Ranking the 10 Best Fights in Jujutsu Kaisen History

Jujutsu Kaisen has never treated a fight as mere spectacle. The anime’s best battles reveal how their participants think under pressure. They turn elaborate cursed techniques into tactical puzzles that expose character strengths, fears, and capacities for improvisation. The result is one of the most kinetic battle shonen series ever made, where strength means something entirely different from one confrontation to the next.

MAPPA’s adaptation continues raising the bar with each successive arc. Season 1 established the fundamentals through Yuji Itadori and Aoi Todo’s exhilarating teamwork alongside Satoru Gojo’s casual displays of near-godlike power. Season 2’s Hidden Inventory and Shibuya Incident arcs transformed those abilities into instruments of tragedy. Season 3’s Culling Game arc unleashed the series’ most tactically complicated and visually audacious battles yet, aided by Shōta Goshozono’s direction and storyboarding.

Constant escalation makes ranking the anime’s fights difficult. An early confrontation involving Yuji or Megumi Fushiguro naturally feels smaller than the deadly contests awaiting them in the Culling Game. Meanwhile, Sukuna’s destructive battle with Mahoraga may eventually be eclipsed by what the anime’s upcoming fourth season has in store. For now, these are the 10 best fights in Jujutsu Kaisen, ranked from great to greatest for their animation, tactical ingenuity, and character-defining consequences.

[Ed. note: This article contains spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen anime and Jujutsu Kaisen 0]

10. Satoru Gojo vs. Jogo (Season 1)

Jujutsu Kaisen’s Season 1 fights look very different from their successors, thanks to Sunghoo Park’s preference for saturated colors and intense character shading. Although this early season lacks the breezy dynamism of later seasons, several fights stand out. These include Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki vs. Eso and Kechizu, whose four-way matchup pays off rather well. Satoru Gojo is often at the center of the most hyped combat, and his first fight with Jogo serves as a masterclass in suspense.

Anticipating an ambush, Gojo casually sidesteps Jogo’s sudden attacks to demonstrate the full scope of his Neutral Limitless: Infinity, an invisible barrier that essentially renders him invulnerable. This encounter also marks the first time Gojo unleashes Cursed Technique Reversal: Red and counters Jogo’s domain with his own, Unlimited Void. Apart from establishing Gojo as a formidable wild card, this fight provides the first in-anime instance of him removing his blindfold and blasting an opponent with Limitless.

9. Yuji Itadori and Aoi Todo vs. Hanami (Season 1)

Easily one of the best fights from the first season, the primary draw of Yuji and Todo vs. Hanami lies in stylistic synergy. Yuji’s agility takes Hanami by surprise at first, and Todo intervenes later to nudge his new best friend toward distraction-free combat. Under Todo’s guidance, Yuji delivers his very first Black Flash. This translates into an exhilarating visual moment where the young sorcerers counter Hanami’s efforts to heighten the stakes.

Todo’s cursed technique, Boogie Woogie, finally gets the opportunity to shine. By clapping his hands, Todo can instantly trade places with a target of his choosing. With Yuji in the mix, this displacement-based fight sequence feels incredibly cathartic, especially when the usually mellow Hanami absorbs a barrage of blows. Yuji brings everything to a head with three exceptional Black Flashes, closely followed by a fourth. This represents a special moment of camaraderie cushioned by Todo’s astute understanding of battle tactics and Yuji’s uncanny ability to adapt.

8. Yuta Okkotsu vs. Suguru Geto (Jujutsu Kaisen 0)

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 often gets overlooked because it is a prequel film, but it remains essential to understanding Suguru Geto, who makes his first appearance in the Hidden Inventory flashback arc. Apart from providing crucial context for the Geto-Gojo dynamic, the film introduces Yuta Okkotsu and maps his traumatic journey as a Special Grade sorcerer. The cursed spirit Rika Orimoto becomes an indispensable part of Yuta’s arsenal. This climactic fight with Geto at the end of the movie forms the foundation for Yuta’s binding vow with Rika in exchange for uncapped power.

