Jujutsu Kaisen: The Culling Games Arc explained! part 1

The Culling Games

For a thousand years, Kenjaku meticulously planned the Culling Games. His ultimate goal is to merge Tengen with humanity. This merger would optimize cursed energy, creating stronger creatures and bringing back the golden age of sorcery from the Heian era as he sees it.

To achieve this, Kenjaku needs immense amounts of cursed energy within a barrier to perform the ritual that would prepare Japan’s citizens—non sorcerers for the merger. However, sorcerers with high levels of cursed energy were scarce. To compensate, he made binding vows over his long life, sealing the souls of ancient sorcerers into cursed objects. These sorcerers would reincarnate when the time was right.

Kenjaku’s plan involves combining two cursed techniques to achieve his goal. One of the two cursed techniques he used was Suguru Geto’s Cursed Spirit Manipulation. This technique allows the user to absorb and control cursed spirits which is essentially like a Pokémon master. Using Uzumaki, the application of this technique, Kenjaku would be able to compress multiple cursed spirits into a single entity.

Additionally, Kenjaku incorporated Mahito’s Idle Transfiguration, which alters a person’s soul to change their body. With this, Kenjaku awakened non-sorcerers to jujutsu, thereby granting them cursed energy and cursed techniques. This process also allowed him to force cursed objects into vessels, which helped him ensure that they could handle the reincarnated sorcerers.

By merging these abilities, Kenjaku created the perfect pawns for his Culling Games.

November first

The Culling Games officially begins. The Jujutsu higher-ups, known for their corruption and hunger for control, issued a series of orders in which the execution of Yuji Itadori was one of them. The order was temporarily suspended but since Gojo is sealed, why not? The thought. 

Yuji's execution was prioritized, and Yuta Okkotsu was ordered to kill him. To make sure he did, they retarded higher-ups placed him under a binding vow.

What is a binding vow?

A binding bow, is a sort of promise between Person A and person B. A says I'll do THIS, while B says I'll do THAT. It is essentially a verbal agreement, either with oneself or with another person. It’s that simple.  

 At the same time, the higher-ups deemed any attempts to unseal Gojo Satoru as a crime, pinning the blame for the Shibuya Incident on Gojo’s actions. Suguru Geto, or rather, the body controlled by Kenjaku, was placed under execution as well. 

Principal Yaga, who was also a friend to Gojo and Geto, was also ordered to be killed. However, the higher-ups had ulterior motives—they wanted Yaga’s cursed technique. His technique allows for him him to create self-sustaining cursed corpses. This cursed technique has the potential to manufacture an unstoppable army, something the higher-ups want to control for their own political gain. They sent Gaguganji to assassinate Yaga, and in his final moments, Yaga revealed the secret behind his technique: it was rooted in a curse.

Meanwhile, whilst alladat was going on, Kenjaku furthered his plans by destroying and then taking over the Kamo clan. The Kamo clan being one of the most powerful families in the Jujutsu world. He threw out the rightful heir—Kamo Noritoshi and told him that he aligned himself with corrupt Jujutsu officials who basically wanted to be on the winning side, ensuring their support for his eventual victory.

November 8th

Yuji is burdened with sadness, guilt and sorrow about the events in Shibuya—Sukuna taking over his body and killing innocents after he fell unconscious due to being forced fed fingers. He then decides to take out as much cursed spirits as possible. Watching his brother fight, Choso calls him a “demon god” as he astonished at how proficient he's become with cursed energy in such a short amount of time. Their bonding time is cut short as the Zenin clans power struggle spills into the scene. 

Naoya Zenin, angry about the question of succession after Naobito Zenin's death, seeks to take matters into his own hands. Naobito's will named Naoya as his successor, but a clause stipulated that if anything happened to Satoru Gojo, Megumi would become the next clan head. This decision hinges on the Ten Shadows Technique, a hallmark of the Zenin clan, said to have been powerful enough in the past to defeat a Six-Eyes user.

 Naoya, unwilling to relinquish power, bro is not about to let that shii slide, sets out to kill Megumi, intending to eliminate the opposition to his claim.

