Twice as Bright, Half as Long
It seems Yuka is not long for this world, but she’s not going down without a fight. Filled with memories and hopes, she puts everything on the line in her fight with Dabura.
SPOILER WARNING
On the way to her duel with Dabura, Yuka reflects on her life with Tsurugi. Her condition leaves her confused and confined to a wheelchair. Even as she sees her life flash before her eyes, she holds out hope that in her next life, she can see her brother again.
Meanwhile, an unexpected visitor meets with Dabura, expressing thanks for his overwhelming strength. Yuka airdrops into the battlefield and unleashes her secret weapon, “The Eight-Handled Sword, Divergent Sila Divine General, Mahoraga.” Dabura wastes no time and unleashes spears of light that skewer the cursed spirit. But Mahoraga’s adaptation starts to kick in.
A Gut Punch to the Feels
Reading the first part of this chapter almost broke me. Yuka’s resignation to her death, her memories of her childhood, and how her vision is so cloudy that she can’t recognize faces. Through it all, she still believes in a life well lived. So much so that she wouldn’t change a thing. It is genuinely heartbreaking to see a character who embraced life so fully be forced to accept her own death. Like Yuka, I find myself wishing we had more time to see her life. Say what you will about Akutami’s (writer) stories, but they know how to hit readers where it hurts.
What makes it even more tragic is that once again are the parallels between the sibling pairs. Tsurugi and Maru can’t accept what their respective sides have done to each other. Despite their pledge to pursue coexistence, some things can’t be taken back. Yuka and Cross are on death’s door, victims of the very cycle of violence they hoped to break. It’s a subtle but very poignant development.
The biggest surprise was the reintroduction of Mahoraga (oh, and Ui Ui was there, too, I guess). As a quick refresher, this cursed spirit was last summoned by Megumi Fushigoro in the first series. It can adapt to and counter any cursed technique used against it. The fact that Yuka can call it, the wolf and frog shikigami, and her ability to melt into shadows, implies that she inherited the “Ten Shadows Technique” like Megumi did. How and why isn’t quite clear, but her amazing entrance more than made up for it.
With the introduction of Mahoraga, the fight between Yuka and Dabura just got a whole lot more interesting. But how will this play out with Tsurugi and Maru’s fight? And are there more cameos and surprise appearances waiting in the wings? Catch up on the story by visiting the official Viz Media manga webpage for Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo.
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