art and story by @yyroumen on Instagramformerly @luxxtral
Sora x Sukuna
On this site, the story of Ryoumen Sukuna and Sora Unei will be put in chronological order of all my fake screenshot posts, for you to read!Jujutsu Kaisen and Ryoumen Sukuna © Gege Akutami
Heian Era
"The day we first met, I was no different than the others. I saw you as a weapon, not a person."
"The day we first met, you were no different than the others. But you offered free food."
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In this scene, Sora was sent to lower the chances of the curse exploding on the impact of the sorcerers' attacks. But because Sukuna's cursed energy output was far greater than what Sora was prepared for, the curse still exploded on impact. The reason why Sukuna didn't react to the debris phasing through Sora, is because he didn't see it.
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The villagers saw Sukuna fight and heard his name. A name that they were familiar with. As Sukuna's reputation as the king of curses precedes him wherever he went. Sora knew of the stories as well. How Sukuna caused natural disasters wherever he appeared and whenever he left. How vicious he was and how he didn't care who got hurt through him. But instead of a threat, Sora saw Sukuna as an opportunity.
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Neither Sora nor Sukuna were interested in any kind of relationship with the other and would have parted ways immediately after meeting. But Sora still invited Sukuna to stay. Why is that?
It is because Sora saw how strong Sukuna is. Sora's original plan was to get along with Sukuna, so that his strength would come in handy one day. Sukuna stayed for the good food and the exciting battles with the strong curses in the area. He didn't try to help, he was just trying to find an interesting opponent, but was yet again disappointed.
Sukuna isn't following a goal or an ideal, but only his hunger for battle and his pleasure, while Sora is calculating and manipulating anything he can, to survive.
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And one day, that mutual exploitation turned into mutual understanding.
And many moons after, into mutual love.
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Heian Era
First meeting
This scene plays during the first year Sora and Sukuna spend together, when they are still getting to know each other and far from being a couple!
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Sukuna has no ideals and therefore no long term wishes. Sora does not try to change Sukuna's mind, but simply explains to him how others view the world. He leaves without trying trying to force anything on him, without judging him and most importantly, still offering him a place next to him.
Sukuna in this moment, realizes that Sora is different from the people who reject him or try to change him. Sora accepts his opinions and works WITH him. Sora is able to handle Sukuna's way of life, despite not always having the same opinions. Sora is not scared of Sukuna, doesn't see him as "the king of curses" or a "cursed monster", but just as a person. Just Sukuna.The scene is intended to show that Sora knew how to deal with Sukuna from the very beginning. And that this interaction made Sukuna feel more comfortable, understood and not rejected, so that he was able to open up a little and welcome the bit of humanity that was still in him at that point in time. Even if only briefly and even if only when no one was looking.
It is also meant to raise the question of whether Sora, had he survived, could really have done anything that may have changed the outcome of Sukuna's journey.
Even if the answer is no at the end of the day.
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The kanji I chose for Sora's name ,湊愛, mean harbor of love.
Harbors are homes that ships return to. And Sora is the one Sukuna can always return to, no matter what happens, and be loved unconditionally. Even if they disagree, as seen in this scene. Sora still waited for Sukuna to rejoin with him, to walk together.
Sora is the home Sukuna wished for deep down. Even if he didn't know at that time and wouldn't realize for several more centuries.
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Heian Era
Sukuna's Wish
Heian Era
Love means...
Sora knows Sukuna loves to eat. As lower class people, they didn't have much food to choose from, but Sora tried his best to make Sukuna happy with nice meals from time to time.
This was his way of showing his appreciation for his partner. To show that he values him, his company and what he has done for him.
It was Sora's way of showing his love.
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After regaining his memories, it didn't take Sora long to realize that Sukuna had moved on from that feeling, or at least tried to suppress it. Sora couldn't help but think about the possibility that over those thousand years, Sukuna might have forgotten the true meaning of love.
Or their love, at least.
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This scene plays before Sora opens up about his family trauma. It plays after Sukuna first tastes Sora's food and before they catch cherry blossoms together. It portraits the moment Sora and Sukuna's relationship elevated to a deeper meaning, the moment real trust blossomed between them. And the start of their habit to put their foreheads together for comfort.This is the moment in which Sora admits to himself that he sees more in Sukuna than just being a weapon and the moment in which Sukuna realizes Sora is not just a fear driven insect like the others.
On page seven, Sukuna's eyes are colder than before, piercing even. That is because, in that moment, Sukuna was ready to kill Sora if he treated him like everyone else did; like a monster, just because of his body. He was ready to discard all the fun moments they had already spent together, ready to cut off the only positive relationship he ever had and cut Sora into pieces. But he didn't have to. And it felt like an enormous weight lifted from his shoulders.It felt like Sora was picking him up, letting him breathe. Which is why Sukuna closes both pairs of eyes and leans against Sora. He let his guard down for the first time in many years.
