Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter #163 Sets the Stage for Yuji vs. [SPOILER]

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter #163, "Tokyo No. 1 Colony, Part 3," by Gege Akutami, John Werry and Snir Aharon, available in English from Viz Media.

Yuji Itadori and Megumi Fushiguro had been searching for Hiromi Higuruma ever since they entered the Culling Game because the latter has already accumulated 100 points. Their plan is to use his points to their advantage to add a new rule to the game. It would help them save Megumi's sister, Tsumiki, from having to participate as one of the sorcerers who have newly awakened Cursed Techniques.

In the previous chapter, Yuji and Megumi both asked a Culling Game player they just met for help finding Higuruma. Yuji asked Amai while Megumi asked Remi, but the newcomers told them two different locations. As Chapter #163 reveals, one of them was being led into a trap and meets a completely different sorcerer.

Megumi with Reggie and Remi in Jujutsu Kaisen

It turns out Megumi is the one who was led into a trap. His threats were apparently not enough to ensure Remi wouldn't deliberately lie to him, as she led him to another sorcerer named Reggie. Remi is either foolishly underestimating Megumi or is reasonably confident in Reggie's abilities as a sorcerer. Megumi doesn't seem worried either way, just extremely annoyed at Remi for wasting his time.

Meanwhile, as Amai leads Yuji to Higuruma, Jujutsu Kaisen reveals via flashback how the two first encountered each other. Rin Amai used to hang around a group of bullies in middle school, though it doesn't seem he was one himself. He stuck with them in order to avoid being one of their victims or of other groups like them. His philosophy was that if he just laughed and went along with whatever they said, he wouldn't end up wounding their pride and becoming their target.

One day, Yuji showed up as Amai's group was bullying someone. Amai initially thought he was being idiotic by interfering, but was quickly proven wrong when Yuji beat up the bullies. Amai's position in middle school parallels his position in the Culling Game when he first appeared. He was Haba and Hanyu's lackey, going along with whatever they wanted so he could be part of a group and have a higher chance of not being an individual target.

Higuruma in bathtub in Jujutsu Kaisen

Yuji finds Higuruma on a stage in an auditorium, sitting in a bathtub filled with water while fully clothed. He tells Yuji he doesn't care about much these days, and is now challenging himself by trying some new things he previously believed he shouldn't. Clearly, killing people is one of these things. Yuji says he wants to talk, and Higuruma jokingly responds that it'll cost cost him 5,000 yen every half hour since he's a lawyer.

Yuji deduces that Higuruma is a modern sorcerer based on his behavior and assumes that meant he'd hear him out. He asks Higiruma if they can use his 100 points to add a rule that negates the requirement to kill each other. Higuruma immediately refuses, his reason being that the Culling Game presents unique possibilities.

The lawyer in Higuruma explains that laws are powerless at times, but the Culling Game rules are different. There's no need for prosecutions or trials -- people who break the rules of the game are punished according to natural law. He admits that there are flaws within the rules but he wants to preserve the Culling Game's basic mechanics nonetheless. Therefore, he can't have the game ending right away.

Yuji vs Higuruma in Jujutsu Kaisen

Higuruma is hoping to witness the Cursed Technique removal at least once, so Yuji attempts to warn him the entire Culling Game is a ritual and that everyone in Japan will die if they wait too long. Higuruma doubts that and says the Culling Game celebrates permanence -- which leaves Yuji stumped and confused.

Yuji changes his question to a command by demanding Higuruma let them use his 100 points. Higuruma finally leaves the bathtub, ready to fight. He rhetorically asks Yuji if he's ever killed someone who ticked him off, then claims it feels better than he expected. Considering the character depth Higuruma has gotten in Jujutsu Kaisen, the buildup to meeting him, and what's at stake, this is sure to be an intense battle.

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