The latest episode ignites a global clash as fans dissect Maki’s brutal showdown with the Zenin Clan.
The talk about Jujutsu Kaisen has hit a fever pitch since the anime’s shocking portrayal of Maki Zenin’s assassination of the Zenin Clan. People around the world have said this episode is one of the most beautiful in recent anime history.
Many fans in Japan, on the other hand, have said that it is an over-animated show that is too different from the manga’s realistic violence and emotional weight.
This difference has been clear, strong, and shockingly complex.
Instead of calling one side right or wrong, a closer look shows that both are valid. The structure of the anime adaptation stays mostly the same, with key scenes repeated frame by frame and panel by panel. There are some changes to the way it is presented, especially in how it handles fight routines, spectacle, and some power explanations, which were given in more detail in the manga.
At the start of the show, there is a big political change in the world of jujutsu: Satoru Gojo is officially labeled an accomplice in the Shibuya Incident and sent away for good. This decision gives the Zenin Clan a reason to take harsh actions against Megumi, Maki, and Mai, saying they are rebels trying to free Gojo from their control. This plot develops almost identically in both the anime and the manga.
When it comes to explaining abilities, this is where the version starts to cut content. In the manga, the methods are explained more clearly, giving the action a tactical basis. The anime, on the other hand, often prioritizes speed over detail, relying on visual storytelling to carry the load.
One case that stands out is Ogi Zenin’s use of Falling Blossom Emotion, a domain countermeasure that was first seen in Naobito Zenin’s fight with Dagon. When the method comes into contact with something cursed, it counters it automatically.
When Ogi is in a sword fight, he extends the shield to his blade, which lets it fight back right away against any cursed energy it touches.
The anime accurately shows the fight, but it skips over the details that made the manga’s exchange so strategic.
Ogi was very cruel, and he kept Mai alive as a bargaining chip in case Maki’s cursed tool didn’t work. On the other hand, his main plan was to end the fight with one powerful blow. Maki knew this was going to happen, so he pretended to be in a one-hit fight and then hit back with more blows.
Her weapon, the cursed tool Dragon Bone, was the key to her plan. It was a wonder that could gather force and cursed energy and then shoot it out to speed things up.
This information is very important for figuring out how Maki cuts Ogi’s blade. The moment in the anime goes by so quickly that you might not even notice it. The manga makes the mechanics clearer: Dragon Bone’s stored energy propels her attack, giving it a lot of power. The change keeps the result but shortens the explanation.
The idea of Heavenly Restriction is another small thing that is left out.
Maki has superhuman strength because, when she was born, she made a promise to limit her evil energy in exchange for it severely. The fact that this condition is very rare, and that Ogi’s rude comments about it have deeper meanings that aren’t fully explored in the anime.
The most emotional part of the show is what Mai does at the end. Her cursed skill lets her make things out of nothing, but it costs her a lot because she only has so much cursed energy. Mai makes Maki a “parting gift” as she is dying: a weapon that she made with her own blood.
The story behind this goes deeper into how the magic world sees twins as one person. Maki could never fully enjoy the rewards of her Heavenly Restriction because Mai had cursed energy. They were in a metaphysical tug-of-war because they were both alive: Mai’s cursed energy limited Maki’s physical peak, and Maki’s physical strength limited Mai’s skill. The death of one child was necessary for the other to reach its full potential.
Mai’s sacrifice fixes this imbalance—their last conversation in the manga ends with a touching two-page spread that shows how close they are.
The cartoon does a great job of capturing the moment, but some say it should have lasted longer before jumping right into the violence that follows.
Fans often say that Maki is like a second coming of Toji Fushiguro. Now that Maki is basically born again, the killing of the Zenin Clan starts. In the manga, these fights happen quickly and violently. They are made into very artistic set pieces in the anime.
Getting together with the Kukuru Unit stands out. The manga was only a few pages long at first, but the anime turns it into a two-and-a-half-minute tribute to Kill Bill, complete with dramatic dancing and extra flair. Some watchers found this very exciting. For some, it softened the dark tone of the original work.
Maki’s fights with Naoya and Jinichi both have similar extensions. Explosions, shockwaves, and over-the-top damage make battles bigger. In the manga, Jinichi’s attack destroys the building Maki is standing in. In the anime, it looks like it could destroy a whole town. The show is clear, but the change in tone is, too.
One example of an anime where the upscaling might make things clearer is Naoya’s Projection Sorcery.
One second is split into 24 frames, and movements are locked into a fixed order. On a comics page, it’s hard to show how fast things are moving. The anime gets around this problem by making the world’s damage worse to show that the speed is increasing. In a way that static panels can’t, the visual impacts show speed.
The fights are almost entirely what make this show different from the others. There isn’t much outright cut content, aside from a few small notes meant to explain things. The argument is really about tone.
Maki’s rage comes after one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the series. In the comics, that sadness turns into cold, mean violence. The anime, on the other hand, adds style and show to the violence. People who were expecting a direct copy with panel-perfect recreation will find this creative freedom surprising.
For some, though, the flowing animation and moving sakuga showcase the medium at its best. After years of arguments about how well anime adaptations work, many fans are now happy with bold reinterpretations, especially when compared to more conservative or inconsistent shows from other places.
Even though it takes a different route to get there, the episode does have an effect in the end.
The manga was precise and emotionally restrained. The anime was loud and tried new visual approaches. Whether that change makes the story better or worse relies on the audience and whether they value strict fidelity or cinematic reinvention more.
There is no doubt that Jujutsu Kaisen has once again caught the attention of people around the world, not just for what it does, but also for what it sparks in conversation.
