passed, and ui ui emphasizing choosing their two pairs wisely to tell us they wouldn't do it again
i know a common rebuttal is ‘gojo’s brain is gone’.
but is it?
let’s move on to amai.
his ct was explained in 261, as shoko recruits him for the medical team. he has the ability to create and transfer glucose (sugar)
→ i think it's important to consider amai says himself he doesn't truly understand his ct, which means he also may have some other application he’s unaware of
the brain’s main source of energy is glucose. and we also know nitta is part of the medical team
→ if nitta can prevent injuries from getting worse,
→ and amai can continuously give the brain fuel to function even after being removed from the body
they may be able to help preserve a brain—to transfer the brain back into yuta’s own body, and then place his soul back inside
if the brain runs on glucose, and amai can transfer this to the brain—shoko emphasizing this bit as well—is it impossible to keep a brain alive even when not inside of a body?
→ also, studies have shown the brain to be ‘alive’ for a period of time after death
→ knowing gege (who literally hired a scientist or some shit at some point to help him with the manga), this could also be true for gojo’s brain
→ nitta’s ct can keep the brain ‘just alive’ while amai supplements as well
also need to point out that we see yuji eating a product of amai’s ct, saying it's sweet, while they talk about ‘feeding the brain’—the whole ct being based on creating and transferring sugar, and gojo is the one character in jjk where it's been overly stated how much he LOVES sweets.
so this theory allowing yuta to live hinges on the ability to preserve the brain.
→ but with amai’s and nitta's ct combined...
→ being able to transfer glucose to the brain, allowing it to continue functioning by being fueled even when not connected to a body, seems like it can truly be a possibility.
this is why it doesn’t matter if they technically ‘switch brains’
→ we know memories aren't solely linked to the brain because of kenjaku
→ and even without the original brain (which is theorized to ‘contain’ cursed techniques), he can still use the techniques of the original body’s owner.
→ which tells us that it seems both memory AND cursed techniques are linked to the body
→ so what would make yuta or gojo ‘not like themselves’? as long as they both have a healthy brain, and their souls back in their original bodies, they are them
if kenjaku’s stitches are related to his ct, the stitches would likely disappear once the ct is lifted
so, switching brains is not as significant as it seems
→ i mean, this is a shonen at the end of the day
→ and it’s already been explained that kenjaku’s able to access memories and ct/power of the body, even with a completely different brain
☆ v. why it makes sense / foreshadowing ☆
JJK 90 COVER: geto possessed by kenjaku with a halo
→ JJK 89 COVER: gojo with an ∞ halo (reborn)
in 261, yuta told gojo that uro told him he was a fujiwara. i think it was more significant than we thought. that's why gege referenced it once more
→ 'i don't know what my ancestors may have done to you, but...if you only live for yourself...there will always come a day where you can't go on'
→ 'shut up. live for others!!! you don't have to stick out!!! the only ones who say such things are the people who already made a name for themselves!!
and who has already made a name for himself? gojo.
there's also a possibility of gojo experiencing ‘soul resonance’ from the airport, feeling his body is being used—which means the students are in grave danger
gojo said ‘no one can take the youth away from the young people’
→ if gojo is the one that coined this phrase, and gojo can feel his body being used on earth—meaning he knows things are not going well—will he not choose to return for his students?
would gojo really be like “good luck”—instead of coming back to ensure his students safety gets seen through, if he can? if he knew they might be in grave danger?
→ this is why the conflict of fighting for self vs. others was introduced in 236
if he could return, would he just let them die, if he considered that they might not survive against the strongest sorcerer of history?
‘are you the strongest because you're satoru gojo…’ was not answered…yet
→ kenjaku said back in shibuya, ‘yuta okkotsu cannot be the next satoru gojo’
yuta fighting in gojo’s body is going to reveal if gojo was ‘the strongest’ because he was satoru gojo, or if he was satoru gojo because he was ‘the strongest’
→ but we will see that even in his own body, yuta can’t be the next gojo…
because, gojo was the strongest BECAUSE he was satoru gojo
→ this will answer geto's question
→ he'll return to fight solely for protecting others, rather than self-satisfaction
preservation of the brain allows for yuta to continue living as well
→ we get them both back in one piece, prior to ‘the merger’
so i think at (or towards) the end of the 5 minutes, gojo’s soul will resurface.
and if you’re a fan of the ‘circle theory’ that’s been going around for a while:
→ the theory states events in jjk often repeat or parallel others, and the story will eventually ‘return to the way it was’, with the beginning mirroring the end
hidden inventory events:
→ gojo ‘dies’ against toji
→ geto gives a choice to continue living, or to continue with the merging
→ gojo ‘comes back to life’, enlightened
in shinjuku:
→ gojo ‘dies’ against sukuna
→ geto gives a choice to continue living, or to die who he was
→ gojo comes back to life, but this time truly enlightened
+
shibuya events:
→ gojo ‘fought’ for 299 seconds against transfigured humans
→ geto resurfaces
→ gojo is sealed
'death is a mirror for humans’
‘death is one's final, and greatest transformation’
shinjuku:
→ ‘gojo’ fights for 300 seconds against sukuna
→ gojo resurfaces
→ gojo returns
☆ vi. execution ☆
my vision for what might happen—
the airport:
the southbound plane begins to board. gojo is there, when all suddenly he feels an odd, strong sensation. maybe it’s a matter of ‘soul resonance’, flickers of visions and thoughts start to surface, due to yuta using his body. scenes of everyone struggling, seeing how injured everyone is, all hope seems lost
gojo is asking himself what could be happening, and then he starts to think of the students.
how he always said no one could take the youth away from the young people, but he sees his students getting torn apart by sukuna before his very eyes. he starts to question if it's really right to leave things the way they are, if he has the chance to go north. he doesn't have doubt in his students capability—but knowing that yuta has had to use his body means that things aren't going well.
haibara said he fought for the sake of self-satisfaction, and he thinks about that. how he lost himself in the rush of the battle. how he was meant to save megumi, to tell him about his dad. how this whole time, even though he always cared for others, much of the time he was fighting for himself.
but if he has the chance to go north, he can change who he is.
he can return and fight on the behalf of others. to save his students lives. to spend more time with them. geto feels the hesitation in gojo’s spirit—and the same way he presented a choice to riko when she thought she was meant to die, asking if she wanted to go forth with the merger, or if she wanted to continue living with her friends—he presents a choice to gojo.
he can choose to head south to remain who he was, or he can choose to go north. to redefine who he was. to no longer fight for his own self-satisfaction, but for the sake of others. to no longer be ‘the strongest’, but just be ‘satoru gojo’.
and just like riko—he thinks. and his words are a reflection of hers.
he thinks about how he was always special since he was born. how he thought he didn’t feel lonely anymore. how he thought he would be okay with leaving everyone. but ultimately, he wants to stay with everyone a bit longer, and do more. geto pats him on the back so gojo can finally truly feel ‘satisfied’, we finally get revealed what gojo said to geto before his death…
and he goes chooses to head north, returning to his body on earth...
it's happening.
GOJO IS COMING BACK.
🧓 ASAL MUASAL IKAN MUJAIR
ikan mujair atau nama ilmiahnya Oreochromis mossambicus adalah ikan yang berasal dari laut afrika.
dia juga dikenal dengan nama tilapia. eh tapi kok ada di indonesia, ya? di air tawar pula.
siapa yang bawa?
yuk kita bahas!
[thread belajar bareng]