A Battle on Two Fronts
Yuka/Mahoraga vs Dabura. Tsurugi vs Maru. The fates of the Japanese and Simurians rest on these two fights. Both sides have already exchanged fierce blows, but the real fight has only just begun.
SPOILER WARNING
Yuka has put her life on the line to summon Mahoraga. It can adapt to any and all phenomena. Dabura destroys entire buildings and still can’t put it down. The fight rages on.
Elsewhere, Tsurugi and Maru continue their fight. Maru experiences firsthand the strength of Tsurugi’s heavenly restriction. Not only that, he struggles with lingering feelings of friendship and can’t bring himself to use his full strength. Then the inner voice of his warrior ideals pushes him to activate his own cursed technique.
Action Packed Panels
Iwasaki (artist) steals the show in chapter 16. Every panel is beautifully detailed and expressive. I’ve praised their work before, and I was really looking forward to how they illustrated these fights. They did not disappoint. Every action line, every sound effect, every dynamic angle is masterfully composed. What really blew me away were the backgrounds. Iwasaki must have a dedicated team of assistants. I can’t imagine how else they maintain this level of consistent detail. And the characters are just as vibrant and expressive as ever. Mahoraga has never looked better and Dabura carries himself with the same calculated calm and menace that Sukuna had.
Akutami (writer) didn’t slack on the story either. There were several large exposition dumps, but in this case, they actually helped remind readers of key aspects, such as Mahoraga’s history and Tsurugi’s heavenly restriction. One element that I thought was very clever was Maru’s emotional state. Deep down, he’s still a kind-hearted person. He even has a moment where he sympathizes with Dabura’s dilemma. He’s torn between his duty to his people and his friendship with the Okkotsu siblings. This makes his sudden change all the more striking. Whether it’s his inner voice or another being entirely, Maru is finally getting serious.
I cannot wait to see these fights play out. Akutami has a habit of drawing out fights with constant surprises and twists, so we’ll see if this lives up to their past work. Catch up on the story by visiting the official Viz Media manga webpage for Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo.
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