Yuta’s lack of experience contrasts with Geto’s Cursed Spirit Manipulation, which allows him to store and unleash cursed spirits at will. Despite this gulf, Yuta leverages Rika’s boundless cursed energy to destroy a large number of Geto’s curses while challenging his distorted worldview and megalomania. Faced with Geto’s threat of using Maximum: Uzumaki, which combines Geto’s cursed spirits into one, Yuta maximizes his power in what he believes is the ultimate act of love and self-sacrifice. With Rika’s full might, Yuta brings the battle to an end, inadvertently contributing to the film’s most tragic death.

7. Satoru Gojo vs. Jogo, Hanami, and Choso (Season 2)

The sealing of Satoru Gojo brought about a watershed moment in jujutsu society, enabling Kenjaku to carry out his grand schemes. This fight takes place moments before the sealing occurs, reminding us why Kenjaku and his allies needed to seal Gojo. The initial setup involved exhausting and distracting Gojo inside the Fukutoshin Line Platform in Shibuya, which was teeming with innocent civilians.

The sequence brilliantly demonstrates the impossible problem Gojo presents to his enemies. Audiences had already seen Yuji and Todo struggle against Hanami, yet Gojo brutally crushes her against the subway wall with ease. Before that, Gojo wards off Jogo and Choso’s attempts to bypass his Infinity, ripping Jogo’s arm off before heading inside. As dozens of humans transfigured by Mahito emerge from a train car, Gojo makes the split-second decision to activate his Domain Expansion for 0.2 seconds. This allows him to neutralize as many transfigured humans and cursed spirits within that narrow window without permanently damaging the brains of any civilians. Unfortunately, the physical and psychological burnout from this move, coupled with the shock of seeing Geto alive, leaves one of the greatest sorcerers vulnerable to Kenjaku’s ambush with the Prison Realm.

6. Megumi Fushiguro vs. Reggie Star (Season 3)

Megumi has always been a strategic genius. Season 3 lets him shine in this fight against Reggie Star and his allies after negotiations between the two parties break down. After two detonations and a chase sequence, Megumi lures Reggie inside an abandoned school gymnasium to activate his incomplete Domain Expansion, Chimera Shadow Garden. This sequence’s visual flair highlights Megumi as a deuteragonist capable of wielding wit and on-the-spot thinking during the most unpredictable battles.

Reggie’s cursed technique, Contractual Re-Creation, allows him to reproduce any contract or receipt in reality, posing an intriguing challenge to Megumi’s Ten Shadows Technique. Megumi uses every loophole to turn the tide in his favor, steering the fight toward heart-thumping hand-to-hand combat. MAPPA recreates handheld, shaky-cam mechanics during this scuffle, which Megumi ends with a deadly finishing move courtesy of Divine Dog: Totality. The purpose of this fight feels more poignant afterward, as Reggie’s final comments about the ironic futility of the Culling Game make Megumi reevaluate what he knows about the enemy.

5. Yuji Itadori and Aoi Todo vs. Mahito (Season 2)

The reason for another Yuji-Todo team-up ranking this high has little to do with the complexities of the fight itself. Rather, the emotional payoff of seeing Mahito chased like a hare in the snow at the end feels so cathartic that it serves as the only silver lining in the aftermath of the Shibuya Incident. Yuji is completely consumed by grief at the start of this fight, having seen Mahito kill his mentor, Nanami Kento, minutes prior, alongside his close friend Nobara right before Todo arrives. Todo jumps in with a tough-love pep talk and uses Boogie Woogie to disorient Mahito.

A defining moment in their friendship follows when Todo explains that the logic-defying nature of death can never be understood, but it remains a jujutsu sorcerer’s duty to push through until answers are found. This, combined with the possibility of Nobara’s survival, reignites Yuji’s will to combat evil. From this point on, the fight widens in scope with kinetic displays of strength and strategy, allowing Yuji to control Divergent Fist and disrupt Mahito’s battle plans. With Todo’s help, Yuji lands a direct hit with Black Flash and blasts Mahito until he can no longer vomit transfigured humans. This fight concludes with Yuji’s realization that he and Mahito are two sides of the same coin, foreshadowing season 3’s “cog” symbolism.

4. Satoru Gojo vs. Toji Fushiguro (Season 2)

The absence of cursed energy makes Toji Fushiguro an unpredictable variable in season 2’s Hidden Inventory Arc, where he fights Gojo on two separate but equally memorable occasions. The first fight is a ruthless ambush laid down to bypass Gojo’s Limitless, allowing Toji to land an apparently fatal blow on the sorcerer. This enables Toji to infiltrate the school and kill the Star Plasma Vessel, Riko Amanai. That tragedy permanently alters the trajectory of both their lives, pushing Geto toward extremism while inspiring Gojo to protect the next generation.