Naoya figures Megumi and Yuji are together and goes to kill both of them, but he crosses paths with Yuji and Choso. Intent on killing both, he begins fighting with them. But before long, Yuta Okkotsu arrives. Bound by a vow to execute Yuji, Yuta strikes decisively, killing him. He presents Yuji's lifelessbody to choso who is about to kill Naoya but is shocked. Yuta effortlessly drops him. However, Yuta's actions aren't what they seem. Using his Reverse Cursed Technique(RCT), he heals Naoya, ensuring he can report Yuji's death to the higher-ups, and then he later revives Yuji.

However, Yuji’s second death comes with an unforeseen side effect? As he awakens, he experiences a vivid vision—a fragmented memory of his grandfather warning his father—Jin. His grandfather’s words are desperate, cautioning Yuji's father not to continue his relationship with Kenjaku. "If you let Kenjaku continue, you will die," perhaps? He pleads. The memory is haunting, shedding light on Yuji's tragic origins.

At this point, it's revealed that Yuji’s mother—Kaori had already died, and Kenjaku had taken over her body using his cursed technique. Kenjaku was taking back shots from Yuji's dad. Kenjaku's motives were meticulously tied to the success of the Culling Game. Meticulous, intricate, all these don't just show how much Kenjaku wants the Culling Game but what he is willing to do? As he was down to take backshots? Can't be me. None the less, Peak! But why Yuji’s father agreed to this remains unclear. Was the ass that good now that Kenjaku had taken control? Perhaps he was consumed by grief, loneliness, or a longing for a child? Could it have been both? 

Yuji wrestles with guilt and self-doubt, questioning his place in the fight. He fears that if people depend on him and die, their deaths will weigh on his conscience. But Megumi intervenes, offering Yuji a necessary reality check. "You’re being selfish," Megumi says. "Sorcerers aren’t heroes. We can’t afford to think only about ourselves."

These words strike a chord in Yuji, forcing him to confront the fact that his friends need him. Megumi urges Yuji to take the first step by helping him save his sister, Tsumiki, who is already caught in the deadly Culling Game. This realization reignites Yuji’s resolve, pushing him to continue fighting—not just for himself, but for those who still depend on him.

November 9th

The gang? Realizes they lack crucial information on Kenjaku’s plans and decide to seek answers from Master Tengen. With her ability to oversee everything happening within Japan through her expansive barriers, she is a vital source of knowledge. As an ancient being who played a key role in the foundation of Jujutsu society during the Nara period, they believed Tengen is uniquely equipped to help in understanding Kenjaku’s intentions. 

Tengen explains the fundamental issue: cursed energy has created a precarious imbalance between curses, sorcerers, and non-sorcerers in Jujutsu society. This imbalance is the root of countless conflicts, and Yuki's ultimate goal is to eradicate cursed energy entirely. By doing so, she believes all humans would be equal, and the existence of cursed spirits—manifestations of leaked cursed energy by non-sorcerers—would cease.

Kenjaku, however, views things very differently. To him, cursed energy is the key to humanity's potential, and its “optimization” is his sole focus. He sees curses, sorcerers, and non-sorcerers not as separate entities but as different manifestations of cursed energy within human evolution. Kenjaku believes that by pitting curses and sorcerers against each other, they will reach new heights. Yet, through his experiments, including the creation and subsequent failure of the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings, he came to an unsettling realization: that his creations are inherently and will always be limited by his own potential.

Kenjaku has concluded that he cannot be the one to guide this evolution, as anything he produces will be restricted by his own nature, his own limited potential. For Kenjaku, the answer lies in merging humans and curses to create something beyond either—a new stage of cursed energy evolution.

Kenjaku believes that to advance the world, chaos is necessary. Instead of letting humans evolve naturally, he plans to bring about a transcendent state by uniting the people of Japan. To achieve this, Tengen must remain in her current form. As a master of barriers, she basically exists everywhere, and her state—without merging with the Star Plasma Vessel—has allowed her to transcend into a higher plane, making her existence ideal for Kenjaku's plan coincidentally enough. He has long tried to prevent Tengen’s merging, but every attempt has been thwarted by Six Eyes and Limitless Users. The reason for this is that Tengen, Six Eyes, Limitless Users, and Star Plasma Vessels are all intricately linked by the heavens and fate itself.

