Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 231 Spoilers & Explained!

We are summarizing the impressions and analysis of “Jujutsu Kaisen” Chapter 231, “Inhuman Battle in Shinjuku 9,” featured in the Weekly Shonen Jump 2023 combined issue for weeks 36 & 37, released on August 7, 2023 (Monday). In addition to spoilers and a synopsis of the latest episode of Jujutsu Kaisen, we also include highlights of the characters’ performances, so please take a look.

This article might have some big spoilers. If you are a fan of the anime or if you haven’t read the manga yet, please be careful.

Let’s take a look back at the previous chapter 230 of Jutsu Kaiten.

Summary of the previous story’s spoilers:

1. Fushiguro’s soul was found to take over the adaptation

Everyone’s attention on the appearance of Makora
Sukuna appears before Gojo as if nothing happened
Sukuna was taking over the adaptation himself in all battles
A certain-hit command neutralized by five times domain expansion
Sukuna didn’t neutralize the certain-hit command towards him
Fushiguro Megumi’s soul was found to take over the adaptation

2. Gojo fails to activate his domain expansion

Sukuna sinks Makora into his own shadow
Sukuna thought ‘Immeasurable Void’ was tricky
Gojo says that adaptation process was taken over
Fushiguro’s soul & Sukuna are not adapted to ‘Immeasurable Void’
Gojo tries to expand his domain expansion again
Sukuna points out Gojo can no longer expand his domain expansion
Gojo fails to activate his domain expansion and bleeds a lot from his nose

3. Sukuna tries to expand his domain

Sukuna talks about repairing a burnt-out technique
The technique is carved near the right brain’s frontal area
Gojo once destroyed his brain with cursed energy and then healed it
Sukuna has more flexibility than Gojo as he used it fewer times
Sukuna declares to close the domain expansion with a barrier next
Sukuna forms a palm seal and uses Makora’s magical circle
Sukuna declares to adapt to Gojo’s infinity

4. The fight moves to Round 2

Sukuna’s domain expansion fails
Sukuna bleeds a lot from his eyes and nose
Sukuna endured ‘Immeasurable Void’ for less than 10 seconds
Damage makes domain expansion impossible
Gojo laughs and says it’s working well
Gojo punches Sukuna’s face
Sukuna remembers Ban’s words while fighting
Gojo VS Sukuna moves to Round 2

Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 231 Spoilers!

What is Gojo’s Serious Fist that Kusakabe Reveals?

Kusakabe suddenly asks everyone, “Is there anyone here who has been seriously punched by Gojo?” In response to that question, Itadori and the second-year students say they have seriously tried to punch Gojo (though their punches didn’t actually hit him).

Next, Okkotsu and Hakari raise their hands, saying if it means a strike using limitless curse technique, then yes. After hearing the response from the Tokyo school students, Kusakabe reveals that Gojo’s fist is powered by cursed energy, and he stacks up the reaction of absorbing with “blue” at the moment of the strike. Continuing, Higuruma says it feels terrible, not only because the power increases but also because it feels like receiving a counter, even though it’s a regular punch. When asked by Kirara if it hurt, Okkotsu and Hakari reply, “We threw up.”

Gojo vs Sukuna Round 2 Begins

Continuing, Itadori says, “Nanamin also said,” and mentions what Nanami told him: If you want to continue being a sorcerer, don’t compare yourself with Gojo. According to Nanami, Gojo delivers critical hits with a jab feeling, like, “In short, ‘I can’t keep doing this’… that’s it.” While Ino hides his eyes after hearing the whole story, Kusakabe tells them not to ask him any more since he doesn’t know what Gojo is up to. The scene shifts back to Shinjuku, and Gojo is shown grabbing Sukuna by the collar, pushing him against a building, and destroying the sides of surrounding buildings. Gojo, who has thrown Sukuna, continues to use “blue (蒼)” on him, drawing the surrounding rubble towards Sukuna.

Gojo and Sukuna Engage in an Even Battle

Sukuna, leaping out from the pile of rubble, dodges Gojo’s kick by squatting, but is drawn upward as Gojo had activated “blue (蒼)” above his head. As Gojo’s heel drop looms, Sukuna turns the magical circle above his head black and leaps into the air to avoid Gojo’s attack. Sukuna, who had returned the heel drop in mid-air with momentum, is surrounded by images that Gojo had created of himself. Gojo, leaving afterimages while attacking, is seen by Sukuna, who figures out that they are afterimages and catches Gojo’s fist from behind. Sukuna, who had activated Domain Expansion, punches Gojo’s face, who lets out a cry.

