The Shibuya Incident Arc Is One of the Most Devastating for 'Jujutsu Kaisen' Fans

Spoiler alert! This article contains minor plot details from the Jujutsu Kaisen manga and anime.

It's no secret among anime fans that Jujutsu Kaisen has hit Big Three status since it first premiered back in October 2020. Based on the ongoing manga series by Gege Akutami, the series follows Yuji Itadori as he learns how to harness his newfound demonic abilities as a Jujutsu sorcerer-in-training, all while trying to prevent the demon inside him from taking over his body and causing chaos.

Since the anime's premiere, the series has won several awards for achievements in animation and the original manga become one of the best-selling manga series of all time by 2023. A prequel film was released in 2021 that also shattered box office records for anime films.

And the hype train just keeps on rolling with the anime. Season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen kicked off in July and adapts some notable arcs in the series. As of August, the season will dive into the infamous Shibuya Incident arc.

Since Season 2 was announced, fans have already known which arcs of Jujutsu Kaisen the anime was set to adapt from the source material. The second season will consist of the Hidden Inventory/Premature Death arc as well as the Shibuya Incident arc. The first portion sets the stage for a major turning point in the events of the series.

The Hidden Inventory/Premature Death arc takes a detour from the established chronology of the series. Comprising the first five episodes of Season 2, this arc turns back the clock and touches upon the origins of Yuji Itadori's Jujutsu mentor, Satoru Gojo, in an extended flashback. These episodes follow Gojo as he works alongside his friend Suguru Geto, who later becomes a major antagonist in the series.

At the very end of Season 2, Episode 5, the series returns to the present day with Gojo meeting up with his students in Yuji, Megumi Megumi Fushiguro, and Nobara Kugisaki. Thus, the stage is officially set for the Shibuya Incident arc.

Manga readers will know this arc will already. In the Shibuya Incident arc, a pseudo-version of Geto and fellow antagonist Mahito ally themselves with cursed spirits and curse users to launch a full-scale assault on Shibuya while trying to seal away Gojo and his considerable powers.

This arc is currently one of Jujutsu Kaisen's most emotional and memorable arcs to date. Several fans have even taken steps to warn anime-only audiences to brace themselves for the events of the series. A popular TikTok user even advised anime-only fans to drop the series entirely to avoid being devastated by the coming arc.

If fan reaction and the events of the manga are any indication, the Shibuya Incident arc in its animated form will bring about some visceral reactions.

Jujutsu Kaisen returns with new episodes on Aug. 31. The series is streaming on Crunchyroll.