Warning: This article contains spoilers from the Jujutsu Kaisen manga! Gege Akutami’s hit Weekly Shonen Jump manga Jujutsu Kaisen reached its conclusion last year, but the anime adaptation is far from over. The series is set to return with its third season in January 2026, continuing the story after the brutal Shibuya Incident Arc, after which the Jujutsu world fell apart. The upcoming season will feature some of the most thrilling moments in the anime and introduce several new characters. The Culling Game is the second final arc in the manga, after which the story moves on to the battle of the strongest.
The series has a total of eleven arcs, including the prequel, which was adapted into a 2021 film that became a worldwide blockbuster. The story, which originally followed Yuta Okkotsu, moves on to the main event a year later, centering around Yuji Itadori, an ordinary high school student who swallowed a special-grade cursed object and became the vessel of Ryomen Sukuna, the strongest sorcerer in history. While all the Jujutsu Kaisen arcs offer something exciting, there’s always one better than the others. Among the several arcs in the series, which one should be considered the best?
11) Fearsome Womb Arc
One of the reasons why Jujutsu Kaisen is so well-loved among fans is that the story doesn’t waste any time before delving into the thrill and action of the cruel world it’s set in. That’s part of the excitement fans look forward to in an action series. Just the first arc of the series features Yuji and Megumi fighting a powerful curse, Gojo vs. Sukuna with the power of one finger, Nobara using her unique powers, the first-years encountering a special-grade curse, and Gojo vs. Jogo, an unregistered special-grade curse.
All of these epic scenes happen in just the first 18 chapters, which catch the viewers’ eye from the beginning. Additionally, the first arc also does incredible work setting up the premise of the story while explaining the complex power system in the middle of each battle.
10) Death Painting Arc
The main trio didn’t have a lot of missions together, but whenever they did work together, they would shock everyone with their immense potential as Jujutsu sorcerers. They were sent to investigate the strange disappearances at Megumi’s middle school, where we learn about the Death Painting Wombs that were created as half-human and half-curse.
Three of the nine Death Paintings took form and joined the side of evil since they had nowhere to go and ended up fighting the first years. While Megumi focused on fighting the special grade responsible for the disappearance of the students, Yuji and Nobara defeated Kechizu and Eso, the younger brothers of Choso. It’s also the last arc of Season 1, concluding the exciting beginning of this epic story.
9) Kyoto Goodwill Event Arc
A friendly annual competition between Tokyo and Kyoto Jujutsu High students goes awry when the school is attacked by powerful cursed spirits and users. One of the cursed spirits, Hanami, happens to be an unregistered one like Jogo, only more terrifyingly powerful. The villains aren’t foolish enough to raid an area that’s being protected by Satoru Gojo, so they ensured that the strongest sorcerer alive can’t enter the forest where the competition is being held.
After facing a near-death situation and training in secret, Yuji has improved by leaps and bounds, but he still lacks the fundamentals, which is why his rival, Aoi Todo, takes matters into his own hands and forces him to learn Black Flash. The battle against Hanami is the highlight of the arc, which ends with no one’s victory since the villain escaped the scene after Gojo launched a powerful attack.
8) Vs. Mahito Arc
While hiding Yuji from the higher-ups, Gojo asks Nanami Kento, a first-grade sorcerer, to take care of his student for a while. Despite his initial reluctance, Nanami accepts Gojo’s request and takes Yuji on missions while continuing his training. However, the two didn’t expect to encounter a powerful curse like Mahito, who eventually became known as one of the best villains in Jujutsu Kaisen.
The villain immediately caught everyone’s attention thanks to his sadistic yet childish nature and his powerful ability despite being a fairly young cursed spirit. Not only that, but Mahito pushes Yuji to the brink by destroying Junpei Yoshino’s life and killing him in front of Yuji. Yuji and Nanami join hands to overwhelm the villain, but he eventually gets away and continues his reign of terror.
7) Itadori’s Extermination Arc
The arc takes place right after the Shibuya Incident Arc as Yuta Okkotsu, a special-grade sorcerer, targets Yuji after learning about the chaos in Shibuya caused by Sukuna. He also appears enraged about Toge Inumaki’s serious condition and the fact that he lost an entire arm due to the villain’s attack. However, despite his promise to the top brass, Yuta was actually on Yuji’s side since Gojo specifically requested him to look after his junior.
