Animosity fills the air as Jujutsu Kaisen‘s two Jujutsu Tech branches — Tokyo & Kyoto — faceoff in their Exchange Event. As newly dubbed best friends Itadori and Toudou continue lifting each other to new heights with endless punches, Panda clashes with Kyoto’s Mechamaru and reveals new levels of power. As it turns out, there’s a lot more to Panda than it seemed — namely the fact that he’s not actually a panda at all.

The Secret Behind Mechamaru’s Robotic Appearance

As Itadori and Toudou continue their bonding brawl, Panda and Nobara have cornered Nishimiya in a tree. However, before they can do anything, Mechamaru fires a stealthy shot on Panda. As Nobara prepares to fight Nishimiya, Panda and Mechamaru are immediately at each other. Though Panda comments comparing himself with Mechamaru, the Kyoto sorcerer takes offense because he doesn’t see the similarities. Mechamaru sees Panda as nothing more than a Cursed Corpse, which is generally an inanimate object that houses a Curse and can operate independently.

Mechamaru, on the other hand, reveals that he is a human Jujutsu Sorcerer but manipulates a puppet to fight in his stead due to his deteriorating body. Born with a “Heavenly Pact” that granted him immense power at birth but also left him missing limbs and skin so fragile “even moonlight burns it.” Angered by Panda’s freedom to exist in the world while he suffers a fate he’d trade anything to change, Mechamaru unleashes his ultimate attack.

“Panda… Is Not A Panda”

Despite being blasted by Mechamaru’s cannon, Panda reveals that he not only survived the attack but changed his form as well. Unlike any Cursed Corpse, Panda was born with emotions and multiple cores. Described as the “ultimate masterpiece” by Yaga Masamichi (who raised Panda), his three cores include his older brother and sister. Though we don’t see his sister, by borrowing strength from his brother Panda takes a hybrid gorilla form. As Panda reveals his transformation, he declares that “Panda… is not a panda.”

With no other Cursed Corpse like him, Panda is unique. In flashbacks, we see Masamichi raising and training Panda — who grows from a baby to his current adult build. While a typical, man-made Cursed Corpse has a single core, which acts as their heart — and ostensibly a weak point for enemies to target when trying to defeat them.

Panda’s Cores & Different Abilities

Panda describes his “Panda core” as focused on balance, while his brother’s gorilla core offers short bursts of power and a special move called Drumming Beat that causes strikes to resonate throughout the target’s body. The third core — his sister’s — is only explained as bashful and leaves the door open for an additional transformation in the future. The combination of these three cores, Panda’s one-of-a-kind consciousness as a Cursed Corpse and his transformative capabilities all prove he’s more than what he appears.

Although Mechamaru successfully damaged two of Panda’s cores, the immensely entertaining fight ends up feeling somewhat one-sided. As Panda triumphantly strikes Mechamaru down, he also extends an offer to help the pained Jujutsu Sorcerer in his journey to one day be around his friends in person — instead of alone in a strange chamber. With another battle seemingly settling in mutual respect, the Kyoto Sister School Exchange Event continues to excite with stunning Jujutsu action.

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Jujutsu Kaisen’s first season was an instant global hit. Its success could be attributed to many different elements — a great story, excellent animation courtesy of studio MAPPA and some of the best-written characters in recent anime.

A cast of great characters is needed for every good shonen story, of course. But what sets Jujutsu Kaisen apart in this regard is, in part, the equal treatment its female and male cast members receive. The women of Jujutsu Kaisen‘s first season are complex, memorable and fully fleshed-out characters with goals that are solely their own. This is important to note because many times, female characters in shonen are written only as a means to further a male character’s development; often weak-willed and objectified as an attempt at cheap humor, too.

There’s none of this in Jujutsu Kaisen. The female characters are just as powerful as everyone else and play an equally important part in the story as their male counterparts. Out of the show’s impressive female cast, here are four of the standouts from the first season.

