The Convenient Loopholes Used to Save Megumi During the Sukuna vs Mahoraga Fight (Jujutsu Kaisen)
The way the fight between Sukuna and Mahoraga plays out relies on some very specific rules that seem to pop up exactly when Megumi needs them to stay alive. While Jujutsu Kaisen usually has a pretty solid power system, the Subjugation Ritual in Shibuya feels like a clear example of the author prioritizing the plot over the actual stakes of the situation.
The biggest convenience is the "suspended animation" state. When Megumi first summons Mahoraga, he’s already basically dead. Mahoraga hits him with a blow that would normally kill anyone instantly, but Megumi doesn't die. Instead, we learn a new rule: as long as the ritual is still going, the people in it are kept in a state of suspended death. Their souls are basically locked in their bodies until the ritual officially ends. Without this specific rule appearing right then, Megumi would have died before Sukuna even had a chance to show up.
This is where Shigemo comes in. His survival throughout the whole day depends on his "Miracle" technique, which lets him survive fatal hits by using up stored "luck." Looking back, this technique feels like a tool used just to keep a weak character around long enough to be forced into this ritual. Since the ritual needs all participants to be dead before it can close, Shigemo basically becomes a living battery that keeps the suspended death timer running for Megumi.
Even Sukuna’s actions during the fight are tied to these rules. When he arrives, he knows that if Mahoraga kills Shigemo, the ritual ends, the safety net breaks, and Megumi dies instantly. Because of this, Sukuna actually has to protect Shigemo. At one point, Mahoraga is about to crush him, and Sukuna uses his speed to snatch Shigemo away just in time. He isn't doing it out of kindness; he's just keeping the ritual's timer from hitting zero so he has time to kill Mahoraga first.
The fight also ends on a perfect loophole. Because Sukuna was an "outsider" and wasn't part of the original ritual, his victory doesn't actually count. This voids the whole thing. It’s a very convenient way to end the scene: the threat of Mahoraga is gone and Megumi is saved, but he doesn’t get the reward of taming the monster because he didn't win on his own.
When you put it all together, the suspended death state, the Miracle technique, and the outsider loophole, it’s hard not to feel like the rules of the Ten Shadows were interpreted in a way that specifically kept Megumi alive in a situation that was supposed to be a suicide move.
The biggest convenience is the "suspended animation" state. When Megumi first summons Mahoraga, he’s already basically dead. Mahoraga hits him with a blow that would normally kill anyone instantly, but Megumi doesn't die. Instead, we learn a new rule: as long as the ritual is still going, the people in it are kept in a state of suspended death. Their souls are basically locked in their bodies until the ritual officially ends. Without this specific rule appearing right then, Megumi would have died before Sukuna even had a chance to show up.
This is where Shigemo comes in. His survival throughout the whole day depends on his "Miracle" technique, which lets him survive fatal hits by using up stored "luck." Looking back, this technique feels like a tool used just to keep a weak character around long enough to be forced into this ritual. Since the ritual needs all participants to be dead before it can close, Shigemo basically becomes a living battery that keeps the suspended death timer running for Megumi.
Even Sukuna’s actions during the fight are tied to these rules. When he arrives, he knows that if Mahoraga kills Shigemo, the ritual ends, the safety net breaks, and Megumi dies instantly. Because of this, Sukuna actually has to protect Shigemo. At one point, Mahoraga is about to crush him, and Sukuna uses his speed to snatch Shigemo away just in time. He isn't doing it out of kindness; he's just keeping the ritual's timer from hitting zero so he has time to kill Mahoraga first.
The fight also ends on a perfect loophole. Because Sukuna was an "outsider" and wasn't part of the original ritual, his victory doesn't actually count. This voids the whole thing. It’s a very convenient way to end the scene: the threat of Mahoraga is gone and Megumi is saved, but he doesn’t get the reward of taming the monster because he didn't win on his own.
When you put it all together, the suspended death state, the Miracle technique, and the outsider loophole, it’s hard not to feel like the rules of the Ten Shadows were interpreted in a way that specifically kept Megumi alive in a situation that was supposed to be a suicide move.
Commentaires
tbh if you wanted to fully make sense of the system you’d need a spreadsheet to explain it and every single checks and balances process.
I mean even right now in S3 we’re seeing a confusing loophole that is strictly for plot and not logic.
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