Choso is an undeniable fan favorite in his own right and has one of the most unique arcs in the series. He is Gege’s answer to all those who complain that JJK characters don’t get any sort of character development.
From being an enemy hellbent on killing Itadori, he turned into the best onii-chan who would do anything, even give his life, to protect his younger brother.
From the moment he had his epiphany in Shibuya, Choso has been striving to get his act straight, and it is only fair to say that he has done a good job doing so till now.
He supported Itadori, aided his development and put himself in harm’s way, finding himself on the verge of death a couple of times as he teamed up with the protagonists.
As Choso came out alive from all the difficult situations he found himself in, I started believing that he had the same level of plot armor as Reiner from Attack on Titan.
However, JJK chapter 259 crushed all my hope, as it seemingly concluded Choso’s story in the manga.
Is Choso really dead in Jujutsu Kaisen?
To answer in short, Choso is really dead in Jujutsu Kaisen manga. He sacrificed his life to protect Itadori from Sukuna’s ultimate flame attack inside the Malevolent Shrine domain.
In an emotional moment, he bid farewell to Itadori, thanking him for being his little brother!!
In JJK chapter 259, Sukuna launched his fire arrow attack, intent on burning everyone inside his domain to crisp. Sukuna devised this attack in a way that even anti-domain techniques probably wouldn’t have helped in surviving it.
Itadori did get some buffs thanks to his one month training using the soul swap, along with the Blood Manipulation and Shrine techniques.
However, his arsenal only included a simple domain, which couldn’t hold out quite well against the cleave and dismantle which Sukuna imbued his domain with.
Stopping the fire attack would have been difficult for Itadori. And Choso knew this quite well.
Being the loving aniki that he was, Choso came to the decision to sacrifice his life in order to protect Itadori.
How did Choso die? Will he return?
As soon as Sukuna launched his fire arrow, Choso formed a protective barrier around Itadori using his body and his blood.
Choso is JJK’s pinnacle when it comes to using the blood manipulation technique. Thanks to his unique composition, he doesn’t have to worry about blood loss, as he can replenish it with cursed energy (not RCT).
This was revealed in his fight against Naoya Zenin after the Shibuya Incident.
Thanks to this, Choso is able to form a protective barrier using his blood around Itadori – a hardened shell shielding him from the hell that the King of Curses had unleashed!
So, one can wonder how exactly did Sukuna’s attack kill Choso.
I am sure that the heat from Sukuna’s attack kept evaporating his blood, and he probably just kept substituting it with his cursed energy, and holding out till the worst had passed.
Choso himself was spent from the battle. Sukuna had managed to land some deadly hits on him prior. Meaning, he was not in his best shape.
Naturally, he had to use whatever cursed energy was left in him to protect Itadori. This is visible from how his body slowly crumbled from the attack!
In the end, Choso’s body turned due to a combination of him running out of cursed energy, and heat from Sukuna’s attack. However, he did succeed in doing what he intended to, protect his little brother.
Since he spent all of his cursed energy, I think that Choso’s death is definitive. There’s no way he will be returning in the series. It’s time for us to mourn him together!!
The impact of Choso’s death:
Choso’s death was an emotional gut punch. It ranks amongst the saddest deaths in the series for me, right alongside Nanami’s!!!
Naturally, it was a bit hard for me to stomach this development.
When Choso and Tsukumo had teamed up to fight Kenjaku, Tsukumo lets Choso off the hook and asks him to live on like a human.
She wanted him to stay by Itadori’s side so that he won’t be all alone in his predicament. I took that as a literal hint that Choso would live to see the end of the series.
But my assumptions were wrong!! Akutami went ahead and pulled the rug from under mine, and many other Choso fans’ feet.
However, Choso’s death was quite fulfilling and totally in line with his character!
Once again, let me take you back to Choso vs Naoya fight, where the two of them have an interesting discourse over how an older brother should be.
When Naoya bemoaned and despised his older brothers for being inferior to him, Choso had a totally opposite view.
He believed that an older brother is supposed to guide their younger ones, regardless of whether they are strong or weak. And that’s what he had been doing.
He tried to be a role model for Itadori in his own right, and it is only fair to say that he did indeed become one for him. Choso even watched on proudly as Itadori surpassed him.
This is where I must point out a small thing that Gege included in the chapter, and it’s actually fitting for Choso’s character.
Back when he was fighting Naoya, Choso said that he as an older brother should always walk ahead of his little brothers to guide them.
However, in JJK chapter 259, we have an illustration where Choso is running behind Itadori. I guess that was Gege’s way of showing that Choso believed he had given everything he can to Itadori.
The best onii-chan without a doubt!!
The only regret he might have had? Leaving Itadori alone.
However, Yuji thanked him for being by his side during the toughest of times. Itadori also called him an “older brother” at the end, and there could be nothing more rewarding for Choso if you ask me.
The adoration in his eyes for his younger brother said it all!!!
What are your thoughts on Choso’s death? Let me know them in the comments below!!