Was it necessary to kill Yuta and Maki? A Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo debate

When Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo dropped at the end of 2024, it shocked the fanbase with a simple but devastating reveal: Yuta Okkotsu and Maki Zenin, two of the strongest and most beloved sorcerers of their generation, were both dead. Maki passed away first, and Yuta followed shortly after, unable to live long without her. This was not a gruesome, violent death in the middle of battle, but rather the kind of slow, quiet ending that comes with time, grief, and love.

The sequel series is set almost 70 years after the end of Jujutsu Kaisen. In this future, aliens known as the Simurians have arrived on Earth, cursed energy is weaker among sorcerers, and the once rigid society of jujutsu has evolved in ways Gojo himself would have not dreamed of. Sorcerers like Toji, who were once treated as outcasts, are now fully accepted.

Within this new timeline, we learn that Maki Zenin died first. Her cause of death is unclear, but the key detail is that she lived a long, fulfilling life alongside Yuta. When she passed, Yuta began to lose his strength, physically and spiritually. Grief overtook him, and he died shortly after.

One of the strongest arguments for their deaths being necessary is that Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo is not about them; it’s about the new generation. If Yuta and Maki were still alive, even as elders, their overwhelming strength and influence would overshadow their grandchildren.

Their deaths remove this narrative hurdle. Yuka and Tsurugi, their grandchildren, are forced to deal with political infighting, cursed tool inheritance, and the symbolic ring Yuta once carried without relying on their grandparents. This creates real conflict and ensures the story belongs to them, not the previous generation.

In that sense, killing Yuta and Maki was a narrative necessity. Their deaths clear the stage, giving Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo the space to fully explore the next generation’s struggles without the crutch of their grandparents’ overwhelming power.

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The role of the ring and Rika

A major thread in Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo is Yuta’s cursed ring, passed down to Yuka and then taken by the Gojo clan. This cursed object was Yuta’s link to Rika, his scar, and his identity as a sorcerer. Yet in the sequel, neither Yuka nor Tsurugi seems to understand the full truth about Rika.

This omission is key. If Yuta were still alive, or if Maki had survived longer, Rika’s existence couldn’t remain hidden. The focus of the story would shift from a symbolic family heirloom to a literal god-tier cursed spirit. The grandchildren’s conflict over the ring would become a fight over raw power, not legacy.

By killing Yuta and Maki in Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, Gege Akutami (and now the sequel’s writer) created a deliberate gap in knowledge. This allows Rika to become a missing piece in Yuka’s journey, something mysterious, hidden, and waiting to resurface. Their deaths, in this sense, preserve Rika’s narrative weight while ensuring the story stays focused on personal conflict rather than overwhelming cursed power.

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Thematic resonance: Love, loss, and generations

There’s also a thematic argument for why their deaths matter. Jujutsu Kaisen has always been about cycles of pain, curses, rebellion against tradition. Toji defied the system violently and died for it. Maki defied the Zenin clan and survived, but lost half of herself in the process.

Yuta, in contrast, represented love and endurance; his power was literally born from Rika’s curse of love. By tying Yuta’s death to Maki’s, the story of Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo reinforces this theme; their deaths close the book on their struggles and shift the focus toward how the next generation will interpret, reject, or repeat them.

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What if they had lived in Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo?

Of course, we can’t help but wonder: what would Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo look like if Yuta and Maki were still alive?

• As mentors: They could have guided Yuka and Tsurugi while forcing them to confront their own insecurities.
• As political players: Yuta, as Gojo clan head, could have clashed with the new generation over reforms, creating tension between legacy and progress.
• As keepers of Rika: Their presence could have explained the true significance of the ring earlier, shifting the story toward cursed spirit politics rather than family conflict.

Would these directions have been interesting? Absolutely. But would they risk overshadowing the new protagonists? Just as likely. Ultimately, their deaths reflect the core of Jujutsu Kaisen: strength doesn’t last forever, legacies are imperfect, and love is both a blessing and a curse. And maybe, that was the point.

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