The arc follows the aftermath of the Shibuya Incident, when the country and the Jujutsu world are in chaos after the dreadful night. Yuji and the others continue to look for a way to free Satoru Gojo, but that’s easier said than done since the mastermind has already put his plan in motion.
6) Perfect Preparation Arc
The Perfect Preparation Arc takes place right after Itadori’s Extermination Arc, when Yuji has barely avoided being targeted by the top brass. Thanks to Yuta’s ability, he faked his own death, but the situation in the Jujutsu society only continues to worsen. The Zenin Clan takes advantage of the chaos and the fact that their clan leader has died to target Maki and Mai, their biggest failures.
However, after suffering a tremendous loss, Maki unlocks a power within her that she never knew about. With nothing but a sword in her hand, she single-handedly wiped out the entire clan that tormented her and took her sister’s life. While she deals with the Zenins, the other sorcerers continue to look for a way to free Gojo, and the answer can be found in the Tombs of the Star Corridor, where a legendary being resides.
5) Shibuya Incident Arc
Although Jujutsu Kaisen was already a dark story to begin with, the situation further spiraled downward in the Shibuya Incident Arc, and the series was never the same again. On October 31st, the sorcerers were on standby while Satoru Gojo was supposed to kill all the enemies threatening the safety of innocent civilians. However, after he got trapped thanks to Kenjaku’s scheme, the sorcerers realized they were too outmatched against the villains.
As if things weren’t bad enough, Jogo forces several Sukuna fingers on Yuji, which made the young sorcerer lose control, and as a result, Sukuna reigned free for a few minutes. However, that short time was enough for the villain to kill thousands of people while fighting Mahoraga, the legendary and uncontrollable Shikigami of the Ten Shadows Technique.
4) Culling Game Arc
The Culling Game is one of the most highly anticipated arcs of the series, and for good reason. Kenjaku orchestrates an intense battle royale, which introduces several powerful characters, all competing to score the highest points in the game while trying to get out of this mess alive.
The arc features non-stop battles among several characters, all the while the sorcerers try to free Satoru Gojo. The Culling Game Arc ends on one of the most thrilling cliffhangers of the series, as Gojo is finally free from the Prison Realm and accepts Sukuna’s challenge to a duel, commencing the final arc of the series.
3) Cursed Child Arc
Set one year before the main event, the arc follows Yuta Okkotsu, who was cursed by the spirit of his childhood love, Rika Orimo. He spent years wishing to end his life but was unable to, since the spirit wouldn’t let him hurt himself. However, after meeting Gojo and joining Jujutsu High, Yuta slowly began to understand the full extent of his powers and the fact that he was the one who cursed Rika instead.
As he learns to control his massive, cursed energy, he faces the threat of Suguru Geto, a former Jujutsu High student who abandoned the school and became a curse user. The arc follows the second year students who faced the biggest terrorist attack in the Jujustu world, before the Shibuya Incident happened.
2) Gojo’s Past Arc
The arc takes us back to 12 years ago, when Satoru was a second-year student at Jujutsu Tech High School, along with Suguru, who was also a special-grade sorcerer. Their lives take a turn for the worse when Master Tengen, an immortal jujutsu sorcerer who protects Jujutsu High locations by reinforcing their barriers, requests them to protect Riko Amanai, a Star Vessel.
Every five hundred years or so, a Star Vessel is born that can merge with Master Tengen and help them maintain their immortality. However, Riko has a massive bounty on her head as some organizations are against the merger. Hence, it’s up to the strongest duo to ensure Riko gets to Tengen in one piece. Unfortunately, things go awry when the Sorcerer Killer sets his eyes on the enormous bounty.
1) Shinjuku Showdown Arc
The final arc of the manga begins with the battle of the strongest, which isn’t simply the most popular fight in Jujutsu Kaisen but also in modern Shonen. The fight takes place shortly after Satoru was freed from the Prison Realm, but he ends up losing after facing the immense power of the villain. The story continued with the fight against Sukuna and Kenjaku, as the majority of the characters jumped at the chance to confront the villains.
Since the sorcerers were facing the two most powerful figures in history, they knew rushing head-on into battle like Gojo did would be the most foolish course of action. They had several contingency plans to prepare for the worst-case scenario, as they had long anticipated Gojo’s defeat.
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