Chapter 271 concludes the Jujutsu Kaisen (JJK) manga story, giving added meaning to the series' iconic adventure.
Since its debut in 2018, JJK has quickly become a fan favorite among manga readers. The ongoing Shonen series follows a young boy who joins a group of sorcerers working in modern-day Tokyo and takes on all sorts of magical and spiritual threats.
The series has been one of Japan's biggest franchises in the last decade, leaping off the page with a stage play, video games, and the hyper-successful JJK anime (which is set to debut its third season sometime soon).
Breaking Down Jujutsu Kaisen's Manga Ending
Finally, Jujutsu Kaisen fans have some closure, as the hit manga finally released its final chapter.
JJK Chapter 271 serves as the popular manga's official ending, bringing to a close the story of Yuji Itadora, the young man who, after swallowing a cursed object back in its early chapters, joined the world of modern-day magic users.
Throughout the story, Yuji and his friends have faced their fair share of trials, with many of his close conspirators in the art of Jujutsu Kaisen tragically being killed off.
While some wondered if Yuji's dead friends would ever come back to close the story, Chapter 271 finally confirmed their fates.
One Final Mission
Chapter 271 is a short and sweet end to a pretty action-packed story up to this point.
The JJK ending chapter sees Yuji called back to Tokyo as widespread residual curse energy looms over the once-bustling Japanese metropolis.
The main action of the series' last chapter centers on Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara investigating reports of suspicious magic plaguing a Tokyo couple. The trio eventually uncovers that the local curses seem to be the work of a hidden sorcerer (as set up in Chapter 270) whom they deem a threat that needs to be eliminated.
Given this secret curse-user had been set up in the last chapter, fans had time to theorize that this mystery person could have been some long-lost JJK character ready to make their grand return in the series finale. That, however, was not the case.
Yuji and his friends find that the person behind this couple's strife is a local man who holds a grudge against the couple's woman. It turns out that he had previously purchased a handbag from the woman and was perturbed by her lack of recognition during the encounter.
This caused the curse user to vow to torment the woman and her husband, prompting the pair to call Team Yuji.
The team of Jujutsu Kaisen masters confronts the man, discovering that he is nothing more than another citizen with his struggles rather than some grand world-ending villain.
As the mystery man is carted away by authorities, Yuji sees that he is evidently distraught about the entire sequence of events and goes to talk to him, hoping to explain to the young man where he went wrong.
Fulfilling Yuji's Destiny
The final chapter then cuts to a flashback from before the manga's Shinjuku Showdown, showing a moment between Yuji and his fallen mentor, Gojo. This sees the two share a conversation about what it will take to be the strongest sorcerer in the world (a title Gojo held).
While Yuji wants nothing more than to mimic the work of his dearly departed friend perfectly, Gojo explains that there are enough magic users out there like him. Yuji has the chance to do something different and forge a different path for the future of sorcerers.
Gojo tells Yuji that he is counting on the up-and-coming jujutsu trainee to carry on his dream of helping those sorcerers in need rather than punishing them when they go astray.
This moment works in perfect symmetry with Yuji's final mission, seen earlier in the chapter. He was no longer there to fight first and "take down" any perceivable evil magic-users. Instead, his destiny was to help rehabilitate them and put them back on the right track.
A Villain Gets His Redemption
The chapter (and, in turn, the series) finally ends by giving readers a look into the franchise's version of the afterlife.
It tracks another conversation, this time between two fallen antagonists of the series, Sukuna and Mahito. Feeling the change in the jujutsu way prompted by Yuji's recent actions, Sukuna admits to Mahito that if he were to do everything over again, he would have chosen a different path.
This angers Mahito but shows that even the quote/unquote worst of the worst from the series could be given a second chance.
It is then revealed that even in the afterlife, Sukuna got the redemption he was seeking, as his finger has been used in the shrine since the beginning of the manga (and anime) to ward off curses and keep the people of Tokyo safe.
Chapter 271 of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga can be read online now, with no specific release info for Season 3 of the JJK anime having been made public.
Fans looking to catch up on the JJK anime before the new season drops can do so thanks to The Direct's handy Jujutsu Kaisen watch order guide.