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Heian Era
Trust and
Vulnerability
Sora's village is currently struggling with famine. It is Sora's duty as the son of the village leader, to make sure the rations gets evenly distributed and are protected from thieves. Sukuna decided to tag along to catch the food thieves. He doesn't want to starve and he wants to kill some time.This scene is a parallel to the Tanabata scene in multiple ways:
During Tanabata, in summer, Sora taught Sukuna about human wishes and hope, while also showing him that he doesn't judge Sukuna for having a different point of view. Sukuna followed him, accepting Sora being different and taking a little step in his direction and into the direction of mutual understanding. He takes a step towards the light, representing Yin, the good inside the bad.
In this scene, in winter, Sukuna teaches Sora about his own philosophy, the right of the strongest, showing him that cruelty is necessary. Sora accepts this, even realizing that he had buried this same philosophy deep down. He follows Sukuna, taking a step into his corruption and into the dark. Representing Yang, the bad inside the good.This scene is of similar value to Sora as the lake scene was for Sukuna. Sora doen't have any kind of feelings for people he doesn't hold close. He has a sense of duty put in him through his father, but if you take that away, he's selfish, cold and apathetic.
It's hard to break that sense of duty, but it is the only thing between Sora and his villain self. Though Sora would never kill for hate, only ever for strategic reasons.
Sukuna acting this way made Sora feel connected to him. He felt understood for the first time, just like Sukuna felt understood. And while Sora finally opens up to that side of him, that true self beneath the lies, Sukuna believes he starts this different side to Sora. Sukuna has no idea that this was inside Sora the entire time.
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Heian Era
Not so different after all
Heian Era
I miss the way it used to be
This is a memory that popped up in Sukuna's mind, right after he saw Sora again, centuries later.
He wonders if Sora remembers it as well.
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Another of Sora and Sukuna's favorite memories.
Though one of them doesn't remember it, while the other does clearly.
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Heian Era
Do you remember your feelings?
Heian Era
I'm so good at telling lies
This scene is extremely important to me, because it shows the platonic bond between Sora and Sukuna, that goes far beyond just attraction or love.
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Symbolism and Parallels:
-Sukuna's Truth and Sora's Lies-
Sukuna doesn't have a reason to lie, because he does what he wants and consequences don't pose a threat to someone like him who can take on anyone easily in a fight. He lives true to himself and doesn't care if others can't handle that.
Sora on the other hand, needs to hide his true self to appeal to his father and the village. He is not free like Sukuna, because he is still bound by the chains of respect, morals and ethics. Beneath his smile, there is deep disgust hidden and a genuine indifference towards other people.-Sora's anger-
When Sora starts talking about his lies, he's not sad, but visibly angry and disgusted about his situation and the people around him. He is so aware of his situation that he doesn't blame himself and isn't dependent on Sukuna's rescue, but wants to gain his freedom himself. He just doesn't feel able to act on it yet.-I see you-
Sukuna stays for Sora bc they only have each other. They see each other and understand each other partially due to similar experiences and philosophies, partially because they can see through each others acts and recognize what is beneath.
Abandoned children. One physically abandoned out of fear, now controlled by the need to feel anything through a kick. One emotionally abandoned out of egoism, calling for love behind a mask of lies.
There is no one else who can see them without judging or even loving that part of them. There is no one who offers them a safe space like the other person.
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Sora standing up against his father means a whole lot. He would have never spoken against his father before, out of fear for the consequences. Whether that means his father getting violent or it going so far as to Sora being banished from the village.
But Sukuna inspired Sora to speak up. In one of the pinned posts, I showed you how much Sora admires Sukuna's personality and his personal freedom. Sora wants to be like him, so after years of them getting close and Sukuna having quite a positive influence on Sora, whether verbal or nonverbal, Sora finally manages to speak up for what he believes in and protect who he loves - Sukuna.
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Heian Era
I want you with me
I don't want to make Sora's death the only reason why Sukuna turned out the way he did. In this story, it is only one of the reasons. As we all know, he had plenty, such as being cast out for the way he looked.The way I like to think about Sora's impact on Sukuna's philosophy is basically the following:
Love is worthless because it all ends one day. Why make the effort only to lose everything? Why expose weakness when you can lock it all away and become stronger without anything else holding you back?
Weak people should just accept their weakness and not desperately hang onto life or happiness, because they'll be ended either way, might as well give up immediately. Sora did the same, at least accepting his end and his weakness and using it to help Sukuna get away and be at least a bit useful while dying. Others should do the same. It wouldn't be fair if Sora would be the only one who had to give up on life for being weak, while other insects get to live happily.