Maki Zenin

There’ve been plenty of underdog stories in anime, but Maki Zenin’s definitely ranks among the best of them. Maki has an intimidating personality — she is very assertive and belligerent but that’s just because she’s had to be that way since childhood. She cares very much about her friends’ well-being and does her best to make sure they all get stronger. In the world of jujutsu sorcery, the amount of cursed energy one possesses could very well determine whether or not they survive an encounter with a foe. Maki has no cursed energy of her own, but she’s proven that she’s skilled enough to be classed with first-grade sorcerers regardless.

Maki was born into the Zenin clan, one of the three great sorcerer families in the jujutsu world, and a clan famed for its wide influence, powerful members and internal power-based discrimination. When the clan elders found out she had no cursed energy, they relegated both her and Mei, her twin, to a life of servitude. Dissatisfied with her lot, Maki left the Zenin clan, but not before swearing to the head that she’d return one day to claim his position for herself. Shortly after that confrontation, she enrolled in Jujutsu High.

The Zenin clan didn’t realize that Maki’s lack of cursed energy was part of a heavenly pact that granted her superhuman physical abilities instead. Maki has greater physical strength as a result, lightning-quick reflexes and after years of training, mastery of cursed tools that is second to none. Her proficiency as a sorcerer was evident enough to secure her a first-grade recommendation at the end of Season 1, taking her closer to her goal of becoming head of the Zenin clan.

Maki’s story and goal are not unlike the shonen blueprint for male main characters: the underdog who swears to one day reach the peak of the society they’re rejected from. Complex, high-stakes stories are usually reserved for these male characters but with Maki, Jujutsu Kaisen breathes new life into a story that has already been told by flipping the gender roles. Although Maki is dead serious about becoming head of her clan, she doesn’t let that desire consume her, either. Her character is much more than just wanting to be the head of Zenin.

Miwa Kasumi

Miwa Kasumi might be the most underrated female character in Jujutsu Kaisen, and that’s partly her own fault. She frequently refers to herself as “useless” even though her teammates see her as far from it. Against Hanami, the special grade cursed spirit, Kamo remarked that he’d breathe a little easier if Miwa was around. Despite her self-doubt, she can handle herself in a fight and is a kind and dependable friend to boot.

Miwa’s backstory and reason for becoming a jujutsu sorcerer were a bit more mundane than some, but her motives are just as valid. She comes from a poor background and is therefore training to become a jujutsu sorcerer to earn money to support her family.

Although Miwa is just as bubbly and excitable as any other shonen ‘waifu,’ those traits never interfere with her duties as a student or jujutsu sorcerer. She’s a huge fan of Gojou Satoru but that didn’t stop her from sternly reprimanding him for disrespecting her principal. When she and her classmates were ordered to assassinate Yuuji, Miwa wasn’t so sure it was the right decision. She hesitated a little in the moment of truth but still attempted a killing strike.

Miwa isn’t the most powerful character, but her combat skills are still impressive. She was able to duel with Maki to a limited extent until she got outsmarted — a feat in and of itself. She may not have a cursed technique but she can still manipulate cursed energy and is capable of creating a simple domain. Anyone that crosses its boundary is usually unable to escape her attack.

Her decisiveness is in stark contrast with other female shonen characters who are often written (stereotypically) to let their emotions cloud their usually sound judgment. These characters are often berated for lacking the conviction their male counterparts seem to have in spades. The same can’t be said of Miwa.

Mai Zenin

Mai might be Maki’s twin but that doesn’t mean she has to like her. In fact, she does everything she can to downplay their similarities, such as dressing differently and wearing her hair in a different style. She even enrolled in her sister’s rival school. Mai always makes fun of her sister for having no cursed energy and seems to enjoy putting her down in front of other people. Her snipey attitude may seem like just a petty sibling rivalry but it actually comes from a place of hurt.

Mai was forced to become a jujutsu sorcerer by her clan elders. Once Maki left the Zenin clan to become a sorcerer, they began to harass Mai just because of her association with Maki. When they started to realize Maki was making her dream a reality, they forced Mai to become one too just so the clan would not be shamed. Mai only revealed this backstory in a moment of weakness following her defeat at Maki’s hands in Jujutsu Kaisen‘s first season. Even though her life was definitely made harder when she was forced to compete with her sister, that wasn’t why she hated her. She only resented her twin because of a broken promise — Maki vowed never to abandon her when they were kids.