The Makora’s Spell Circle Rotates Once

Gojo manages to put his hand between his face and Sukuna’s fist, avoiding a direct punch, but he is still blown away. He grabs a traffic light to stop his momentum, landing on top of it and facing off against Sukuna. Meanwhile, those watching the battle through a monitor panic as they notice Sukuna’s spell circle on his head rotate, thinking he’s adapted to the limitless curse technique. On the other hand, Gojo speculates that Sukuna’s Makora’s spell circle turns black when he touches himself with domain expansion, and it’s safe to assume that adaptation has been interrupted. Gojo continues to ponder why Sukuna can activate the expansion, even though he cannot use the domain, possibly because the part of the brain responsible for barrier techniques was affected by the “Immeasurable Void.”

The Group Discusses Predictions from the Battle of the Two

While Gojo continues to speculate, Sukuna thinks it’s natural for Gojo not to use any spell formulas other than reversal to avoid adaptation. As the traffic light turns green, Gojo and Sukuna exchange attacks. Gojo activates “blue (蒼)” again and draws the traffic light from behind Sukuna. Without looking, Sukuna grabs and throws it back at Gojo, but Gojo blocks the direct hit with a limitless barrier. The scene returns to the onlookers, who comment on Sukuna still not using Makora. They guess that multiple rotations of the spell circle are needed for techniques born from Gojo’s “limitless curse technique” since “Immeasurable Void” finished adapting after the fifth time.

Countdown Regarding Life and Death Starts

Moving the battleground, Gojo says, “It’s a total of 4 times, 3 more to go,” guessing the number of rotations of the spell circle needed for Makora to adapt to the inviolable. Hearing this, Itadori exclaims, “3 more times…!!” and Sukuna smiles, saying, “It’s a countdown until that faint smile of yours fades away.” On the other hand, Gojo frowns, saying, “I’ll kill you without waiting for a 3-count.” As Sukuna smiles at Gojo’s words, Kusakabe says, “He hasn’t forgotten about Kei, has he?” to which Kashizuo responds, “It’s okay if he forgets,” as everyone admonishes her. The countdown regarding life and death begins.

Spoilers Summary for Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 231

1. Kusakabe Talks About Gojo’s Serious Punch

Kusakabe asks about being seriously punched by Gojo.
Itadori and others say they have been punched seriously by Gojo.
Otogi and Himemori have felt Gojo’s punch with limitless power.
Gojo uses “Blue” in his punch.
Himemori says it feels like getting a counter-punch.
Otogi and Himemori say they threw up when hit.
Itadori says Nanami said the same thing.
In short, they say, “It was too much.”
Inono looks down when Nanami is mentioned.
Kusakabe says he doesn’t want to know more about Gojo.

2. An Equal Fight Between Sukuna and Gojo

Gojo grabs Sukuna by the shirt and drags him.
Gojo throws Sukuna and uses “Blue.”
Sukuna jumps out from a pile of bricks.
Sukuna makes the Makora’s magic circle turn black.
Gojo makes images of himself around Sukuna.
Sukuna blocks Gojo’s attack from behind.
Sukuna uses a special power to punch Gojo away.
Gojo puts his hand in front to stop a hit to his face.
The Makora’s magic circle starts to spin.

3. Countdown About Life and Death Starts

Sukuna’s magic circle turns black when he uses special power.
Using special power stops the adjustment.
Gojo doesn’t use anything but normal moves to avoid adjustment.
Sukuna still doesn’t use Makora.
For “Immeasurable Void,” it took five times to finish adjusting.
Gojo needs to spin the magic circle many times for his move.
Three more times are needed for Makora to adjust to being untouchable.
Sukuna laughs, saying it’s a countdown.
Gojo says, “I’m going to kill you.”
The countdown about life and death starts.

Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 231 Consideration!

About Gojo’s Serious Fist Technique

When Gojo punches with all his might, he uses his magic to strengthen his fist and adds a reaction that draws in with “Blue” at the moment of impact. According to those who have felt his punch enhanced by unlimited curses, it doesn’t only become more powerful, but also gives the feeling of being countered, even though it’s just a regular punch. When asked by Kirara if it “hurt,” both Ototsuki and Hoshiguma said, “I threw up,” and turned pale.

