The following contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 225, "Inhuman Makyo Shinjuku Showdown, Part 3" by Gege Akutami, John Werry and Snir Aharon, available in English from MangaMonster.

The highly anticipated deathmatch between Gojo Satoru and Jujutsu Kaisen's King of Curses took a somewhat nasty turn when a brief fight of Domain Expansions concluded in the worst possible way. The Infinite Void of the Limitless user collapsed to the immense strain of Ryomen Sukuna's Malevolent Shrine, leaving Gojo vulnerable to his adversary's sure hit effect. Sukuna may have successfully decapitated the strongest jujutsu sorcerer, but Gojo may have another trick in his sleeve, according to the ending of Chapter 225.

Gojo lost the Domains battle not because the evil sorcerer was stronger, but because of an underlying incompatibility with Sukuna's Domain. Sukuna's Domain Expansion has a much greater range than Gojo's highly honed Unlimited Void because he casts it without closing its bounds. Gojo's Domain is impenetrable from the inside, making it extremely vulnerable to outside attackers. Despite the fact that their cursed skills were equal inside Gojo's Domain, Sukuna's was stronger beyond Unlimited Void's barrier, causing Gojo's Domain to crumble.

 

The Six Eyes of Gojo Satoru Perceive Time Differently

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Gojo might have been struck by the “can’t miss” effect of Sukuna’s Domain, but the cliffhanger left his situation too ambiguous to conclude that he met his end. Although Jujutsu Kaisen is no stranger to killing off important characters without prior warning, their deaths often come with a certain finality that leaves no room for reader speculation. A single streak of blood is relatively tame by the series’ standards, and this injury shouldn’t be anything Gojo can’t reverse, especially with his mastery over reverse cursed technique.

Additionally, Gojo’s perception of time is far slower than that of the average sorcerer. During the Shibuya Incident, Kenjaku took advantage of this fact to trap him in the Prison Realm almost right away. While it would have taken anyone else over a minute of standing motionless for the cursed seal to work, merely breaking Gojo’s attention for an instant translated to over a minute’s worth of time passing in his brain. Sukuna’s slash may have struck Gojo before he had time to react, but so far as his head isn’t completely severed from the rest of his body, he should have more than enough time to heal the injury with reverse cursed technique.

 

Sukuna's Slashes Could Still Cause Long-Term Damage

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In addition to his status as the King of Curses, Sukuna also has the oft-forgotten title as the master of poisons. As his host, Itadori managed to appropriate his immunity to the venom of cursed spirits and any lingering effects being struck with Cleave or Dismantle might have but other characters aren’t so lucky. After being caught in Sukuna’s Domain Expansion, Inumaki Toge’s wounds were pictured covered in talisman-riddled bandages of the same sort that are used to dampen the effects of cursed object. It’s possible that Sukuna’s cursed technique may have the added effect of poisoning those that it affects.

If this holds true, merely healing his injury with reverse cursed technique won’t be enough to give Gojo the all-clear. As Uraume found out after getting poisoned by Choso, the regenerative technique has no way of expelling toxins from the body and though physical wounds may be repaired, poisons would still have their intended effect. Should Gojo fall victim to a similar situation, Sukuna’s domination over the fight will get even more pronounced. Right now, he has no other option than to end the fight as quickly as possible, if he does survive the initial slash.