Mai never shared in her twin’s aspirations. In fact, she’d always been a soft-spoken child and had a morbid fear of even the most harmless of cursed spirits. Despite knowing she’d constantly have to face them as a sorcerer, Mai handled the elders’ selfish decisions with grace.

Even though she had very little cursed energy, Mai also proved to be as capable a sorcerer as any of her schoolmates. She never once complained about the unfair hand she was dealt or expected someone else on her team to take care of her. Mai was the farthest thing from a dead weight; hating the job, but determined to do her best at it anyway. Perhaps she’s motivated by a sense of duty to her clan or a desire to prove something to herself and Maki. Either way, Mai refuses to let her fears or circumstances define her story.

Nobara Kugisaki

Nobara Kugisaki knows exactly who she is and refuses to compromise any part of herself for any reason. At first glance, she appears quite vain and self-centered — a clichéd, high school ‘mean girl’ who’s obsessed with her physical appearance and incapable of empathy. It’s only after warming up to Yuuji and Fushiguro that she proves what a loyal friend and comrade she is.

Nobara’s motivation for becoming a jujutsu sorcerer is simple: she wants to live in Tokyo and enrolling in Jujutsu High was the easiest way to realize her dream. She harbored hopes of running into a childhood friend, Saori, in the city, but as she realizes it’s a long shot, never actually pursued her.

Nobara’s reaction to hearing Maki’s backstory in Jujutsu Kaisen was the first time she ever expressed anything close to admiration to anyone apart from herself. She resolved to do her best in the exchange program and gave her teammates her version of a gentle nudge to do the same. Her relationship with Maki is a simple but very welcome addition to the show. The two wholeheartedly embraced each other at first glance with no forced rivalry between them just because they’re both women. It’s easier to do this when a series features many central female characters, and not just a tokenistic few vying for the top spot. A female mentor-mentee relationship is quite rare in shonen, but these two have a great dynamic that should only grow in the seasons to come.

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Master Tengen is one of the most mysterious and important characters in Jujutsu Kaisen. They are the sorcerer that keeps up the protective barriers around both Jujutsu High locations and are the founder of modern jujutsu — the entire jujutsu system is based on their teachings. However, Master Tengen also has the potential to completely destroy the jujutsu world and humanity.

Over 1200 years ago, during the Nara Period, Tengen was a Buddhist monk who traveled, preaching a belief that would become the precursor to the current jujutsu system. Tengen is immortal, but not eternally youthful, and so Tengen’s body wears down and ages. If they don’t find a new vessel every 500 years, Tengen’s body will try to force itself to find a new vessel. The technique takes on a life of its own if a new vessel is not merged with within that time frame.

11 years prior to the current storyline, in 2006, Tengen was set to merge with a young girl named Riko Amanai, but she was killed by the Time Vessel Association before the merge could take place. She was a middle school student whose parents had died in a car accident and was being looked after by Misato Kuroi until the time of the merging. Because the merge never happened, Tengen’s physical appearance began to evolve, so now they have four eyes, no hair, and a cylindrical head. Most people do not see them as they hide, for their own safety.

If a new vessel is not found in time, Tengen will undergo a forced evolution and eventually lose their sense of self, making them highly dangerous to all humanity. Two groups have attempted to stop the merges, one being the religious Time Vessel Association, who view Tengen as a deity and pure, making merging with a Star Plasma Vessel like Riko sacrilegious. They have officially disbanded since Riko’s assassination. The other is a group of curse users called Q. Made up of only two members, the group wanted to force the evolution of Tengen so that they would potentially become an enemy to the jujutsu schools and humans. They have also since disbanded. While these two groups no longer exist, that doesn’t mean Tengen isn’t still a target.

Because of the dangerous nature of Tengen’s abilities, it’s important for them to stay hidden until it is time to reset the immortality curse technique. Their barrier technique is what keeps the schools safe and is what changes the schools’ appearance every day. However, if someone infiltrates the barriers, they become more than useless, making it important that Tengen’s location remain a secret. The barrier protecting them is one that only allows those who are invited in to pass through.