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Heian Era
Love is worthless
Heian Era
Sukuna's Revenge
work in progress
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Heian Era
Give up what you love
Sukuna's third and last visit to Sora's grave, before he decided to let go of him, love, and every last weakness that could keep him from becoming the strongest.
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»I saw you in a bright clear field
Hurricane heat in my head
The kind of pain you feel to get good in the end
Good in the end
Inscribed like stone and faded by the rain
"Give up what you love"
"Give up what you love, before it does you in"Sending my love from the other side of the apocalypse
And I just about snapped
Don't look back
Every lover's got a little dagger in their hand«
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REBORN ERA
It's the first day of the Kyōto Exchange Event. Sora isn't able to participate because he has too much to do. Gojo tried to persuade Sora into joining, but after Yuta soloed the last exchange event, Sora found it would be unfair for him to join as a special grade on top of the other talented Tokyo students.However, he still wants to help out with their strategy, so he went to meet them.
This was also his first time meeting Yūji, which Sora was excited about. Nobara and Megumi had told him about Yūji, so Sora was more than happy to see him alive and well and to introduce himself.When he did, Sukuna recognized Sora. Apparently, he knows him from some part of his past.
At first, Sukuna was confused about how it was possible for Sora to be alive and well in this modern era, until he realized it must have been the result of a curse spoken out on that fateful day.The most twisted curse of them all had struck once more...
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Reborn Era
See you again
Reborn Era
Chaos
Sora has a deep understanding of Jujutsu, which is rather rare for his age. He quickly understands patterns and concepts, partially because he reads a lot about science, but also because he is an old soul, evidently having lived a past life 1000 years ago.
He has a different view of the world than his classmates, even different than his mentor Gojo.
To Sora, chaos is the nature of jujutsu, the true calm and order. But he is not an anarchist.
Sora's relationship with Chaos is intimately tied to his own existence and abilities. He channels the chaotic aspects of the universe through his innate technique, allowing him to manipulate probability; thus bending all the different possibilities of reality. While he may seem calm and collected on the surface, Sora grapples with internal conflict and turmoil, reflecting the duality of his connection to Chaos.
Chaos serves as a driving force behind Sora's actions and motivations. It influences his approach to combat, his understanding of reality, and his pursuit of knowledge and power in relations to jujutsu.
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Here you can see Sora using his illusion technique for training! He likes to use afterimages to confuse his opponents about his actual position during battle and to dodge hits. Though this is not his redirecting technique, it's just an added plus to his dodging abilities.
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These illusions can't actually hurt people physically, except for the brain they are targeting.
With probability manipulation, Sora targets all of his opponents senses to simulate whatever he envisions them to see.
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Back in the heian period, Sora had the habit to use his illusions to pose as Sukuna, whenever he panicked. It made him feel safe. But whenever Sukuna saw, it was embarrassing to him.
After he regained his memories, this habit came back.
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Reborn Era
Phantom
part 1
Reborn Era
Juju Stroll
Today, Sora invited the first years for pizza in his dorm!
They spent the day in Harajuku and now enjoy the afternoon and evening.
Nobara had a question pop up in her head, so she decided to ask into the round.For context:
This obviously plays before Shibuya, so Sora doesn't have the memories of his past yet!
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Sora in general is a nice guy. He smiles at everyone, helps out and listens to problems.
But due to his apathy, most of the time, he really doesn't care.
Unless you're one of his closest people (Gojo, Megumi, Yuta, Maki and later Yuji and Sukuna), Sora truly couldn't care less about you. Though he will never be openly rude or dismissive without a good reason, other people mean just as much to him as a pebble on the street.
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Sora often gets annoyed when he is being asked for help about something that he feels like someone could have done alone. And when Sora is annoyed, he needs to break his facade as soon as he can, so he can let it out and not risk to show it in public. He quickly calms down and realizes that it's nothing bad, but it's still a drag to him.Despite this, Sora is not a people pleaser. He isn't interested in building good relationships, but he is also not interested in establishing bad ones for no good reason, as that would just annoy him more. He has no chronic need to be liked, but he tries to avoid to be disliked, as that would only make his life harder and prevent him to be able to call in favors from others, if he needs them.
Thus, he keeps up his reputation as a nice person. But because this is only for his own gain and not for the well-being of others, Sora is not a kind person. In that regard, Sora is very cold and selfish, as he looks for his own benefit first, when helping others.
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Momo seems to have a little crush on her upperclassman. Too bad that Sora isn't interested in the slightest😮💨 He might have not even noticed yet, but that's mostly because he has other things on his mind. Gladly, it isn't Sukuna yet.
