Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 8, begin with Gojo’s Past Arc takes us back a decade to follow Satoru Gojo during his years as a second-year student. He’s given a mission along with Suguru Geto to escort the next vessel for Master Tengen.

Jujutsu Sorcerers protect the weak

In Hamamatsu City, Mei Mei and Utahime Lori investigate a cursed mansion. However, they get caught in the curses barrier. They deduce that it “overlaps space,” causing them to walk along a never ending hallway. None of the marker they placed remain and the walls are “squishy,” making them unbreakable. They plan on “splitting up and move unpredictably,” to break the curse. However, the mansion is torn apart by Satoru Gojo’s Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue. Gojo teases Utahime, asking if she’s “crying.” Suddenly, a giant curse appears behind her. A second later a n even large curse begins to swallow that curse. Suguru Geto appears and orders his curse “not to swallow it.” He tells Gojo, it’s “not nice to pick on the weak.” Gojo asks “who the heck would pick on someone strong?”

Gojo and Geto are both arrogant, but Geto doesn’t believe he is, whereas Gojo doesn’t care. Among all the excitement, they forget to erect a curtain. Without it the events at the mansion make the news. Masamichi Yaga questions the three students, Gojo, Geto, and Shoko Leiri. The latter two point to Gojo as the one responsible. Gojo believes curtains are pointless, especially considering that “regular people,” can’t even see cursed spirits or jujutsu. Geto argues that curtains “are important for citizen’s peace of mind.” We continue to see the gap between the two’s view on the “weak.” Gojo thinks it’s too troublesome to “look out” for the weak and Geto believes “society should protect the weak and keep the strong in check.” He believes jujutsu sorcerers exist to protect non-jujutsu users.

Master Tengen’s significance

Master Tengen is a character that was vaguely mentioned previously. He possesses the cursed technique of immortality, which fails to keep him from aging. Once he reaches a certain age, he forced to evolve. If he does he “will no longer be human and will ascend to a higher state.” Master Tengen is responsible for strengthening the barriers that protect both Jujutsu Schools, the Pillars of the Jujutsu world, and the assistant managers barrier techniques. Without him Jujutsu sorcerers would have a harder time completing missions. Furthermore, he could “become an enemy to humanity,” if he doesn’t merge with the “star plasma vessel and rewrite the bodies genetic information.”

So becoming MetalGreymon is fine, but it’d be a problem if he became SkullGreymon . . . so we reset back to Koromon, right?

Satoru Gojo

According to Yaga, the location of the vessel has been leaked a two groups are now targeting her. The first group, Q is an organization of curse users who aim to overturn the modern jujutsu world. If they can kill the vessel then Master Tengen would “lose all reason.” The second group, the Time Vessel Association, worships Master Tengen as a God. They believe if Tengen merges with the vessel he’ll become impure. Gojo and Geto have to escort the girl, protecting her for two days. As Geto and Gojo head to her location, she’s thrown out a window by the Q soldier, Kokun. Geto rescues her with a flying curse, meanwhile, Gojo briefly battles Q soldier, Bayer. Elsewhere, the representative of the Time Vessel Association meets with a former member of the Zenin clan, Toji Fushiguro.

Fushiguro places a bounty on Riko

After easily defeating the Q soldiers, Geto and Gojo meet Riko Amanai and her caretaker Misato Kuroi. The tendency of Gojo and Geto to rudely insult someone in their presences is humorous. Riko is an orphan. While she claims to have no issue merging with Master Tengen, Geto seems unsure she’s sincerer. Toji Fushiguro puts a 30 million yen bounty on Riko. His intention is to use the bounty hunters to “wear Gojo down.” Two Curse Users, an old man and a man with a bag on his head look to claim the bounty. Suguru heads to confront the intruders, while, Satoru and Kuroi go to find Riko.

Geto encounters the old man first. The two size each other up. The old man correctly deduces that Geto uses curse manipulation. The old man is too confident and assumes Geto is afraid of close combat. When Suguru attacks a giant worm curse, the old man falls for his trap. He avoids the curse by exiting through a window and re-enters a window next to Geto. Suddenly, the old man receives a flashback of his dog Tasuke, as Geto beats the hell out of him. Elsewhere, Gojo finds Riko in her music class. With the target in custody, Gojo flees with her. However, the Bag head curse user surrounds them with clones.

The Limits of Limitless

The curse techniques of Jujutsu Kaisen can be difficult to comprehend. Gege Akutami seems to be inspired by complicated concepts. Gojo mentions that his curse technique, the infinity, is from “Achilles and the tortoise,” or the Zeno’s Achilles paradox. In the paradox, Greek philosopher, Zeno explains how it’s possible for a tortoise to defeat Achilles in a race:

“First, the tortoise is given a slight head start. Anyone fancying a flutter would still rush to put their money on Achilles, but Zeno pointed out that to overtake him, Achilles would first have to cover the distance to the point where the tortoise began.

In that time, the tortoise would have moved, so Achilles would have to cover that distance giving the tortoise time to amble forwards a bit more.

Logically, this would carry on forever. However small the gap between them, the tortoise would still be able to move forward while Achilles was catching up. Meaning that Achilles could never overtake.” – britannica.com

I still can’t comprehend the paradox completely. Regardless, Satoru Gojo’s limitless technique allows him to slow things down, permitting “impossible situations” to manifest. Of course if they’re impossible then they can’t manifest at all right? Anyway, Gojo can create a magnetic effect. This process requires Gojo to use a lot of curse energy, which cause fatigue. At this point in Gojo’s life he’s still learning to master his curse techniques. He attempts to use his Cursed Technique Reversal of the Limitless: Red, but it fails. He ends up knocking the Bag Head Curse User out with a punch. Suddenly, Riko gets a text. The enemies have captured Kuroi.

Toji Fushiguro’s ambush

Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto, and Riko Amanai pursue Kuroi. She’s rescued off page. First Year students, Yu Haibara and Kento Nanami provide backup at the airport. On the beach, Geto notices that Gojo has been using his technique since yesterday. The next day, they return to Tokyo Jujutsu High four hours after the bounty was lifted. Assuming the danger is gone and the mission is complete, Gojo finally releases his curse technique. Suddenly, Toji Fushiguro stabs Gojo through the back, shocking everyone.

Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 8 expands the Jujutsu World. We learn the significance of Master Tengen and how his curse technique functions. Suguru Geto and Satoru Gojo are two of the most important characters in the series. In the current timeline, Geto is a curse user, however, in this arc he’s still a Jujutsu Sorcerer. We know of his down fall, but we don’t know how it can to be. Gojo and Geto share similar qualities. Their both powerful sorcerer’s, that look down of those that are weaker. However, Geto has more sympathy for them than Gojo. Which adds to the intrigue. How did the more sympathetic sorcerer become the villain?

Check out my review of Black Clover Volume 3.