Because they were unable to merge with Riko, Tengen is now more cursed spirit than human, making the possibility of merging with someone who isn’t a Star Plasma Vessel more likely. However, this isn’t good news because it makes them more susceptible to manipulation, particularly by Kenjaku, who is looking to force human evolution in Japan. If Kenjaku is able to merge with the vulnerable Tengen, the negative feelings and intentions of one person would spread to everyone because once a human evolves, they lose their sense of identity and self. Humanity would become a collective hive-mind that would follow the most powerful thought, that being the negative impulses of Kenjaku. This is what would lead to the end of the world.

One of the most exciting aspects of Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen is the amount of intrigue in its world, story and characters. Many of its characters are shrouded in mystery, like Master Tengen, Yuki Tsukomo, and even the main antagonist, Ryomen Sukuna. The King of Curses was known as a frightening sorcerer during the “golden age of jujutsu.” After becoming a Cursed Spirit, he continued to make a name for himself.

Akutami has kept much of Sukuna’s past, abilities and motivations under wraps, only offering small nuggets of detail every so often. However, Sukuna’s interest in Megumi Fushiguro is something fans have been curious about since its first mention. While the truth is yet to be revealed, let’s look back at Sukuna and Fushiguro’s interactions and explore what the King of Curses could be after.

There have been two significant interactions been Fushiguro and Sukuna, with the first instance occurring back in Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter #9 during the “Cursed Womb” arc. Holding Yuji captive by ripping out his heart, Sukuna then decides to fight Fushiguro, which quickly becomes a one-sided ordeal in the Curse’s favor. However, it is here that Sukuna’s interest in Fushiguro begins.

After a quick barrage of powerful attacks, Sukuna seemed content to observe Fushiguro, and more importantly, his Cursed Technique. Sukuna quickly deduced how Fushiguro’s technique operated, understanding its potential. He then commented that Fushiguro was a “wasted treasure,” having fled from the Special Grade cursed womb, seemingly admonishing him for running away. Yet, when Fushiguro prepares to use his final trump card, Sukuna’s interest is genuinely piqued – sensing something as the Jujutsu Sorcerer gathered his Cursed Energy.

This panel is referenced once again by Sukuna in Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter #118 during his fight with the Mahoraga – the most powerful Shikigami of the Ten Shadows Technique. Fushiguro summoned Mahoraga as a last-ditch maneuver, and it would have cost him his life if Sukuna hadn’t arrived to heal him. While Mahoraga’s adaptive abilities gave Sukuna immense difficulties, he successfully defeated it to protect Fushiguro.

Though Sukuna clearly saw something in Fushiguro that Akutami is keeping in their back pocket, it likely ties to the young sorcerer’s Zenin lineage or an element of his technique he’s yet to have unlocked. This point was strengthened during Yuji’s fight with Sukuna in his innate domain as the Curse mentioned that they were about to see something interesting, just as a panel of Fushiguro is shown.

Gege Akutami’s lack of clarity on the subject has not stopped fans from speculating as many have gone to the internet, posting their theories regarding Fushiguro and Sukuna. One common theme surrounds the thought that Sukuna could be looking for a new body since he cannot control Yuji’s fully. To do so, Sukuna may be looking to Fushiguro’s technique as a way to create a new vessel. After all, he specifically mentions that he needs to keep Fushiguro alive as he needs him to do something for him.

During the “Shibuya Incident” arc, Sukuna temporarily gained control of Yuji’s body after Jogo force-fed him ten fingers. He was given the opportunity to create a binding vow with Yuji to control the body entirely. However, he declined, stating that he had his own plans. This does seem to lend credibility to the idea that he is looking for a new host, as he told his servant, Uraume, that it would not be much longer until he was completely free.

While the exact nature of Sukuna’s plan may be shrouded in mystery, it is pretty clear that Megumi Fushiguro will be a crucial figure. Though the initial fascination seemed born from dangerous curiosity surrounding Fushiguro’s potential as a sorcerer, the most evident piece of information we know is that Sukuna needs him for an important task — perhaps to create a new vessel or to summon something else entirely.

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