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Reborn Era
Sora isn't kind
Reborn Era
Familiar Warmth
This is Sora watching the impact of Sukuna's Malevolent Shrine in Shibuya.
It was just a few minutes - maybe just 3 - before he remembered his past with the king of curses, through a touch of his hand. But seeing Malevolent Shrine together with Fuga, felt familiar to Sora, even if he couldn't explain why.
He felt frozen. He wasn't scared. It even felt like a hug from someone he had missed so much for such a long time. It even made him lose a tear. And that felt weird - even wrong - , because he knew he should be terrified and devastated by this power. But he just... felt drawn to it.I got inspired by that Leonardo DiCaprio frame haha
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Reborn Era
Connection and Sacrifice
Sora has been running around outside the curtains, checking on the assistants and healing those who got attacked, where he also ran into Nanami. He later joined Toge Inumaki with getting rid of mutated humans, then tried to follow Yūji closer to the heart of the curtain. He wasn't able to meet Yūji again, because he was stopped by Uraume. They fought, but before Sora could finish them, Uraume retrieved to meet Sukuna.Sora ran around, trying to find Yūji, but ended up finding Fushiguro wounded on the floor. He checked on him, but found he was going to make it. But then...Sora feels conflicted. He knows about Sukuna's current reputation, but now suddenly has memories that predate all the horrible things that happened. He misses how it used to be and it's confusing to him that he feels like he knows Sukuna, yet he's so different now.To Sora, only the blink of an eye went by, while for Sukuna, centuries had passed and he had become a different person.Sora wants to talk about it, but Sukuna wants to pursue his goal. He doesn't want to go back to how it was because he learned that it was all useless in the end. Though he still wants to include Sora in his goal. After all, he doesn't hate him. Maybe, just maybe, he still cares.
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This is the immediate aftermath of Sora regaining his memories.
After Sukuna brought him and Megumi back to Principal Yaga and Shoko Ieri, Sora didn't want to stay out of the events happening.
Sukuna may have told him to stay away and be patient, but Sora wasn't able to just sit around after this chaos had been created in Shibuya and within himself.
He was scared, confused, desperate, distraught, traumatized even, by reliving his own death.
To protect his sanity, Sora shut down and locked away his emotions for now, so he could focus on the ongoing battle and try to understand the memories of his life from 1000 years ago later.While trying to find his friends, Sora ran into Yuki Tsukumo. Together, they made their way to the battle ground and intervened with Uraume's attack.
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Reborn Era
Shibuya Incident:
Your mayhem reflects in me
Reborn Era
Phantom
part 2
Sora creates illusions by manipulating the probability of his opponent’s sensory input. By subtly altering the likelihood of what their senses perceive—such as adjusting the chance of seeing a certain image or hearing a specific sound—he crafts convincing illusions that deceive sight, sound, touch, and even smell. This manipulation results in opponents experiencing false realities, as Sora increases the odds that they perceive fabricated sensations as genuine. These illusions are most effective when the target is unaware of Sora’s influence, though focused or alert individuals might sense inconsistencies.
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To clarify, Sora wasn't able to actually use Sukuna's technique when he posed as him. It was just an illusion. The opponents were knocked out by the simulated pain information sent to their brains. They are not dead and will recover soon. Though sending such a strong pain information to the brain is very exhausting to Sora and here, it was his survival instinct and adrenaline kicking in, because he felt his skull getting crushed.
Seeing Sora like that triggered Sukuna's fear of losing him again, which made him battle to take control of Yuji's body. He didn't manage to do it, but he managed to heal Sora when Yuji touched him.
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Back in the heian period, Sora had the habit to use his illusions to pose as Sukuna, whenever he panicked. It made him feel safe. But whenever Sukuna saw, it was embarrassing to him.
After he regained his memories, this habit came back.
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Before visiting Sukuna, Sora had a talk with Satoru, his older brother figure.
Sora had previously only shared his memories with Yuji, and even with him, he didn't tell him everything.
Sora only didn't want Yuji to be in the dark, but he also didn't want to give him even more to worry about.
But after weeks of struggling with it all alone, Sora couldn't help but seek advice from Satoru.
After all, he was the one he was closest to, the one he could count on. And the only one who had gone through something similar.
Sora hadn't expected Satoru to be supportive and had instead hoped he wouldn't be mad at him.
Fortunately, Satoru knew what Sora felt like and therefore gave him the advice he wished he had gotten when he had trouble with Suguru.
Sora keeps it in mind. To make sure to make his peace with whatever happens and makes his choices accordingly.
But...
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Reborn Era
A brother's advice
part 1
Reborn Era
What does Love mean?
Everything is going downhill.