However, in 2006, Toji Zenin broke the cycle and encouraged Tengen’s evolution, transforming her into a more spiritual being. This change made her more vulnerable to Geto's technique which was basically Kenjaku’s due to him having already taken over his body. Normally, Tengen can only merge with a Star Plasma Vessel, but now Kenjaku can manipulate her, using her almost like a tool or Pokémon if you will. He plans to force her to merge with the entire population of Japan—over 100 million people. This massive fusion would turn them into something like a singular spirit. Tengen would then hold everyone together in one place, undergoing a process resembling something of a distillation, similar to the Uzumaki technique. Kenjaku’s ultimate goal is to see what happens when all this energy is combined. He wants this simply because he thinks it will be fun. 

If you still don't get, basically, Geto has cursed spirit manipulation and Tengen is a cursed spirit. Kenjaku can control her now, basically summoning her like a Pokémon. 

To make alladat possible, Kenjaku set the stage for the Culling Games. He strategically, meticulously & intricately placed barriers around ten colonies to accumulate cursed energy from the deaths of both sorcerers and curses. He is Him!

The amount of energy depends on the types involved. These colonies are all connected by barriers, with energy flowing from the western to the eastern parts of Japan, except in Hokkaido, where the barriers form lines throughout the country. Once the games commence, enough cursed energy will be generated to transform the humans in Japan into beings capable of transcending into the “other side.”

The “other side” here can be seen as akin to Nirvana—a place where humanity transcends individual identity and becomes one. In this state, they—the collective would lose their sense of self, and any negative thought would become a collective reality, causing the entire world to be destroyed by just a single thought of negativity. This is the world Kenjaku envisions—a state where all are one, and thoughts shape everything. A single negative thought will basically be end of it all? Hell nah! Can't be me. 

But for this to be achievable, Kenjaku had to enforce binding vows and add eight rules to the Culling Games. These rules must be followed by every participant, including Kenjaku. He, too, becomes a player in the game, even though he’s not the Game Master. This means that if Kenjaku is killed, the Culling Games will continue, and the show must go on. Peak. 

Rules of the Culling Games

1. Awakening and Declaration: After awakening a Curse Technique, players have 19 days to declare their participation in the Culling Game by entering a colony of their choice. If they don't, they face death by Curse Technique removal.

2. Punishment for Non-Compliance: If a player fails to declare their participation within 19 days, their Curse Technique will be removed, leading to their death.

3. Non-Players Becoming Players: Anyone who enters a colony, whether knowingly or unknowingly, becomes a participant. This is how characters like Yuji, Yuta, and the others can join the game, as their entry into the colonies automatically makes them players.

4. Fatal Consequences for Normal Humans: If a non-sorcerer, or a regular human, accidentally enters the colony, they will die. However, if they're already within the barriers, they have one chance to leave. Players can move freely in and out of the barriers, but once a player enters, they are part of the game.

5. Scoring Through Death: Players score points by killing others. The points they accumulate are used to determine their value in the game.

6. Point System and Player Value: The Game Master determines point values for players, and sorcerers are worth 5 points, while non-sorcerers are worth only 1 point. The Game Master is essentially a program, embodied by the shikigami called Kogane, which gives players access to their scores and helps manage the game. Tony Stark can never. 

7. Adding New Rules: Players can spend 100 points to add a new rule to the game, though the new rule cannot alter the game’s fundamental objectives.

8. Death for Stagnation: If a player's score remains the same for 19 days, they will be subjected to Curse Technique removal, meaning they will die. This rule adds pressure on players, especially those who hesitate to kill or don’t actively participate. Megumi is particularly worried about his sister, who is already in the game and may not be able to kill, putting her life at risk. It's been 9 days since the game's start, and the clock is ticking.

We've now come to the primary objectives for the group 

1. Earn 100 Points: They decide to aim for one hundred points to add a rule that could save Megumi’s sister and others who are unwilling participants in the Culling Games. 

2. Protect Tengen from Kenjaku: Since Tengen is essential to Kenjaku’s plans to merge with the entire population of Japan, protecting her should be important. Losing Tengen would mean the worst-case scenario, as Kenjaku would have all that he needs to activate and force the merger. 

