The anticipation for Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 261 couldn’t have been higher, thanks to the insane cliffhanger in the previous chapter.
Gege Akutami threw a bone to die-hard fans of Gojo. However, based on the past twists in JJK, fans should have thrown caution to the wind.
Gege has never been subservient to the fans’ wishes, and he once again pulled the rug from under everyone’s feet – Gojo did come back, but with an insane twist.
To put it simply, Yuta Okkotsu had become Gojo Satoru. The prodigy had taken over the body of the master, and evidently the entire fandom was shocked.
For a second, Gege gave everyone a culture shock – seeing the stiches on Gojo’s forehead made it feel as if Kenjaku had somehow masterminded another gut punch. However, the mastermind behind the move was none other than Yuta Okkotsu.
How did Yuta take over Gojo’s body?
To answer in short – Yuta took over Gojo’s body by copying Kenjaku’s body hopping cursed technique.
After slaying him at Lake Gosho Colony, Yuta made Rika ingest Kenjaku. This let him use Kenjaku’s technique and transfer his brain to Gojo’s corpse.
Remember how Kenjaku said during the Shibuya arc that Yuta can never become Gojo Satoru? Feels like he took that one personally!!
Yuta becoming Gojo might have come as a surprise to us fans, however, this plan had been put into motion even before the fight against Sukuna had begun.
And when Sukuna killed Gojo, everyone proceeded to execute this plan.
After Ui Ui retrieved Gojo’s body, Shoko set to work immediately – stitching up his corpse so that Yuta can eventually transfer his brain to it if needed.
We need to remember this, taking over Gojo’s body was only a last resort for Yuta. Only if all the other means didn’t work out would he take this drastic step.
Even though he gave his all, Yuta too found himself in a similar predicament to Gojo – cut in half thanks to Sukuna’s world cutting slash.
However, he was able to maintain consciousness thanks to Rika’s intervention. Being taken to back to Shoko, Yuta realized that taking over Gojo’s body was the only way forward.
Before he lost his consciousness, Shoko transferred Yuta’s brain to Gojo’s body.
Yuta had activated Kenjaku’s technique, and then he used RCT in full swing in order to repair Gojo’s body! Eventually, the takeover was complete.
Naturally you might question – if Yuta could use RCT to repair Gojo’s body, why couldn’t Gojo himself do it. Well, it was only thanks to Shoko suturing the corpse that RCT was able to do the rest.
Why did Yuta do it? Understanding the monster:
Let’s take a deeper look at Yuta’s decision in this chapter.
From the start, it has been established that Yuta is someone who likes to share the burden of those around him. That is the sort of character he is.
Even this controversial decision to take over Gojo’s body was rooted in it.
Yuta understood that facing a monster like Sukuna wouldn’t be easy. If at all Gojo died, it would only put them in a difficult situation.
His concerns weren’t off the mark. Even after Gojo dealt significant damage to Sukuna, the others still couldn’t defeat him easily.
Yuta understood way back that if they were to stand a chance to defeat Sukuna, then becoming a monster was the only way to do it.
Being ethical, and taking the humane way out was not an option.
And so, his solution to overcome this was to use Gojo’s body to give them an upper hand in the fight. He even discussed his decision over with Gojo!
When Gojo was alive, he shouldered the burden of the Jujutsu society. He was forced to be the monster because he was the strongest.
After his death, this burden would obviously have to be shared by the younger generation, who had proven themselves to be more than capable.
However, Yuta being Yuta, decided to take that role onto himself.
The responsibility I am talking about here is dealing with the clear and present danger – Sukuna!
Let me state this, Gojo was and is the best bet to defeat The King of Curses. Yuta didn’t want let go of that option.
It is definitely cruel to Gojo – treating his body as a weapon even after his death. But, this is jujutsu world we are talking about. In the end, defeating a calamity like Sukuna was the only thing that mattered.
This adds greater context to why Hakari mentioned Yuta, while the conversation of humanity came up.
By taking over Gojo’s body, not only did Yuta prove his conviction – he has shown once again that he can come through when it matters the most.
He is ready to put his life and his humanity on the line, if it meant those around him can have a better life. Even back in JJK 0, he was ready to sacrifice his life against Geto, so that he could save his friends.
The current situation is no different. The stakes are quite high, because no one knows what the outcome of this body switching will be!
Yuta’s life is at high risk!!
Yuta definitely did manage to shift his brain to Gojo’s body and take over, however, he isn’t clear of danger.
As detailed in JJK 261, Yuta can only use a copied technique for 5 minutes at the most. This gives rise to three possible scenarios following the body switching.
If Kenjaku’s cursed technique has to remain continuously activated in order for the body switching to work, then it means Yuta can no longer sustain his brain in Gojo’s body after five minutes. Basically, it would be game over for him.
On the other hand, if Kenjaku’s cursed technique had to activated at certain intervals or even intermittently, it would still result in Yuta’s death once the effectiveness of the CT passes away.
The final and the best case scenario for Yuta is being able to stay in Gojo’s body for the rest of his life. For that to happen, Kenjaku’s technique should only require a one time activation. And with that, the body swapping should be complete.
Even then, Yuta stands to lose a lot. He will technically lose his body and his identity – changing his life as he knows it.
We don’t even know if he will be able to use the Copy Technique while possessing Gojo’s body.
Despite all the variables, Yuta still decided to go ahead with the plan to possess Gojo. Well, it was partly motivated by the situation he found himself in, but still – it shows that Yuta is definitely cut out to be a top sorcerer.
This led to him being praised and acknowledged by Sukuna. To know why – let’s take a look at what the King of Curses told Jogo at Shibuya.
You should have burnt everything you desired to a cinder to reach the heights of Satoru Gojo and not worry about your future or identity.
Sukuna to Jogo
Yuta’s actions are reminiscent of Sukuna’s advice. He put aside his identity and his future to achieve his goal – defeating Sukuna.
If that is not a testament to him reaching the same height as his sensei – then I don’t know what is.
What are your thoughts on Yuta taking over Gojo’s body? Let me know them in the comments!