So many are dead, others are badly injured, Sukuna has escaped and taken Megumi's body, Satoru is free, but Sora is distraught.
He has only now, weeks after the Shibuya Incident, finally somehow come to terms with his new memories and his conflicting emotions. He had told Yuji first, as he felt he deserved to know what exactly he had witnessed, then Yuta, then Satoru.
All of them had been shocked, but supported Sora in his crisis. Though all of them had become a tiny bit suspicious about Sora's alignment now. All but Satoru. But none of them were mad at him. They helped him keep his sanity before the inevitable disaster that would follow on December 24th.
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Sora's longing after the one he used to love was so strong, that he snuck out of the place they were all staying at and went to look for him. Being able to sense Sukuna's current position due to their curse helped him to quickly find the king of curses.
Uraume didn't notice Sora at first, due to his superposition, but while walking down the path towards them, Sora and Sukuna kept eye contact.
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Sora felt nervous talking to him. It felt weird even looking at him and seeing what he was like now. And he felt guilty. Sora felt horrible for present, past and future events happening on both sides. And even worse for having feelings for Sukuna after everything he has done, especially on October 31st. Yet there was only one thing he desired more than anything in the world. Was that part of the curse?
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Showing that he was not afraid to lose his life to Sukuna, Sora stood before him. He didn't care about dismantle when he let Sukuna touch him. In this moment, Sora was ready to die if Sukuna chose that fate for him. He died for his love for the king of curses once before, so he didn't care if he died this time while declaring it. It would make him happy if he was the one who killed him this time and not someone else standing between them.Sukuna only cares about himself and his desires.
That hasn't changed ever since he found Sora again.
Though there was another desire added to his list.
He doesn't want to see Sora get hurt or die again.While pursuing his goals, through Sora's presence, Sukuna struggles to keep his former feelings locked away. And sometimes, he just can't control them. That was why he healed Sora. And that is why he fulfilled his wish. And because he desired it as well, he needed nothing in return. And Sora realized that.Sukuna's order to Sora to go back to his friends and be safe, meant that he wants Sora to live. He wants him to stay out of the upcoming battle. He doesn't want him to land in the crossfire once again and get killed in the process. He doesn't want to be the reason for Sora's death again.
But he only gives him this order once. If Sora chooses to fight Sukuna, then so be it.
From now on, the king of curses will make sure Sora is in his possession at the end of the day, no matter what it takes.Sora accepts that. Though he has his own goals now, different from Sukuna's and different from that of his friends.
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In the end... finding his peace just seems a lot harder after losing Satoru.
Sora feels guilty for Satoru's death. Even if it wasn't his direct actions causing it.
He knows Satoru wouldn't hold back against Sukuna.
The reason why Sora feels guilty, is because he wasn't able to stay alive long enough to maybe prevent Sukuna from turning evil. And if anything, the curse Sora accidentally put on them might have helped for Sukuna to be able to come back after all these years.But Sora also knows that Satoru had made his peace with either outcome. Sora knows that he was tired of being used as a sword and shield by jujutsu society. And Sora also knows that he is in a better place now.
Sora was also on Yuta's side when it came to using Gojo's body, as Satoru had consented and Sora agreed with Yuta that it was their last resort to burn out Sukuna.
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Reborn Era
A brother's advice
part 2
Reborn Era
The Last Confrontation
❗️This scene plays during Chapter 248, after Sukuna gained control of the merger and before Yuta joined the battle.❗️
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This is it. The last opportunity.
Sora's final attempt to talk to Sukuna and convince him.
Convince him of what? Sora wasn't exactly sure.
Maybe he was trying to make Sukuna remember their love, maybe he was hoping he would come to his senses. Or maybe this was just a pathetic attempt to make Sukuna lower his guard, so that they had an easier time fighting him.
Whatever it was, Sora was holding onto it.
He had lost so much, maybe he was begging to not fully lose Sukuna as well.
1000 years are a long time. He seemed to have forgotten what their love used to be all about.
Sora couldn't blame him.Now that Satoru was dead, Sora was trying to follow his advice, but Sukuna's words stabbed into Sora's heart like a dagger.
There was no reason for Sora to hold back anymore. He needed to tell Sukuna all of his thoughts, everything that didn't make sense to him. He had to get through to him.
To achieve what? He didn't know. He had to accept that Sukuna was like this now. He had to be at peace with it. But at least Sora couldn't just let Sukuna stay in denial about their shared past.That's not him.
With those words, Sora decided what was best for himself.
To be able to fight his former lover and cope with his death, Sora had to lie to himself and make himself believe that the Sukuna in front of him was nothing more than a doppelgänger. A parasite that had corrupted the one he loved.
He had to do what Sukuna did, he had to be in denial to cope with the current reality, so that he wouldn't immediately break apart.