3. Unseal Satoru freakin Gojo: Unsealing Gojo is a game changer. Tengen has a backdoor to the Prison Realm lucky enough for them, as it provides a slim chance to free him. However, the backdoor alone isn’t enough; they need Kenjaku’s authority or the physical Prison Realm to open it. To bypass this, they plan to rely on Hana Kurusu, who has the reincarnated sorcerer—angel in her. She has the ability to nullify cursed techniques, much like the Inverted Spear of Heaven or Black Rope. Angel's ability is the best hope of breaking Gojo out of the Prison Realm.

After laying the framework for their plan, the group splits up:

Yuta heads to a colony to gather points by defeating players and accumulating the necessary hundred points for the rule change.

Maki goes to the Zenin Clan to retrieve weapons. 

Megumi and Yuji set out to recruit Hakari. He is a suspended third year and also one of the strongest sorcerers in Jujutsu High. 

Each member takes on a crucial task, dividing their efforts strategically to stop Kenjaku. It’s a tense and calculated move that reflects how high the stakes are. 

Hakari Kinji isn't your average Jujutsu Sorcerer—he’s a powerhouse with a reputation that even Gojo acknowledges. Ergo why his help would be immense as even Yuta states that he is stronger than him. When Yuji and Megumi arrive at his underground fight club to recruit him, they discover Panda already had the same idea. 

Yuji ends up fighting Panda in a match that catches Hakaris attention. Afterward, Hakari sizes Yuji up, and despite Yuji’s best efforts to play it cool, Hakari sees through this act. Frustrated, Hakari starts throwing punches at Yuji. But to his shock, Yuji doesn’t dodge or retaliate—he tanks every hit. It's Shocking because even Gojo praises him for his punches. 

Hakari is testing Yuji because, in the world of Jujutsu, asking another sorcerer for help is a declaration of trust and basically a willingness to stake one's life on the. 

Yuji makes it clear that he’s trying to recruit Hakari because others have vouched for Hakari’s strength. Yuji’s straightforwardness and resolve take Hakari by surprise.

Yuji explains that he sees himself as nothing more than a cog—a tool meant to kill cursed spirits—and if Hakari’s strength can help with that goal, then he won’t back down until Hakari agrees. To prove his resolve, Yuji takes three punches. Hakari is semi grade sorcerer and Yuji tanks these punches showing his determination. This display catches Hakari off and it convinces him of Yuji’s sincerity.

Impressed, Hakari agrees to a deal: he’ll help with the Culling Game, but only if Megumi, as the new head of the Zenin clan, helps amend or remove the suspension that Hakari is under. With the terms set, Hakari joins them. 

However, their conversation is unexpectedly interrupted by Kogane—the Game master. His appearance is strange because none of them have formally declared participation in the Culling Game yet. Kogane then declares Yuji a participant of the game. 

It then becomes clear that Kogane appeared because Sukuna had already made a binding vow with Kenjaku prior to the current events.

At that moment, Kogane reveals a new rule that was just added by Kashimo. Kashimo a legendary sorcerer from the past who was considered the "Gojo" or "Sukuna" of his era. Kashimo, dissatisfied with the challenges of his time, made a vow with Kenjaku to participate in the Culling Game. Kenjaku promised him a worthy opponent in Sukuna in exchange for his participation in the Culling Games.

The new rule Kashimo added stipulates that all players now have access to information about each other.

This gives Megumi an idea: instead of earning points the hard way, they could target players who already have one hundred points or higher and force them to add new rules that align with their objectives. This way is faster and a more efficient route to achieving their goal in the Culling Game.

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That brings to the end of part 1.

Teaser for Part 2

Get ready as we step into the bloodiest and most brutal part of Jujutsu Kaisen. From Maki’s brutal revenge against the Zenin clan to Megumi’s desperate battles and Yuji’s unshakable resolve, the chaos of the Culling Game reaches new heights. With alliances tested and lives on the line, the story is about to take a darker, more unpredictable turn. Don’t miss the action and drama in Part 2!

 What do you think? Let us know in the comments below. Cheers.