Big spoiler warning: this list covers the complete Jujutsu Kaisen manga, which ended in September 2024. The anime has adapted up to The Culling Game Part 1 (Season 3, January to March 2026), so anime-only fans will meet major spoilers below.
"Who's stronger, Gojo or Sukuna?" was the question that ran the Jujutsu Kaisen fandom for years. Now that Gege Akutami's manga has wrapped up after 30 volumes, we finally have answers instead of theories.
Here's the short version: Ryomen Sukuna is the strongest character in Jujutsu Kaisen, with Satoru Gojo a whisker behind. Below them, Yuta Okkotsu and Yuji Itadori climbed far higher by the final arc than most fans predicted back in season one.
This list ranks each character at their peak, using what actually happened on the page.
How we ranked them
- Peak strength: each character at their strongest point in the story.
- Results: who they beat, who they held off, and who beat them.
- Toolkit: domain expansion, cursed technique mastery and reverse cursed technique count, but only if they used them well.
10. Hiromi Higuruma
A defence lawyer who unlocked his cursed technique and a domain expansion in a matter of days. That's absurd even by Jujutsu Kaisen standards.
Higuruma's domain, Deadly Sentencing, puts opponents on trial. A guilty verdict can strip their cursed technique or hand Higuruma the Executioner's Sword, which kills with a single cut. His Executioner's Sword became one of the few real threats to Sukuna in the final battle.
9. Kinji Hakari
Hakari's domain is a pachinko machine, and it's one of the most dangerous abilities in the series.
When he hits the jackpot in Idle Death Gamble, Hakari gets near-unlimited cursed energy and automatic reverse cursed technique for a few minutes, healing every wound almost instantly. In practice, that makes him close to unkillable while the jackpot runs, as Kashimo found out in their Culling Game fight.
8. Toji Fushiguro
Toji had zero cursed energy and still beat a young Satoru Gojo.
His Heavenly Restriction traded all cursed energy for superhuman physical ability, and he used it to slip past barriers and sensors that couldn't detect him. Armed with the Inverted Spear of Heaven, which cancels cursed techniques, he took down Gojo in the Hidden Inventory arc. That fight is also what pushed Gojo into becoming "the strongest", which is why Toji isn't higher.
7. Maki Zen'in
After the tragedy in the Zen'in clan, Maki's Heavenly Restriction became complete, just like Toji's.
In one chapter she went from the clan's outcast to wiping out its strongest members, Naoya Zen'in included. In the final arc, she fought Sukuna directly with a cursed tool forged from her sister's sacrifice. If you love the "underestimated hero" trope, Maki is the series' best example.
6. Yuki Tsukumo
Yuki was one of only four special grade sorcerers, and she spent most of the story in the background. Then she fought Kenjaku.
Her technique, Star Rage, adds virtual mass to her body and her shikigami, Garuda, turning every punch into a planet-sized impact. In her final moments, she pushed it far enough to threaten a black hole. She didn't win, but she forced Kenjaku to use everything he had.
5. Kenjaku
Kenjaku isn't the strongest fighter on this list, but he might be the most dangerous.
Living for over a thousand years by stealing bodies, he engineered almost every major event in the series, from the Shibuya Incident to the Culling Game itself. In Suguru Geto's body he could use Cursed Spirit Manipulation and its Uzumaki technique, along with his own gravity-based technique. He held off Yuki and Choso together before Yuta finally ended him.
4. Yuji Itadori
Season one Yuji was a kid with great reflexes and a demon in his head. Final-arc Yuji is a different person.
He mastered Black Flash to a degree no one else matched, landing them back to back. He learned to strike the soul directly, which made him the one fighter who could actually wear down Sukuna's grip on Megumi's body. In the final battle, he even revealed a domain of his own. Yuji's growth is the spine of the whole manga.
3. Yuta Okkotsu
Yuta was introduced in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 as a special grade sorcerer, and the series never let you forget it.
His technique, Copy, lets him use other people's cursed techniques, powered by his bond with Rika and a cursed energy reserve that rivals Gojo's. By the final arc he'd used Copy to wield a domain expansion and techniques from across the cast, and he was the one who brought down Kenjaku. He also made the most controversial play of the final battle. We'll let you read that for yourself.
2. Satoru Gojo
"The strongest" lived up to the title for most of the story.
Gojo's Limitless and Six Eyes let him control space at an atomic level, which is why nothing could touch him through Infinity. His domain, Unlimited Void, floods the target's brain with infinite information. Hollow Purple erases whatever it hits.
In the Shinjuku Showdown, Gojo fought Sukuna at full power in one of the most celebrated fights in modern manga. It was close, and Gojo had the upper hand at several points. But he lost, and that's why he's number two.
1. Ryomen Sukuna
The King of Curses is the strongest character in Jujutsu Kaisen.
Sukuna's techniques, Dismantle and Cleave, slice through almost anything. His domain, Malevolent Shrine, has no barrier, which means it can cover a huge area and cut everything inside it. Against Gojo, he adapted using Mahoraga's ability to find a way past Infinity, then used a slash that cuts the world itself.
Even in his final fight, it took Yuji, Yuta, Maki, Higuruma, Todo and more, fighting in waves, to bring him down. No single character in the series beat him alone.
Honourable mentions
- Choso: Yuji's "big brother" and a master of Blood Manipulation.
- Megumi Fushiguro: Ten Shadows is one of the strongest techniques in the series, which is exactly why Sukuna wanted his body.
- Mahito: the curse who caused the most damage before Sukuna took over the story.
- Aoi Todo: Boogie Woogie made him the best team-up partner in the series.
Where the anime is up to
The Jujutsu Kaisen anime has adapted the manga up to The Culling Game Part 1 (Season 3, which aired from January to March 2026), and The Culling Game Part 2 has been announced. Many of the fights on this list, including Gojo vs Sukuna, are still to come in anime form. If you're anime-only, you've got a lot to look forward to.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the strongest character in Jujutsu Kaisen?
Ryomen Sukuna is the strongest character in Jujutsu Kaisen. He defeated Satoru Gojo in the Shinjuku Showdown and was only beaten by a group of sorcerers fighting in waves.
Is Gojo stronger than Sukuna?
No. Gojo and Sukuna fought at full strength and Gojo had moments where he was ahead, but Sukuna won the fight.
Is Yuji stronger than Gojo by the end?
Not quite. Yuji grows enormously and is key to beating Sukuna, but his strength comes from Black Flash and soul attacks rather than overwhelming power like Gojo's.
How many seasons of Jujutsu Kaisen are there?
As of October 2026, there are three seasons of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime plus the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 film. Season 3 adapted The Culling Game Part 1, and Part 2 has been announced.
Is the Jujutsu Kaisen manga finished?
Yes. The Jujutsu Kaisen manga ended on 30 September 2024 and runs to 30 volumes.
Wear the strongest
If you're firmly on team Gojo, the Jujutsu Kaisen Gojo Washed Tee was made for you. Explore the full Jujutsu Kaisen collection, including the Jujutsu Kaisen 17 cm Boxed Figure for your shelf, or browse all our T-Shirts.
So, who's your number one? Sukuna, Gojo, or someone we've ranked too low?
Featured image: Jujutsu Kaisen: The Culling Game key visuals © Gege Akutami / Shueisha, Jujutsu Kaisen Production Committee, via the Jujutsu Kaisen official anime site.