Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 26

Tengen-sama’s Vessel

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 26 is our introduction to Riko Amanai. She’s the girl who’s set to be Tengen-sama’s next vessel. If you’ve seen Boruto, Riko is pretty much the same as Kawaki. Her only purpose is to be sacrificed as a vessel for someone else.

Previously, I assumed that Riko wasn’t aware of her fate. But, it turns out that’s not true. Riko is very much aware that she’s a sacrifice. However, she doesn’t view her role the same as Gojou and Getou do. She believes it’s an honor to be Tengen-sama’s vessel.

The way she sees it, it’s not that she’s giving herself up to become Tengen-sama. It’s Tengen-sama who’s going to become her. But, the truth of the situation doesn’t seem to fit that interpretation. And there’s evidence pointing to the fact that Riko doesn’t actually believe her own words.

So, what’s the reality of Riko’s situation? As far as we know, she’s not going to exist once Tengen-sama takes over her body. The person known as Riko Amanai will cease to exist. But, even if her consciousness continues on, she’s not going to have a life.

As Tengen-sama’s vessel, she’ll be locked away under Jujutsu High for the next 500 years. And then, after those 500 years are up, the next vessel will take her place. If she is still conscious all that time, it’s kind of a fate worse than immediate death. She’ll be alone and unable to move for 500 years.

How do we know what Riko actually thinks about her situation, though? Well, she wants to spend her final days with her friends. She knows that there’s no coming back once she’s the new vessel. And her insistence on living a normal life shows what she really wants.

Shikigami Technique Users

There was a lot of talk about shikigami cursed technique users in Episode 26. So, what are they and how do they differ from some of the other cursed technique users we’ve seen? And, before we get into that, what are shikigami?

Shikigami (式神 / しきがみ) are kind of like familiars. They’re monsters that cursed technique users summon and control. For example, Megumi Fushiguro from Season 1 is a shikigami user. The creatures he summons are shikigami. So, we’re already familiar with one shikigami user. I think it’s safe to assume that Mei is also a shikigami user with her crows.

And, obviously, the old guy Getou fought in this episode was a shikigami user. But, other than them, I can’t think of another shikigami user. Though, I’m sure I’m forgetting some. If you can think of another, let me know in the comments.

Now, there are other cursed techniques that look a lot like shikigami use but aren’t. The big one is Getou’s technique. Despite how it appears, Getou isn’t a shikigami user. His technique allows him to manipulate curses. But, what’s the difference between that and controlling shikigami?

The main difference seems to be that there’s no sort of contract in place. Getou doesn’t have set shikigami that he summons to fight alongside him. Instead, he collects curses by eating them and can then release them and control them. We know this from the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie (review coming in two days).

There was one other almost-shikigami user in this episode. That was the guy who can clone himself. And that description of his technique is exactly why he’s not a shikigami user. Those bodies aren’t monsters he summons. They’re literally him and he can choose which is his main body.

Satoru “Heartbreaker” Gojou

We got some pretty good Gojou content from Episode 26. And, yes, I know I often complain about the use of comedy in a lot of series. But, when it comes to Jujutsu Kaisen, I tend to be fine with it.

At least, when Gojou is involved. Gojou is a known jokester. He’s been that way ever since we first met him. So, it’s not out of place to have comedic scenes revolving around him. And that’s why I liked the scene of him entering the chapel at the girls’ school.

Yes, it was funny to see him showing off for all the middle school girls. And yes, it was funny to see the teacher offer him her number. I have no problem saying that while also complaining about comedy in similar anime. I’m sorry Demon Slayer fans, but it doesn’t tend to work well in that series.

On a more serious note, we learned a little more about Gojou’s cursed technique(s) in this episode. We already knew his technique had something to do with space, time, and matter. We saw it in action back in Season 1, and I believe we got an explanation back then, too.

But, what seems to be new information is that Gojou actually combines two techniques. Gojou has both the Six Eyes and Limitless techniques. And, apparently, he’s the first person to have both in centuries. So, that explains why he’s so powerful.

From my understanding, the Limitless technique is the one used to manipulate objects. It’s what protects Gojou and allows him to throw people around. So, I guess everything else he can do comes from the Six Eyes technique. And yes, that sounds an awful lot like the Six Paths technique from Naruto.

Conclusion

What do you think of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 26? Do you think Riko Amanai understands the reality of her situation? Can you think of any shikigami users I forgot? And, how common do you think it is for cursed technique users to use multiple techniques? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 27 is available now.