Who wins, Gojo or Sukuna? Sukuna does. The Shinjuku Showdown ends with Satoru Gojo dead in chapter 236, cut down by a slash that cuts the world itself. But if you have only seen the anime, or you have seen "Nah, I'd win" everywhere and want to know how it actually played out, the result is the least interesting part. This fight was close, it was strange, and it is still the biggest argument in the fandom. We built this breakdown from the manga's own chapter summaries, so every step is something you can check. Spoiler warning: this covers the end of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga.
The short version
- Sukuna wins. Gojo is killed in chapter 236 of the manga, at the end of a fight that runs from chapter 223.
- It was close. The fight was fought on near equal ground, and Gojo was ahead more than once, healing through the domain clash with his reverse cursed technique.
- How Sukuna got through: he used Mahoraga from the Ten Shadows technique to adapt to Infinity, then landed a slash that cuts the world.
- Anime-only? The anime has adapted up to The Culling Game Part 1. The Culling Game Part 2 is announced; the Shinjuku fight comes after that.
Satoru Gojo: why everyone called him the strongest
Gojo carries the title "The Strongest", and in the story almost nobody, friend or enemy, argues with it.
His power comes from two things working together. The Six Eyes let him read and use cursed energy with near-perfect efficiency, and the Limitless technique lets him control space at the atomic level. That gives him Infinity, a barrier that stops attacks before they touch him, plus Blue (attraction), Red (repulsion) and Hollow Purple, which erases whatever it hits. His domain, Unlimited Void, floods the target with infinite information until they cannot act.
Why does that matter for this fight? Because nothing in the series before Shinjuku had a real answer to Infinity. The villains' whole plan was to seal Gojo away in the Prison Realm at Shibuya rather than beat him. When his students freed him, the only fight left that could test him was Sukuna.
Ryomen Sukuna: the King of Curses
Sukuna is the King of Curses, a sorcerer from the Heian era who survived as 20 indestructible fingers.
For most of the story he lived inside Yuji Itadori. After the Shibuya Incident he moved into Megumi Fushiguro's body, which gave him access to Megumi's Ten Shadows technique. His own kit is brutal in its simplicity: Dismantle throws ranged slashes, Cleave adjusts its cut to whatever it hits, and Divine Flame handles fire. His domain, Malevolent Shrine, fills an area of about 200 metres with slashes.
That Ten Shadows detail is the key to the whole fight. Sukuna did not just want a new body. He wanted the one technique in the series that could adapt to anything.
How the Shinjuku Showdown actually went
The fight starts on 24 December in Shinjuku and runs across chapters 223 to 236, collected in volumes 25 and 26. Here is how it unfolds, step by step:
- Even trade. The two fight on near equal ground. Neither can simply overpower the other, which had never happened to Gojo before.
- The domain clash. Unlimited Void meets Malevolent Shrine. Sukuna nearly takes control, but Gojo uses his reverse cursed technique to heal and claw back the advantage.
- The cost. Both of them start to feel the toll of using their domains over and over, and it shows up in the brain. Gojo pays it, and so does Sukuna.
- Mahoraga. Sukuna finally brings out the Ten Shadows and summons Mahoraga, a shikigami that adapts to whatever hurts it. Mahoraga succeeds in adapting to Infinity and lands a deadly attack on Gojo.
- The world-cutting slash. Sukuna uses what Mahoraga learned and unleashes his ultimate slash, one that cuts the world itself rather than the person in it. Infinity cannot stop it. Gojo dies in chapter 236.
Why is step 5 such a big deal? Because it means Sukuna did not out-muscle Infinity. He went around it, using a technique that was never his to begin with.
Who wins, and why it was closer than it looks
Sukuna wins, and the honest version of the verdict is: he won because he had a second fighter's technique on hand and the patience to use it.
Gojo was ahead at several points. He survived the domain clash, kept pace blow for blow, and forced Sukuna to burn through tricks. Sukuna's edge was the Ten Shadows, a technique he only had because he had taken Megumi's body, and the slash he built from what Mahoraga learned. Take that away and the fight looks very different, which is exactly why fans still argue about it.
It also did not end the war. After Gojo, Kashimo steps in, then Yuji and the rest of the sorcerers fight Sukuna in waves. He is finally beaten in volume 30, the last volume, when Yuji lands a decisive Black Flash and separates Megumi's soul from Sukuna's. So "who is stronger" and "who wins in the end" have different answers: Sukuna beat Gojo one on one, but it took everyone together to finish him. That is why he sits at the top of our strongest Jujutsu Kaisen characters ranking, with Gojo right behind him.
Gojo vs Sukuna at a glance
| Satoru Gojo | Ryomen Sukuna | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | The Strongest | The King of Curses |
| Core technique | Limitless, powered by the Six Eyes | Shrine: Dismantle and Cleave |
| Defence | Infinity | Adaptation through Mahoraga |
| Body in the fight | His own | Megumi Fushiguro's |
| Domain | Unlimited Void | Malevolent Shrine |
| Trump card | Hollow Purple | Mahoraga's adaptation, then the world-cutting slash |
| Shinjuku result | Killed in chapter 236 | Wins, later beaten in volume 30 |
Common questions
Does Sukuna beat Gojo?
Yes. Sukuna kills Gojo in chapter 236 of the manga, at the end of the Shinjuku Showdown that starts in chapter 223.
How did Sukuna get past Gojo's Infinity?
He summoned Mahoraga through the Ten Shadows technique he took with Megumi's body. Mahoraga adapted to Infinity, and Sukuna then used a slash that cuts the world itself, which Infinity could not block.
Is Gojo really dead?
Yes. Gojo dies in chapter 236, and the manga finished in September 2024 with 30 volumes. What happens to his body afterwards is one of the most argued-about twists in the series, and we will leave that one for you to read.
When will the anime show Gojo vs Sukuna?
Not announced yet. The anime adapted The Culling Game Part 1 from January to March 2026, and The Culling Game Part 2 has been announced. The Shinjuku fight comes after the Culling Game in the manga.
What to do next
If you are anime-only, the one thing to remember is that this fight is worth waiting for: it is the payoff to everything Gojo has been set up as since Season 1. Read the manga from the Shinjuku Showdown if you cannot wait, or rewatch Shibuya to see exactly why the curses were so desperate to seal him away. Then see where everyone else lands in our Jujutsu Kaisen power ranking, and pick your side in the argument with something from our Jujutsu Kaisen collection, from Gojo tees to Sukuna's finger. Whichever side you take, sources for every chapter number above are the Jujutsu Kaisen chapter list.
Featured image: © Gege Akutami / Shueisha, Jujutsu Kaisen Production Committee (The Culling Game Part 2 key visual), via jujutsukaisen.jp.