I’ve mentioned this multiple times before already, but I’ll repeat it. The death of a character in a series often helps to set the tone for the story. It adds very real stakes for the characters and provides a grounded realism for the plot. Not only does it add suspense, but it also adds real consequences for the characters’ actions. Many Shounen anime have adapted this plot device to some degree of success. None of them have been more successful though as Jujutsu Kaisen.
The deaths of Mai Zenin, Nobara Kugisaki, and Kento Nanami remain fresh in the series. Despite their deaths having occurred a long time ago, their absence made a lasting impact. The lack of comedy and brashness Nobara provided turned the story into a serious tone. Nanami’s death took away Itadori’s innocence. And finally, Mai’s death turned the Maki Zenin we know into a cold and powerful sorcerer. With the release of Jujutsu Kaisen Chapters 212 and 213, Gege Akutami is looking to shake the status quo once again. In this chapter, we will answer the question: How did Megumi die?
Table of Contents
What Happened in Jujutsu Kaisen’s Chapters 212 and 213?
Jujutsu Kaisen’s Chapter 212 is the accumulation of previous events. Gege Akutami has been building up this chapter for a while!
The Build Up
We’ve already known that the circumstances behind Tsumiki were suspicious. From her awakening, things already felt off. Megumi had noted this before but chalked it as her sister being awkward.
Then, there was the case with Sukuna and Itadori. The two made a previous Binding Vow when Yuji died. Once Sukuna said “Enchain,” Yuji would give over all control to Sukuna for one minute. Of course, under the condition that Sukuna didn’t kill anyone. These activities would linger throughout the series as an omen. No one knew when these two reapers would come to settle their debts. That was until Chapter 212.
The Result: A Chaotic Free-For-All (Chapter 212)
Akutami-sensei hadn’t been feeling merciful for Jujutsu Kaisen fans. After letting Tsumiki into the Culling Game, Megumi is faced with his worst fear. The imposter hiding inside Tsumiki’s body let itself known to Megumi. It wished to go after Sukuna to experience the joy of fighting. Yuji and Megumi, alongside their new companion Angel, moved to stop Tsumiki. Unfortunately, the latter had sprouted wings and flew fast enough to avoid them.
Sukuna took advantage of the chaos to make use of their Binding Vow. After Yuji gave control to the Cursed Spirit, the latter immediately moved. After incapacitating Angel, he began to mutilate Yuji’s body. This had been bait to get Megumi to attack him, which the latter did. Because of their strong friendship, Megumi wanted to put Sukuna down. The Cursed Spirit knew this was going to happen, so he intercepted Megumi. In the process, Sukuna inserted his consciousness into the Fushiguro Clan Head.
Megumi Got Sukuna’d?! (Chapter 213)
Megumi becoming Sukuna had been the man’s master plan. The Cursed Spirit had long sensed Megumi’s compatibility to become his host. Since then, he had been waiting for the moment Megumi’s “spirit” broke to completely take over. This opportunity came when Megumi had been devasted over his sister’s imposter. In Chapter 213, we see that Sukuna had full control over Megumi. Using the latter’s body, he hit Yuji around and used his Cursed Techniques. He let his presence known to the rest of the Jujutsu Sorcerers in the area by using Nue.
Sukuna would encounter a small foil in his plan in the form of Angel. The latter quickly regained consciousness to take Sukuna down. With one well-placed “Jacob’s Ladder,” Sukuna was grievously damaged. It appeared that the attack had worked, and Megumi was once again in the driver’s seat. The man looked, moved, and spoke like Megumi. Angel moved to embrace the man when suddenly, Sukuna once again took over. The man was moving to eat Angel before we were given a cliffhanger.
How Did Megumi Die? Schrodinger’s Megumi!
Allow me to paraphrase one of Sheldon’s lessons to Penny from the Big Bang Theory. Schrodinger’s cat is when you place a cat and something that kills it inside a box. Then you seal up the box and leave it to fate to decide. Until the box is opened, we can never know if the cat is still alive. In this case, most scientists would say that the cat was both “alive and dead.” Why is this relevant you may ask? Well, this is the same case we have with Megumi!