Gojo achieves enlightenment on the brink of death, allowing him to heal his grievous wounds with Reverse Cursed Technique. Gojo’s rebirth, although triumphant, is tinged with the concerning risk of a teenage sorcerer pushing himself to the limit. He amasses overwhelming power and sidesteps Toji’s unconventional attacks with ease, finishing things off with Hollow Purple, a combination of his Red and Blue cursed techniques. Toji’s death also comes with the silent plea that his son, Megumi, be exempted from exploitation by the problematic Zenin clan. Gojo eventually takes Megumi under his wing as an extension of his newly formed philosophy of protecting younger sorcerers.

3. Sukuna vs. Mahoraga (Season 2)

Sukuna wreaks unimaginable havoc during the Shibuya Incident, triggering Yuji’s survivor’s guilt. Right before handing control back to Yuji, Sukuna clashes with Mahoraga after Megumi summons the shikigami. The visual language of Sukuna’s destruction reaches its peak during this fight, as roads crack under the weight of attacks and entire buildings are leveled in the catastrophe.

Sukuna uses a combination of battle cunning and devastating blows to slash Mahoraga with Dismantle, commenting on the shikigami’s cursed tool, the Sword of Extermination. Mahoraga surprises Sukuna by rapidly adapting to his offensive blows, even managing to send him crashing across Shibuya. While Mahoraga promptly counters everything Sukuna throws at him, the King of Curses figures out the limitations of Mahoraga’s adaptation ability and activates Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine with an escape route. The ensuing attacks lead to the loss of innumerable civilian lives, and Sukuna annihilates Mahoraga before he can regenerate. This serves as a brilliant, albeit demoralizing, showcase of Sukuna’s powers when he is not even at full capacity.

2. Maki Zenin vs. The Zenin Clan (Season 3)

The annihilation of the Zenin clan at the hands of Maki Zenin is the most visually inventive episode of Jujutsu Kaisen’s third season. The Zenin clan has perpetuated generations of misogyny and cruelty, particularly toward anyone born without cursed energy. This functions less like a traditional fight and more like a brutal rampage led by a woman punishing her oppressors, brought to life with frenetic camera movements, tense interludes, and stylized references to Kill Bill. The grief of losing her sister, Mai, who sacrifices herself to boost Maki’s Heavenly Restriction, spurs her to carry out her sister’s chilling final words: “Destroy everything.”

The fights culminate in astounding set pieces like the decimation of the Kukuru Unit and Maki’s showdown against Naoya Zenin, whose jaw is shattered with such force that viewers are treated to a slow-motion X-ray of it. None of these visual flourishes diminishes the weight of Maki’s trauma, as her actions bring about the end of a clan that ruined the lives of innumerable innocents. This memorable episode also establishes Maki’s enhanced abilities as a genuine threat to anyone who makes the error of underestimating her on the battlefield.

1. Yuta Okkotsu vs. Ryu Ishigori vs. Takako Uro (Season 3)

The season 3 finale of Jujutsu Kaisen stands as a marvel for many reasons. It is an exceptional feat of visual storytelling that allows MAPPA to flex its grasp over chaotic battles while bringing the season to a deeply satisfying close. The conflicts caused by the Culling Game reach feverish levels once Yuta faces off against the special grade cockroach curse, Kurourushi, and is immediately forced into a three-way battle against Ryu Ishigori and Takako Uro.

Both sorcerers bring interesting elements of physicality to the fights, pushing Yuta to his absolute limits in such a high-stakes encounter. The resulting chaos recreates several iconic manga panels, such as when Yuta, Ryu, and Uro simultaneously unleash their Domain Expansions, triggering a barrier collapse. Space is also carved out for thoughtful rumination, as the burden on Yuta’s shoulders feels heavier than ever given his dedication to making things easier for his friends. He mulls over Uro’s warning about unchecked sorcerers like Kenjaku, who turn into calamities due to their massive egos. Substantial gravity anchors the episode’s conclusion, ensuring that while the sheer beauty of battle saturates the senses, it never loses sight of character complexity and the toils of the path ahead.