Itadori Reveals Nanami’s Past Remarks

After talking about Gojo’s punches, Itadori mentioned, “Nanami also said it.” He revealed that Nanami used to say that Gojo can make critical hits as easily as jabs. In Nanami’s words, it was like saying, “I can’t handle this.” He advised Itadori not to compare himself with Gojo if he wanted to continue being a sorcerer. The scene was depicted with Ino hiding his eyes as Itadori told Nanami’s story.

Gojo Fighting Using “Blue”

Even though his domain expansion was sealed, Gojo started fighting again with Sukuna, who had Mahoraga’s magic circle floating above his head. Gojo grabbed Sukuna’s collar, dragged him around, and threw him, then trapped him in debris using “Blue.” He also used “Blue” to pull Sukuna upwards and launched a heel drop, which was illustrated in the scene.

Gojo Seems Cautious About Adaptation

Gojo, while fighting Sukuna, is only using the unlimited curse technique of sequence reversing “Blue.” Because Sukuna is shouldering the adaptation of Mahoraga’s situation, Gojo is being cautious and not using other techniques to avoid adaptation. However, it seems that he keeps an absolute inviolable barrier active to block any contact.

Sukuna Changes the Color of Makora’s Magic Circle to Black

Right before Gojo’s heel drop hits, Sukuna turns the Makora’s magic circle above his head black. This is a special feature. When the magic circle turns black, it means Sukuna is using “Domain Expansion” to touch Gojo. Also, it seems that when Sukuna uses the expansion, the adaptation of Makora’s magic circle is temporarily stopped.

Why Can Sukuna Use Domain Expansion?

In episode 230, Sukuna received damage to his brain from “Immeasurable Void” for less than 10 seconds, making it impossible to use his domain. But in episode 231, even though he can’t use his domain, he can activate domain expansion. Gojo guesses that the brain damage was in the area related to the barrier technique.

Gojo Creates Afterimages Around Sukuna

While Sukuna, who activated domain expansion, is trying to counter-attack, Gojo shows a technique that creates his own afterimages around Sukuna. This technique seems to be a tribute to one of the assassination techniques called “Shikyoku” used by Killua in “HUNTER×HUNTER,” Volume 2, Chapter 13. “Shikyoku” is a technique that confuses the enemy by creating afterimages with varying speeds of leg movement, and it seems that Gojo can use it too.

Everyone Talks About Makora

While Gojo and Sukuna are fighting, those watching through the monitor were sharing information about Makora. Makora’s manifestation, “Words of Furu,” symbolizes “perfect circulation and harmony.” Also, Makora has a nature that adapts to each event by rotating the magic circle each time it is attacked.

About the Rotation of Makora’s Magic Circle

While everyone is watching the battle, the scene where Sukuna’s magic circle above his head finally rotates is depicted. Everyone was anxious, thinking it had adapted to the unlimited curse technique, but Sukuna continued to fight Gojo without using Makora. From this, it can be understood that one rotation of Makora’s magic circle may not be enough to adapt to techniques like unlimited curses.

How Many Rotations of the Magic Circle Are Needed for Gojo’s Techniques?

Gojo pointed out to Sukuna that the total number of rotations of the magic circle for Makora to adapt to his own inviolability was 4 times, with 3 remaining. Meanwhile, for “Immeasurable Void,” the adaptation was completed at the 5th domain expansion, and in the story, the magic circle was shown to rotate at least twice. From this, we can think that Gojo’s techniques, which come from “Unlimited Cursed Magic,” need multiple rotations of the magic circle.

About the Targets of Makora’s Adaptation

Unlimited Cursed Magic itself (including things like “Red” and “Blue”)
The inviolable barrier around Gojo
The forward rotation of Unlimited Cursed Magic’s spell order “Blue”

Gojo mentioned that “Makora will adapt to my inviolable” if the magic circle rotates 3 more times. What inviolable means is not clear, but the three patterns above could be candidates. If inviolable means the barrier around Gojo, like in option 2, it seems like Gojo would have a hard time against Makora.

Reactions of Those Watching the Battle

Sukuna laughs, saying that the countdown until Gojo’s faint smile disappears is the number of rotations of the magic circle needed for it to adapt, “3 more times.” On the other hand, Gojo says that they are the same in that regard and declares, “I won’t wait for 3 counts; I’ll kill you right away.” Kusakabe, who was watching the interaction between the two, shows concern, wondering if Gojo has forgotten about Fushiguro.