After the info dump we received in the previous chapter, there was no doubt that fans were looking forward to chapter 146 of Jujutsu Kaisen to know how things will proceed. From the identity of the brain to a possible way of releasing Gojo Satoru, chapter 145 of JJk had everything in it. Well, it seems that chapter 146 isn’t far behind. The latest chapter focuses on the culling game, as Yuji and co break down the rules and try to come up with a strategy to counter Kenjaku’s ultimate plan.

Let’s break down the information that we received in the chapter. Also make sure to read the official release of Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 146 on Viz and Mangaplus!

Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 146 Spoilers and Breakdown:

The previous chapter ended with Tengen letting Yuji, Yuta, Megumi and the others present there know that Hana Kurusu, a 1000-year-old sorcerer who will be taking part in the culling game was the only chance of getting Gojo out from the prison realm. And according to the spoilers, chapter 146 picks up right from this point.

Tengen explains a bit about how Hana’s Angel CT can nullify the Cursed Techniques of other cursed spirits, curse users or cursed objects. Meaning, she can effectively open the prison realm’s back door and let Gojo out. But it needs to be seen if she will co-operate. Her location is also revealed in chapter 146.

Colonies and Barriers

There are 10 colonies throughout Japan where the culling games will take place. These colonies are connected by a line which forms a barrier. Hana Kurusu is in a colony to the east of Tokyo. The barrier is essentially a line joining the dots. Tengen is being rejected by the barriers of the culling game, meaning he probably can’t know what’s happening inside them. Also, Hokkaido is the only place that is not included in one of the colonies of the culling game.

The ten colonies can be a reference to the ten ‘paramis‘ or noble behaviour from the Pali (Buddhist) Literature. A normal person has to practice or achieve these ten paramis or noble behaviours in order to attain enlightenment. In a similar light, the culling game players may have to clear the 10 colonies in order to achieve enlightenment, or in this case merge with Tengen.

However, what went over our heads is the part about a barrier line sweeping over Japan. This apparently represents the people of Japan passing over from one shore to the another, but it’s still confusing. From the previous chapter, we know that the boundaries of the barrier and the cursed energy of the players will be used for the ritual to pass humans to the other side. The near shore far shore concept reminds us of Noragami, you can read a related article here (not JJK).

These rituals are essentially not about passing people over to the other shore, but rather it is about merging them with Tengen. It will approximately take around 2 months for this ritual to completely curse all people in Japan and merge them with Tengen. It probably means that it will take two months for the line to sweep from one side to the other…probably.

Breaking down the rules:

Maki, Megumi and the others break down the rules of the Culling game in order to come up with a strategy.

Since a player is supposed to take part in the Culling game within 19 days, Yuta and Megumi come to the conclusion that they still have around 10 days and 15 hours to come up with a way to prevent Tsumiki from taking part in the games (current date in the series is November 9th; 9 a.m., the awakening took place on October 31st).

We wonder if Yuji will be satisfied with just saving Tsumiki. He might look for more ways to stop the culling game entirely. Rule no. 6 as explained in the previous chapter might play a crucial role in the future.

The second rule states that if a player refuses to take part in the games they will lose their Cursed Technique. However, Shoko had come to the conclusion that removing a Cursed Technique from a person would kill them too. Idle Transfiguration won’t be used here, but some other method that will have a detrimental effect on the player. This makes sense because otherwise, every player might simply have refused to take part (think back to chapter 136 when Pseudo Geto told Yuki that he will make sure the awakened sorcerers will fight each other)

The ordinary people caught in the colony will have a chance at the beginning to get out of the barrier. However, if they voluntarily come in or stay, they will be considered as players.

After interpreting the 4th and 5th rules of the game, Tengen reveals that the game master will be a shikigami called Kogane. Every player will receive this shikigami. However, Kogane will only acting as a window. The actual master can be assumed to be the culling game itself. Meaning, Geto or Kenjaku won’t be able to give himself a bias in terms of rules or in-game scenarios. This is especially helpful when it comes to the 6th and 7th rules, which allow players to add an exception to the pre-existing rule.

The players can only add rules and not subtract any of the pre-existing rules. This means Yuji and the others will have to come up with a way to add a new rule which will counteract the an existing rule. If it does not have a long lasting effect on the Culling game, the game administrator will be forced to accept the rule. This is the only visible advantage that they have at the moment.

From the 8th rule, Itadori comes to the conclusion that he will have to kill people again. But Megumi on the other hand seems to have a plan to counter this. We wonder what it will be.

The strategy:

Everyone finally zeroed in on a strategy and decided to move ahead to take part in the culling games. Yuuta decided to enter a colony immediately and join the culling game with the intention of collecting more information before Megumi and Tsumiki join. He instructs the others to avoid colonies that are nearby so that they don’t end up fighting each other. They also won’t be able to stay in touch after they enter a colony because of the effects of the barrier.

Maki is going to retrieve the cursed tools from the Zen’in clan. The Zen’in and Kamo clan took away the cursed tools stored in Jujutsu High after Gojo was sealed. Megumi being the head of the Zen’in clan, Maki won’t have a problem retrieving them.

Other than Maki and Yuta, everyone is planning to meet up with Hakari Kinji. According to Yuta Hakari might be stronger than him. Maki plans to meet up with Panda after she collects the tools.

Choso seems to be worried about Yuji a lot as he stays back to protect Tengen. He is seen crying as Yuji leaves with the others. That’s a caring brother right there! Naoya should be taking notes. As decided earlier, Yuki and Choso are staying behind to protect Tengen.

Another player introduced:

Another Culling game player is introduced, a struggling stand-up comedian Takaba Fumihiko. We got Joker (Arthur Fleck) like vibes from Takaba. He is struggling to make people laugh and he also seems to be a bit out there. Something seems to have snapped in him as his manager (?) snaps at him. But Ken (inspired by Kendo Kobayashi?) gives him a pep talk that seems to have triggered him.

He seems more like someone who has a Cursed Technique awakened in him than a vessel. His powers are a mystery for now and he will be a loose cannon that might end up causing more trouble for everyone down the line. Well, the hype surrounding the culling game continues. More players will be introduced in the upcoming chapters for sure. Till then, all we can do is wait!

What are your thoughts on the latest chapter? Let us know them in the comments section!