It wasn't like he didn't accept Sukuna how he was; he did. But they couldn't be together in this situation and Sora couldn't let everyone die, just so he could be with Sukuna. He couldn't. He had to make the choice for the greater good again and make the same mistake again, as Sukuna called it.
And so that was it.
Sukuna seemed to not want to let go of Sora either. He told him to wait when they had reunited, he had kissed him and told him to stay safe, and now he wanted Sora to join him.
He didn't say it, but Sora knew that Sukuna still felt the urge for them to be together, even if it would never again be how it was 1000 years ago.
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Little funfact: Sora betting on losing dogs can be interpreted as him betting on the slim chance of saving Sukuna by killing him, but also staying by his friends' sides, even if the survival chances are slim.
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Sora Unei © me/@yyroumen
Jujutsu Kaisen © Gege Akutami
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Reborn Era
Did you forget?
This is the very scenario I created Sora or rather his technique for. To tank (if you wanna call it that) Sukuna's dimensional slash.
(but now this scene is also a little love letter to the smart asses who kept telling me Sukuna would just dismantle/cleave Sora😘)
Sora and Sukuna's battle starts immediately after their last conversation on the battlefield.
Sora's technique is great for countering Sukuna's technique, but isn't built to offensively do much against him. Therefore, Sora jumps in to give Yūji time to breathe and buy time for Yuta to arrive, so they can enter the next part of their strategy smoothly.
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Symbolism and Parallels:
-Call of the past-
This scene is a parallel to the very first memory I showed of Sukora.
Sukuna throws an apple, Sora catches it, Sora talks about how he likes spending time with Sukuna, Sukuna tells Sora he's the only one who can handle his way of life.
This time, Sora kicks a rock, Sukuna gets hit, Sukuna thinks about how Sora still cares about him despite everything, Sora asks Sukuna if he still likes how he can handle him.-Rock vs perfect sphere-
Similar to Yorozu, Sora's confrontation with Sukuna is about love.
But when a carefully planned and practiced true sphere wasn't able to defeat Sukuna, a random small asymmetrical rock was enough to foil his plans.-Satoru Gojo-
Satoru told Sora to make his peace with whatever happened. That included his death, but Sora is very far from making his peace at this point in time. So instead of trying to balance his conflicting wishes to be with Sukuna and be with his friends, Sora chooses to embrace his sadness and anger towards his former lover and avenge his late brother in heart, honoring him by displaying his mastery over levitation, that Satoru and Sora worked on together during preparation for this battle.
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Jujutsu Kaisen © Gege Akutami
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Reborn Era
My hands will bring you my heart, as they will your demise
It was over.
Both Yuji and Sora had gone through a lot of pain and loss. They knew each other's thoughts, but none of them were able to do anything, but give each other a reassuring smile.
To Sora, everything that happened was his fault. Everyone who died, everything that got destroyed, all the pain the survivors had to go through now. Sora thinks that he could have done something, if only he would have listened to Sukuna 1000 years ago, and had just run away with him sooner.But he hadn't. And now there was no going back. In addition to that, Sora had found out that Sukuna had felt betrayed by him. Sukuna had thought that Sora never truly loved him, lied to him all this time, tried to lure him in to kill him and chose everyone else over him.
But that wasn't true. Sukuna was the only one Sora never lied to, the only one he ever loved, the only one he felt truly seen by and safe with. The only one Sora wanted to be with.
So not only had Sukuna abandoned love, all those years he had told himself that what he had experienced with Sora wasn't even love to begin with.All this pain, all the anger, the sadness, regret and guilt were too much for Sora to keep quiet. He had forced himself to function, so that they could win the battle, but now everything just had to come out in one heart wrenching scream.
All those emotions not only ripped Sora's psyche apart, but also his heart.
His heart muscles were suddenly stunned by the immense stress and adrenaline that ran through Sora's body and he was rushed to the hospital. Diagnosis: broken heart syndrome.
Sora recovered within two months, but the toll all this trauma took to his mind and body, sadly lead to more heart problems over the years.
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Jujutsu Kaisen © Gege Akutami
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Reborn Era
Goodbye,
my love
Reborn Era
I can wait...
So after Sora came back from the hospital, he didn't want to speak to anyone from jujutsu high out of shame. The first thing he did was to go down where they had placed Sukuna's remains. He wasn't sure what to do, so he just stood there for a while, lost in thought and memories. Now, for the first time after Shibuya, he had the time to let them wash over him.While recovering, Sora cut his hair as usual, but he just couldn't cut the back part that Sukuna had touched that day. He couldn't cut him off. He wasn't ready yet. And maybe he never would be.Sora hoped that, one day, the curse would reincarnate both him and Sukuna once more. And that they would get a new chance at being together. A chance of a life where they wouldn't be forced apart by fate.
