Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 episode 10 lets Megumi shine as a battle strategist

Megumi Fushiguro has been a central character in Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen since the very beginning. His status as the franchise deuteragonist was cemented when he witnessed Yuji Itadori’s awakening as Sukuna’s vessel in the season premiere, and the two have been intensely loyal towards one another ever since. Season 3 of Jujutsu Kaisen has consistently raised the stakes with Kenjaku’s Culling Game, which Yuji and Megumi decide to enter as a united front. Unfortunately, fate has other plans when the two get separated the moment they enter, forcing the young sorcerers to rely on nobody but themselves. Episode 10 of the latest season shines a dazzling spotlight on Megumi’s strategic genius in his fight against Reggie Star and his allies, with MAPPA bringing some seriously gorgeous fight choreography to life.

[Ed. note: This article contains spoilers for season 3 episode 10 of Jujutsu Kaisen and its source material]

In previous episodes, we saw Reggie attempting to win Megumi’s favor. He believes Kenjaku will reveal the true purpose of the Culling Game once the weakest sorcerers are wiped out. Episode 10 opens with Megumi confidently stating that a new rule allowing players to transfer points will soon be added, referencing the negotiation Yuji makes with Hiromi Higuruma in episode 9. Instead of proposing a pact, Megumi demands Reggie and his team hand their points over to him, which suddenly breaks off negotiations. A surprise attack disorients everyone: After Chizuru Hari attempts to kill Megumi backfires, Iori Hazenoki sends out a detached eyeball and triggers a massive blast. A second detonation singes a portion of Megumi’s face after Reggie and Iori team up to weaken him further.

While Megumi is able to kill Chizuru and gain 5 points after Higuruma’s new rule is announced, he finds himself in a tricky situation after Reggie and Iori corner him. These sequences are kinetic energy personified, as Megumi uses multiple shikigami to throw Chizuru around. Megumi understands his ruthlessness is warranted in a situation where he’s outnumbered, as the best he can do is trust his friends and eliminate anyone standing in his path. This intense moment is immediately undercut by the arrival of Fumihiko Takaba, a failed comedian who was recently turned into a sorcerer. MAPPA uses this rare opportunity to indulge in laugh-out-loud humor, alternating between crude sketches and whimsical character movements to underline the wonderful absurdity of Takaba’s motivations.

Once Takaba lures Iori away for a fight after deciding to help Megumi out, the meatiest segments of the episode unravel. MAPPA’s collaboration with season 3 director Shota Goshozono has undoubtedly worked in favor of the anime, culminating in stunning artistry and a thought-provoking interpretation of Akutami’s source material. The exceptional Maki Zenin episode isn’t a one-hit wonder either, as the new season boasts several high points, both in terms of visceral emotionality and the power to move us through dynamic battles. The Megumi vs. Reggie fight in this episode is nothing short of stellar, as it does a beautiful job of setting up one of the most satisfying fights from the manga.

Reggie’s innate cursed technique, Contractual Re-Creation (which allows him to reproduce the contents of a contract or receipt in reality), manifests in a relentless barrage of attacks against a lone Megumi, who exhausts himself with shikigami attacks like Max Elephant. This is one of many battles that allows us to appreciate Megumi as a character who leverages battle strategy, wit, and adaptability to turn an impossible situation in his favor. Despite being backed against the wall, he thinks on his feet, resisting the urge to win through brute force. Reggie’s cunning is also impressive, as Contractual Re-Creation would be useless in the hands of someone without the ability to anticipate and manipulate situations on a battlefield. In some ways, Megumi is the same, given his knack for pattern recognition (displayed during his fight with Kirara Hoshi, where he’s able to extrapolate her Southern Cross by gauging depth of field) and the ability to use loopholes to turn the tide of a fight.

Image: MAPPA

The episode ends with Megumi activating an incomplete domain, Chimera Shadow Garden, which he has used twice in previous seasons. This knocks Reggie’s confidence down a notch, as he realizes Megumi lured him into a gymnasium to use its structure as a perfect fit for his domain. Meanwhile, Reggie is struggling to maintain his barrier techniques. “I never said I didn’t have any big moves,” Megumi quips, while the space around him comes alive with an electrifying shade of blue. The in-domain combat will take place in episode 11, but this lead-up allows Megumi to make it clear he isn’t to be underestimated.

Megumi Fushiguro gives Yuji a reason to sideline his guilt and walk towards a purpose this season, and he tirelessly fights for those who cannot protect themselves. It might be tempting to say Megumi is underutilized as a battle-shonen deuteragonist, but Jujutsu Kaisen is infinitely richer when characters aren’t parsed through rigid powerscaling and are instead allowed the grace to be as complex and flawed as their circumstances have shaped them to be.

New episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 release every Thursday on Crunchyroll.