Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, the sequel to Gege Akutami’s manga Jujutsu Kaisen, written by Akutami with art by Yuji Iwasaki, is mirroring themes now unfolding in the Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 anime with striking precision. Whether this alignment is intentional remains unclear, but the overlap adds new context to season 3, particularly for characters like Maki, as Modulo reveals how time and perspective have reshaped the characters in the present day.
[Ed. note: This article contains spoilers for future episodes of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime and for Jujutsu Kaisen: Modulo]
In chapter 21 of Modulo, a much older Maki reminisces in a flashback about her sister Mai, and whether she made the right choice to seek power growing up, believing she may have had a happier life if she prioritized her sister. “Because of Mai, I got stronger. But sometimes I wonder…did I really need to get stronger?” Maki tells her grandson Tsurugi, reminding him not to throw away things unnecessarily to gain power. It’s a reference to the tragic circumstances of the Zenin twins, which led to Mai sacrificing her life to let Maki fully unleash her Heavenly Restriction.
That gave Maki a massive power-up that allowed her to destroy the entire Zenin clan, but now fans know that, in the future, she harbors regret over that. Talking to Tsurugi, Maki wonders that, if Mai hadn’t died and she hadn’t gone up against the Zenin Clan, someone could have stepped up to the task instead. “It’s a naive fantasy I can only admit to now,” she says. “Still, there’s not a day that goes by when I don’t wonder maybe I could’ve chosen a future where Mai still exists.” In their final conversation, Mai reminded her sister that if only Maki hadn’t decided to reject their fate as failures of the clan, they could have lived a happy, sheltered life.
It serves as a compelling follow-up to the much-discussed Maki-focused episode in Jujutsu Kaisen season 3. The material in Modulo offers a fresh perspective on Maki’s inner thoughts, an area the original JJK did not spend much time exploring. We see now that the story of the Zenin sisters is about more than mere revenge, which adds a layer of complexity to the characters. Fans also finally caught a glimpse of Yuji Itadori, the series’ protagonist, in Jujutsu Kaisen: Modulo, where they witness the evolution of his beliefs over the years.
Previously, Yuji was resigned to being a functional piece in the war between jujutsu sorcerers and the curses they exorcise — a “cog.” The anime depicts this turning point in season 3, episode 6, fittingly titled “Cog,” in which Yuji delivers the quote that defines this mindset. Chapter 20 of Modulo shows how that philosophy goes on to dictate his life. Yuji makes no move to rush to the aid of the modern sorcerers battling in the moment, dismissively wondering who even cares about Yuji Itadori anymore, while reflecting on the adage that “soldiers never die, they just fade away.”
Instead, he promises only to clean up whatever remains after the confrontation ends. While this can be read as Yuji allowing the next generation of sorcerers to solve their own problems, it also signals his quiet resignation to the role he now occupies in jujutsu society. His outlook has changed: Yuji no longer saves people unless absolutely necessary, remaining emotionally detached from his responsibilities as the strongest in the world. Yuji has become a lonely shadow of his former self — cursed to outlive his friends and to exist as little more than a tool of the jujutsu world. It is a stark contrast to the younger Yuji we see in season 3, who once nearly took pride in his calling as a sorcerer and his position in the world.
Ultimately, Jujutsu Kaisen: Modulo feels less like a traditional spin-off and more like a true epilogue to Gege Akutami’s previous manga, giving the creator space to add nuance and emotional texture that the main series rarely paused to explore. With only a handful of chapters left before Modulo reaches its conclusion, anticipation is high to see how the author will continue weaving together past events and present consequences, and what the final chapters could reveal about the franchise as a whole.