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Jujutsu Kaisen © Gege Akutami
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After suffering under broken heart syndrome, Sora recovered within a few months and went back to Jujutsu Tech. After graduating, he kept living there, isolating himself, but still developing a reputation as a strong and reliable jujutsu sorcerer.Here you can see him using his technique "Cursed Blitz" to destroy a curse.Can you find all the symbolism in Sora's adult outfit?👀 (it's 8 things ;) )
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Jujutsu Kaisen © Gege Akutami
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Reborn Era
Adult Sora
Modern Era
Modern Era
Next time
And with this, we have reached Sora and Sukuna meeting again in a different lifetime, 30 years after the events of 2018.
Can you spot all of the poem parts in my posts?
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»Do you remember your feelings?
I miss the way it used to be
What does love mean?
Love is worthless
The most twisted curse of all
Did you forget?
Love means
Connection and Sacrifice
See you again
Next time«
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Symbolism and Parallels:
-The apple-
The apple symbolizes the trust and the connection Sora and Sukuna share. It first appeared in the post "I miss the way it used to be", where they acknowledged that they give each other a kind of security they have never experienced before. Sora is able to work with Sukuna's hedonism without judging him and Sukuna is always truthful to Sora without expecting anything.
Throwing an apple in ancient Greece was also equivalent to a proposal and catching it meant to say yes, as I was told. I didn't know that when I first drew that scene, but it is quite fitting nonetheless.-The poem-
This poem is supposed to be a conversation between Sora and Sukuna. While their souls meet in the space between life and death, where they can shortly be together before reincarnating into their next life. Where they remember each other for one last second, before hehe curse forces them to relive everything until they let go of their grudge against the world and how it treated them.
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❗️Fun fact❗️
The staring in this scene is the same staring Sora did when he met Sukuna again in Shibuya. It's their souls telling them that they know each other and are connected, but it doesn't mean they remember. That happens later on through touch.
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Jujutsu Kaisen © Gege Akutami
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100% MY ART
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A thousand year old love
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This is Sora and Sukuna's first date in their third life. And also the day they remembered each other, 30 years after Sukuna's death in Shinjuku and the ending of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga. That being 10 years of Sora living afterwards and them now being 20 year old university students.
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Symbolism and Parallels:
-Cherry Blossom Season-
Cherry Blossoms symbolize both life and death, beauty and violence. Thus they represent both Sora and Sukuna interchangeably. Sora as life and beauty, as he started the reincarnation curse and is just pretty; Sukuna as death and violence, the king of curses. But on the other hand, Sora as death and violence as he died twice now, never able to escape his fate of a young death through violence, Sukuna as life and beauty, as he escaped death through becoming a cursed object and as his perfection of jujutsu is often titled as beautiful.
Cherry Blossoms also represent their relationship, as they always come back during spring, yet are also very short lived.-The Quotes-
These are the most important quotes they have said to each other so far in the story. It represents their struggles, their wishes and their way of treating each other. The quotes lead through their lives, representing the memories coming back, until they recognize each other.
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Jujutsu Kaisen © Gege Akutami
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Modern Era
A thousand year old Love
Modern Era
Mermay!
Don't ask me what exactly Sora is shooting for there, I didn't think about that lmao. Maybe it's a perfume ad and they really wanted to do a practical mermaid tail, I don't know😂
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The reason why Sukuna is smiling at what Sora is saying in the last panel, is because he finds it cute that Sora is so happy to see him, especially after expressing exhaustion just a moment before.
Sora is an introvert, but Sukuna charges his social battery, no matter how empty it was.
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Also, I hate how out of character Sukuna seems in these posts when you don't have the context😭 I always beat myself up about it, but then I remember that there was lots of backstory AND character development. And that if he's acting all chill with Uraume, then this could definitely make sense with the backstory he shares with Sora.
ANYWAY! Enjoy!
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Jujutsu Kaisen © Gege Akutami
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Sora is terrified Sukuna will leave him if he gets bored, because that's what Sukuna does.
Sora keeps having nightmares about his insecurities. He really struggles with feeling not good enough ever since he remembered his past, and now he's terrified that Sukuna will leave him any second for someone better or prettier.
Sora can't help but think that Sukuna might prefer a pretty woman over him, so that's what his nightmares are about, next to is deaths and his last battle with Sukuna.
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The feeling of not being good enough comes from how his father treated Sora. He had to be perfect, but his father was never satisfied, never praised him, only expected more and better results.
About Sukuna, those thoughts started in second life after Sukuna repeatedly rejected Sora. But they only really manifested after Sukuna had already been defeated, due to Sora's brain putting these memories away for now, so Sora could function in battle.
