Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 223 stole the spotlight for flagging off the highly anticipated clash between Gojo and Sukuna. Without a doubt, the fight took all the headlines when it came to discussing the chapter.
However, there is one certain incident which was portrayed in chapter 223 which left many confused and yearning for an explanation.
And so here I am. I art thou savior in thy times of needeth! Please don’t stop reading!
Well, the incident I speak of is none other than the higher ups or the elders of the Jujutsu society lying dead in a pool of blood. The depiction was gory, yet satisfying. Gege Akutami served us justice in an almost picturesque fashion.
However, the question is, who killed the higher ups at the Jujutsu HQ?
The first answer that comes to mind in obviously Gojo. He has openly stated his resentment of the never-changing, overly-conservative elders in the past.
In fact, in chapter 11 Gojo mentioned that he did consider killing the Jujutsu higher-ups at one point, but decided to give up on the idea, because he felt that someone else with a same outlook would just come and take their place.
But then, these stubborn old men went way too far when Gojo was sealed.
Related: Why did Kenjaku seal Gojo Satoru?
Taking advantage of his absence, they admonished his actions and put a death sentence out on Itadori. To add to it, they also ordered Yoshinobu Gakuganji, the rule following principal of Kyoto High, to go murder his counterpart at Tokyo Jujutsu High Masamichi Yaga.
If you haven’t forgotten, Yaga was also Gojo’s mentor.
So, when you put all this together, there’s no doubt that Gojo was the one who killed the Higher ups. Right? Right?
WRONG!!!
So, who killed the higher-ups really?
Who killed the higher ups in Jujutsu Kaisen?
Well, Gojo had enough reasons to take the nosy elders out of the picture. But if we connect the hints that Akutami left behind for us, we’ll come to realize that the deed was actually carried out by a certain (distant) relative of Sugawara no Michizane and an onigiri ingredient speaking cursed speech user!
Yes, it was none other than Yuta Okkotsu and Inumaki Toge.
Read More: Did Itadori Yuji eat the cursed womb: death painting?
Before you start doubting my sanity, I want you to consider the following two panels (from chapter 137 and chapter 222).
The panel from chapter 137 shows Yuta walking to the Jujutsu HQ to meet with the elders in order to take up role of Itadori’s executioner.
And the one in chapter 222 is when he and Inumaki are presumably going somewhere to do something.
Notice the similarities? The pillars with the candles in them? And the same way Akutami decided to focus on a single candle in both these instances.
All of these hints suggest that Yuta and Inumaki were at the Jujutsu Headquarters. I am pretty sure they are not there to enquire the well-being of the old men over there.
Akutami’s choice of characters for this foreshadowing also requires a special praise.
Yuta openly fooled the higher-ups and disobeyed their order of executing Itadori. To add to it, he aided the others in unsealing Gojo Satoru, which was deemed to be a criminal act. He is no longer acting as an ally to the higher-ups.
Yuta was freed from his binding vow to them when he killed Itadori (stabbed his heart and stopped it), even if it was just for mere seconds.
And Toge Inumaki? Well, the Inumaki clan was outlawed from the Jujutsu society for some reason. And who else do you think has the power to do something like that if not the elders. Also, Toge doesn’t strike me as a person who would side with the elders and go against all of his friends.
Clearly, both Yuta and Toge had no peculiar reason to visit the HQ. But considering how we see all higher-ups dead in the very next chapter, we can conclude what happens.
So, to answer the question, it was Yuta Okkotsu and Toge Inumaki who killed the higher ups and elders of Jujutsu world.
While that is settled, let’s move on to the next part. Did Yuta and Inumaki do this on their own? Or were they ordered by Gojo to do it?
Were they ordered to do it?
Considering how the incident with the higher-ups happened after Gojo was unsealed, it is quite possible that he was the one who ordered it. The scene was also revealed in chapter 223, during Gojo’s dialogue with Gakuganji, suggesting that he was aware and maybe complicit in the act.
However, Gojo doesn’t strike me as a person who would make others, especially his students, do his dirty work for him. He is more of someone who takes all the burden on to himself, as evident from his actions and also his conversation with Gakuganji.
He blamed himself in a way for Yaga’s death and from the way he has seemingly locked away his emotions after Geto passed away, it is more than clear that Gojo likes the carry the burden alone.
If he wanted to kill the higher ups, he would rather do it himself rather than asking Yuta and Inumaki to sully their hands with such an act.
Naturally, this makes me feel that he was not the one who ordered the execution. It was more of Yuta’s personal decision. But that’s just my assumption, and I’ll be explaining why if you keep reading!
There is precedent in the Jujutsu Kaisen world for one person wiping out an entire clan. Yes, I am talking about Maki and the Zenins.
Yuta being close to Maki, it is possible that he could have taken inspiration from this. It is also highly possible that killing the higher ups was a decision he made out of volition.
There are some parallels between Gojo and Yuta when it comes to shouldering all the burdens by themselves. However, Yuta is someone who displays a level of compassion that is seldom seen in sorcerers.
He cares about his friends, and also Gojo a lot. He had previously said that he wouldn’t allow Gojo to kill his best friend again. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if he decided to take the drastic step of killing the elders and leaving one less thing for Gojo to worry about.
And from the way Yuta thanked Toge in chapter 222 for letting him ‘use’ something, it seems to me that the latter joined in on the action later and was not a part of it from the start.
Am I giving Yuta too much credit?
Who do you think are the culprits in the death of the higher-ups? Let me know them in the comments below, or you could reach out to me on Tumblr!