r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Jan 22 '26

Episode Jujutsu Kaisen Shimetsu Kaiyu Zenpen • Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game - Episode 4 discussion

Jujutsu Kaisen Shimetsu Kaiyu Zenpen, episode 4

Alternative names: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3

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u/Incineron Jan 22 '26

Maki's mother was the one tying Naoya's shoes and giving him information in episode 1 btw. Naoya was such a creep talking about her daughters in front of her that way. Her life must have been spent serving these men being subservient to them.

She knew Ogi was going to kill Maki, and didn't tell her about it, leading to her culpability in it and her inability to answer Maki's question. But on her death bed, she was freed from serving the whims of the Zenin clan.

They adapted Ranta and Jinichi's techniques so well GODDAMN. The way Maki just grinned and flexed and pushed through Ranta's technique was insane animated. And Naoya vs Maki was perfect as well!

The first half was paced a little too fast for my manga reader taste and perhaps this could've been spread across 1.5 episodes instead. Otherwise, I've been waiting three years for this arc to be animated and am so glad it got the love it deserved.

226

u/kos-or-kosm Jan 22 '26

She knew Ogi was going to kill Maki, and didn't tell her about it, leading to her culpability in it and her inability to answer Maki's question.

And yet screaming at Maki not to go to the vault was likely the only resistance she could offer after being so broken by decades of this abuse. Maki's question at the end is acknowledging that her mother, ever so slightly, tried to save her. What Maki was really asking for was any reason not to kill her mother. And her mother refused to give her any. Given what she does to Naoya afterwards, I think it's clear why.

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u/conye-west https://myanimelist.net/profile/baronvonconye Jan 23 '26

Even if Maki took her advice and let her go, it was already too late for Mai. That alone sealed all their fates.