The seventh episode of Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 opens with a disorienting, ethereal sequence. The frame gradually tightens on a solitary figure resting in a bed suspended within an absolute, ink-black void. A young woman with characteristically unkempt dark hair stirs and finds herself face-to-face with Kenjaku. He informs her that she is currently situated within a barrier colony—a vital component of the deadly Culling Game. With a blend of politeness and bewilderment, she requests that he take his supernatural business elsewhere, drawing a chuckle from the ancient sorcerer. In this liminal space between slumber and consciousness, Kenjaku offers her safe passage outside the barrier, and the two walk hand-in-hand toward the threshold of reality.
It takes nearly two minutes of this surreal interaction before she is jolted awake by a familiar voice calling her name: Sasaki. If the name fails to ring a bell immediately, the audience is certainly forgiven. It has been over 50 episodes since this seemingly minor character appeared in the Jujutsu Kaisen series premiere. However, given the high stakes of the current narrative arc, revisiting the pilot episode proves to be an incredibly illuminating experience, as it reframes Sasaki’s role from a background extra to a pivotal catalyst.
The Occult Catalyst: Who is Setsuko Sasaki?
As they traverse the void in the latest episode, Kenjaku offers a chilling parting thought: “Thank you for being friends with my son.” Upon waking, Sasaki is greeted by her old classmate, Iguchi. Disoriented, she notices she is missing her glasses—a small detail that makes her visual transition from Season 1 to Season 3 more striking. When Iguchi asks for her “occult club” perspective on the massive barrier looming in the distance, the pieces fall into place. Sasaki realizes Kenjaku was referring to Yuji Itadori, confirming her identity as Yuji’s original companion from the start of his journey.
Setsuko Sasaki and Takeshi Iguchi were Yuji’s peers at Sugisawa Third Municipal High School. Though she was initially presented as a minor character used to ground Yuji’s civilian life, her historical significance is massive. Sasaki was the individual who physically broke the seal on Ryomen Sukuna’s mummified finger, inadvertently triggering the sequence of events that transformed the world. She also holds the distinction of being the first person Yuji ever risked his life to save from a curse.
In the series premiere, the occult club investigated rumors of supernatural interference affecting the school’s rugby team. While the administration dismissed the claims as mundane, Megumi Fushiguro identified a Grade 2 curse lurking on the grounds, suggesting the location was far from ordinary. Re-examining these early moments reveals that Sugisawa High wasn’t just a random backdrop; it was a site of significant spiritual instability.
Kenjaku reinforces this connection in the new episode by explaining the mechanics of his barriers. He notes that the epicenter of a colony often rests on ancient execution grounds or sites of historical trauma, as these locations provide the necessary density of negative energy. This implies that the presence of Sukuna’s finger at Yuji’s school was no coincidence. In a 2024 interview, creator Gege Akutami hinted that the logical conclusion to many of the story’s early mysteries is simply: “It was all Kenjaku’s plan.”
The Orchestrated Vessel: Yuji Itadori by Design
If the setting was calculated, then Yuji’s involvement was a masterstroke of long-term planning. The revelations regarding Yuji’s lineage add a tragic weight to the series premiere, particularly the death of his grandfather, Wasuke Itadori. Wasuke’s final words—pleading with Yuji to help others and avoid dying alone—were a desperate attempt to ground the boy in humanity before the inevitable storm arrived. His attempt to speak about Yuji’s parents was cut short, leaving a narrative void that is only now being filled.
Season 3’s explosive flashback of Baby Yuji and his father, Jin, confirms the horror: Yuji’s mother, Kaori, was possessed by Kenjaku. Wasuke knew she had passed away and that the thing inhabiting her body was a malicious imposter. Hearing Kenjaku call Yuji his “son” in the present day adds a layer of predatory affection to the character, highlighting that Yuji was essentially bred for his current purpose.
Throughout the saga, Yuji’s drive has been defined by his grandfather’s altruistic advice. However, that idealism has withered. Traumatized by the Shibuya Incident, Yuji now views himself merely as a “cog in the machine,” a tool for exorcising curses rather than a hero seeking a “proper death.”
Yet, the return of Sasaki serves as a reminder of Yuji’s intrinsic agency. Kenjaku may have engineered his birth and orchestrated the environment, but he could not dictate Yuji’s heart. In that first episode, Yuji didn’t consume the finger because of a grand scheme; he did it to save his friend. Sasaki’s survival and her reappearance now underscore that Yuji’s first act of heroism was an uncalculated, human choice—and that might be the only variable Kenjaku truly failed to account for.
Source: Polygon