Sora spent the next ten years wondering if Sukuna ever loved him at all or if everything was just another lie. This thought is one both Sora and Sukuna struggle with.
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Now in third life, Sora is also getting insecure, because there are so many more people around him and Sukuna, so many gorgeous girls and people with less issues than Sora. And of course a lot of people who find Sukuna attractive, instead of fearing or hating him. More competition.
And all of this and all of the trauma Sora went through, that doesn't even necessarily include Sukuna, now piles up on Sora, while he is just trying to get himself to trust words again.
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Jujutsu Kaisen © Gege Akutami
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Modern Era
Sora's nightmare
Modern Era
Mine
I really wanted to do this trend, since it really fits Sora and Sukuna's story in their third life!
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After regaining their memories, Sukuna struggles with his identity. He is unable to leave his evil side behind and Sora doesn't expect him to, but Sukuna decides to hold himself back. Not to be a nice person, but because he wants hot focus on himself and Sora. At least for now.
Sora has started a modeling career next to his studies, while Sukuna was forced to make a binding vow with the higher ups, which obligates him to work as a jujutsu sorcerer.
(more on that in my highlights and in future posts)
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Sukuna has developed stalker behavior when it comes to his boyfriend, which stem from his fear of losing him for a third time. Sukuna watches over Sora like a hawk, even has cameras set up at their apartment and at Sora's workplace (of which Sora doesn't know). He became a control freak, obsessive and possessive you could say. His previous habit to pursue his desires, through his new experiences growing up in the modern world, has now developed into his first ever ideal:
keeping Sora close and all to himself.
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Sukuna's markings aren't permanent. They appear when he uses his cursed energy and slowly disappear when he stops. They appear here, because he just finished a mission and is now on his way home to Sora.
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Jujutsu Kaisen © Gege Akutami
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Disclaimer‼️
This scene in NO WAY is supposed to romanticize stalking!
Sukuna's behavior can be explained by his narcissism and fear of losing Sora like 1000 years ago, but in no way is it excused by that. Sukuna started stalking Sora when they briefly broke up because of differences (they still saw each other because they couldn't be without each other even when they tried), which ended up saving Sora's life, as Sukuna was able to get to Sora when he noticed he was in danger. And that only enforced within him the need to keep watching his every move.
BUT!
In no way am I trying to make this look like a cute or quirky character trait of his. There WILL be consequences later on in the story for Sukuna's stalking.
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Symbolism and Parallels:
-Sukuna's Hoodie-
This is a custom made hoodie, that Sukuna got shortly after getting his memories back.
He wears it for comfort and as a reminder to keep himself in check. Now working as a sorcerer with a strict binding vow to keep him controlled, Sukuna has the ability to participate in battles to meet his need for violence, while also assuring that he won't lose himself again.
The cherry blossoms and the red apple remind him of his safe place and his anchor; Sora.-The phone charms-
Sora and Sukuna have often been associated with Yin and Yang. The good in evil and the evil in good. Remnants of each other's spirits embedded deep inside the other. Sukuna is the embodiment of evil and always has been. But with Sora, he is able to channel the good within himself. Sora has always been someone who is lawfully good, but through Sukuna he experienced a chaotic and selfish side within him, that allowed him to become more free.
They are not exactly aware of this, but still chose these phone charms as a cute little matching item to share.
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Modern Era
I'll keep you safe this time
Modern Era
We'll be okay, surely
Sora and Sukuna's story and relationship is far from sunshine and rainbows. And that continues to be the case. Just because they were reborn into new bodies and new lives, doesn't mean they don't have any of their previous problems, after regaining their past memories. Quite the opposite, actually.
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Sometimes, the two of them are too exhausted to keep their masks up. Sora can't keep smiling all day and Sukuna has his secrets too. Secrets he wasn't truly aware of, until him and Sora uncovered them together.
The trauma these two have been through is taking its toll, making them numb sometimes. Sora more than Sukuna. And so, they like sitting on rooftops, just staring at the city, without speaking. Because no words could express what is going on inside them. So instead, they just enjoy having each other back after all this time. Now, without either of their stubbornness tearing them apart.
Now they are way too stubborn to let go, even if that is unhealthy sometimes.
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Just being there with each other, feeling the other's warmth. Something so simple, that was taken from them over and and over again, is enough to keep them from insanity. They have a long way to go to achieve peace for their souls. But as long as they have each other, they'll be okay. Surely.
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Sora Unei © me/@yyroumen
Jujutsu Kaisen © Gege Akutami
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100% MY ART
🚫Do not trace or repost
Thank you so much for reading!The story will get updated
each time I post a new lore post!