Megumi Fushiguro

Lore & Background

Before the idea of Jujutsu Kaisen itself was made, Akutami had decided on making Megumi the protagonist in the draft, titled 'Jujutsu Sousen', a much more depressing and cynical version of what was to come later. Megumi was given the last name Wanibuchi meaning 'crocodile abyss'. He is also shown to have ear piercings. However, after presenting the draft, Akutami was told that Megumi was too much of a boring and melancholy character, which led Megumi to become the deuteragonist and Yuji to become the protagonist, effectively switching their initial roles. In the new draft of Jujutsu Kaisen, according to Akutami, Megumi was designed to be a foil to Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki. He was written as a more insightful character than either due to his greater proclivity towards negative thinking and lack of trust towards others. Akutami also stated that he is a 'rather depressing' character compared to Itadori, and that he was created to care less about strangers' fates like Itadori and more when animals die. His first name, Megumi, is typically a female name meaning 'blessing' or 'grace'. Because of this, he largely goes by his last name. He was written to be a more gloomy contrast to other characters in the series, and his deranged laugh while fighting a finger-bearing Curse was meant to exemplify his lack of outward joy.

In Their Own Story

As a child, Megumi was born into the Zen'in clan and left orphaned by his parents, to be looked after by his step-sister Tsumiki, who he sees as an inspiration. He was then tutored by Satoru Gojo as a young child, an incredibly powerful sorcerer who killed his father, Toji Fushiguro, ten years prior. Toji was a powerful fighter born with a 'heavenly restriction,' which prevented him from using cursed energy in return for improved physical ability. Due to his unusual abilities, he was on bad terms with his family, the Zen'in clan, and took the last name Fushiguro upon marriage. Megumi first appears in Jujutsu Kaisen alongside Yuji after he discovers Yuji has found one of Sukuna's fingers. After Yuji eats Sukuna's fingers, Yuji and Megumi become partners at Jujutsu High under the tutelage of Gojo. He is present when Nobara Kugisaki arrives in Tokyo, and strikes up a reluctant friendship with her and Yuji. During an altercation with a 'Cursed Womb' at a detention facility, Megumi fights Sukuna, who becomes interested in Megumi for his power and will. After the fight, Yuji appears to die in front of Megumi. During an exchange event between the Tokyo and Kyoto Jujutsu schools, which was interrupted by a group of powerful cursed spirits (The 'Disaster Curses'), Megumi fights and is defeated due to injuries sustained at the hands of Hanami, a cursed spirit. During a mission with Nobara and Yuji, Megumi fights a cursed spirit bearing one of Sukuna's fingers and triumphs in the battle after successfully expanding his domain for the first time, a high-level ability considered the 'pinacle' of sorcery. However, he loses consciousness due to exhaustion and injuries shortly afterwards. He, along with many other Jujutsu Sorcerers, are sent to Shibuya when the Disaster Curses and their allies prepare to attack Japan. A Curse User named Ogami inadvertently resurrects Toji (his father). Due to the nature of his resurrection, Toji quickly becomes highly aggressive and loses higher order thinking skills. Megumi and Yuji defeat Curse User Jiro Awasaka. Megumi also assists in the defeat of Dagon, a powerful cursed spirit, who Toji finished off. Immediately afterwards, Toji attacks Megumi. After a small fight, Toji regains consciousness and commits suicide. Megumi is then attacked by a curse user, and he summons Mahoraga, an uncontrolled but highly powerful shikigmi, as a form of mutually assured destruction. Sukuna then saves him and defeats Mahoraga. At the end of the Shibuya Incident arc, Tsumiki, his sister, is possessed by ancient sorcerer Yorozu, awakens from her coma that was inflicted by a Cursed Spirit, and is forced to participate in the Culling Game between the Curse Users of Japan. He inadvertently becomes the head of the Zen'in clan after the clan's previous head was killed in battle. Entering the game with Yuji, they are split up as soon as the culling game begins, fighting enemy Curse Users and forming alliances in an attempt to defeat Kenjaku, the powerful Curse User who started the destruction.

Reader's Guide

Megumi is proficient in hand-to-hand combat, defaulting to weaponry and Cursed Techniques in battle. His 'cursed technique' (unique ability) is the Ten Shadows Technique, inherited from the Zen'in family, allowing him to summon ten different Cursed Spirits (using shadows as a medium) that will fight alongside him. However, besides the Divine Dogs, he needs to defeat the Shikigami in battle to control him. His cursed spirit allies, called 'Shikigami', are a variety of animals, being Divine Dog/s (Two dogs), Nue (An owl), Toad (A frog), Great Serpent (A snake), Max Elephant (An elephant), Rabbit Escape (A swarm of rabbits), Round Deer (A deer), Piercing Ox (An ox), and Tiger Funeral. (Unknown, though likely a tiger). The tenth and most powerful Shikigami, Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga (Usually stylized as Mahoraga, or Makora in Japanese) is a humanoid Shikigami with the ability to adapt to situations that disadvantage it. Megumi often attempts to summon Mahoraga as a form of mutually assured destruction. When a Shikigami of the Ten Shadows under the Ten Shadows user's control is destroyed or killed, they cannot be summoned or manifested ever again. However, aspects of the destroyed/deceased Shikigami is passed on to others, making them stronger. This is shown with the Divine Dogs, as when the white Divine Dog died after being killed by a special grade cursed spirit in chapter 6, its black twin inherited its power, taking on the form of a large bicolor Werewolf. His Domain Expansion, a powerful technique which encloses an area and amplifies the users Cursed Technique, is called Chimera Shadow Garden. It covers the ground in a shadowy liquid which allows him to call up shikigami with ease and summon multiple at the same time, using their skills to overwhelm enemy attackers.

Did You Know?

• Megumi was originally the protagonist in the draft 'Jujutsu Sousen', with the last name Wanibuchi meaning 'crocodile abyss', and had ear piercings.
• His first name, Megumi, is typically a female name meaning 'blessing' or 'grace', so he largely goes by his last name.
• Japanese voice actor Yuma Uchida described Megumi as 'oppressive but cool when he fights.'
• American voice actor Robbie Daymond said Megumi is 'trying so hard to be the straight man' and that it's 'an act or a front.'
• Megumi's deranged laugh while fighting a finger-bearing Curse was meant to exemplify his lack of outward joy.