For all intents and purposes, Megumi died via possession. Sukuna had taken over his body and soul and was using it to pilot it by his measure. Chapter 213 proved that Sukuna had great control over Megumi and that he could mimic the man. As long as Sukuna continues to possess his body, Megumi will be effectively dead.
But that doesn’t mean Megumi’s consciousness is effectively erased! By Sukuna’s admission, Megumi could be an effective vessel. However, it would take an opportunity for Sukuna to take full control of Megumi. Otherwise, Megumi’s body would have been in a cage like Yuji’s!
This means that Megumi’s consciousness would still exist. The man was strong enough to possibly resist Sukuna. However, there is no way to be sure. Until the next chapters drop, Megumi’s fate would remain unknown.
What Chapter Did Megumi Die? Wait, Megumi Never Died in Chapter 113!
There is a bit of misunderstanding about what went down in Chapter 113. Some people answered that Megumi dies in Chapter 113. But this isn’t true! What truly went down in Chapter 113 was Megumi claiming he was about to die. He had been in a battle against his father, Toji. The latter, upon realizing who Megumi was, chose to kill himself before he did any lasting damage.
The Fans’ Stance: Is Megumi Dead?
Sadly, news about Megumi dying is something that fans have already theorized. There have been multiple moments in the series that foreshadowed Megumi’s death. These small hints were picked up by the fanbase and became popular. Among the cast, Megumi had been the likeliest to die according to the fans.
One theory, in particular, is something I found interesting. This theory is made by a person called “Opposite_Hedgehog”. They posted their findings on Reddit. According to them, Megumi was going to die and he presented eight pieces of evidence that support it. For me, five pieces of evidence felt the most convincing.
The First Evidence: Official Artwork
The first were hands that belonged to Sukuna, moving to strangle Megumi. This had been an official artwork that was foreshadowing Sukuna’s possession. But this may have very well been showing Megumi dying at the hands of Sukuna.
The Second, Third, and Fourth Evidence: The Name
The second, third, and fourth convincing pieces of evidence were breakdowns involving Megumi’s name. Names in Anime have always had a significant meaning with their characters. In Jujutsu Kaisen, Akutami-sensei followed this plot device. A breakdown of “Fushiguro” would have the following meaning:
- “Fushi” (伏) means “lying down”.
- “Guro” (黒) meaning “black”. In Japanese culture, this color means death, misfortune, fear, and more.
These two words together would mean “black lying down”. Considering the cultural annotations behind this, it may very well mean a “funeral”. These words together may foreshadow Megumi’s death.
Then, we have Megumi’s given name. The Reddit user pointed out that the name “Megumi” had been a mostly female name. This fact is not lost upon fans who were quick to jump onto it. Many claimed that Megumi felt more like the heroine of the story. He had been the damsel-in-distress in most situations. If it weren’t for the people around him, Megumi would have been long dead.
However, what made this quirky discovery concerning was Gojo’s throwaway line. This way back at the start of the series. He was commenting on the ending of one of the movies he had Yuji watch. That the heroine had been “annoying” but died spectacularly. Many fans picked up and believed it to foreshadow one of the characters’ deaths. In this case, it was Megumi.
The Fifth Evidence: Reggie’s Last Line
The battle between Megumi and Reggie was arduous but effective. It helped Megumi develop as a character and as a Sorcerer. Having reached new heights, the boy looked ready to take on the world. His opponent had said as much, but it was the man’s words that caught much attention. “Let Fate toy with you. Become a clown, then die”.
Gege’s Stance: Is Megumi Dead?
Now that we know what the fans think, how about Gege Akutami’s?
Roughly a year ago, an interview saw Gege Akutami give away key details for the future of JJK. According to them, the story is set to end within the next two years. This means that come 2024, JJK would have officially ended. He gave a lot of important information, but the most important one had been the ending. According to Akutami, Fushiguro’s ending was already decided. Thanks to Twitter user soukatsu_, we have a translation for what went down in the interview!
This remark is concerning considering what Akutami said months prior. At Jump Festa, he confirmed that among Gojo and the first years, there were two choices. Either one person would die or everyone except one person would. Twitter user kaikaikitan also posted on Twitter a transcript of the interview!
Considering that Nobara has already died, we might be seeing a large decline among the cast. Megumi might be the next on the chopping block.