If you’re all caught up on Jujutsu Kaisen season 2, you might be wondering – what the heck happened to Inumaki’s arm? One minute the quirky rice ball-speaking sorcerer is helping civilians, the next we see him standing there with his left arm just gone. Let’s dive into this burning question.
The Shocking Reveal
The reveal of Inumaki’s missing limb happened at the very end of season 2. Episode 23 featured a scene where Yuta Okkotsu meets up with the higher-ups at Jujutsu High. Yuta boldly tells them he’ll be the one to kill Yuji Itadori himself – because apparently, Yuji is the one who cut off Inumaki’s arm back in Shibuya.
Of course, we know Yuta was just saying that as a cover story. He’s actually on Yuji’s side and wants to be assigned as his executioner so he can protect his friend. But it was still a jaw-dropping moment seeing poor Inumaki standing there, holding the stump of his severed arm.
How It Went Down in Shibuya
So what exactly led to Inumaki losing his arm? To understand, we need to rewind back to the climax of the Shibuya Incident arc.
After Yuji heads into Shibuya station to find Gojo, Inumaki stays behind to protect the civilians from the transfigured humans roaming the area. We don’t see much of him again until the final battle.
While fighting Choso, Yuji ends up unconscious as the villainous Jogo forces Sukuna’s fingers down his throat. This allows Sukuna to regain control of Yuji’s body and go on a rampage, taking on Megumi’s supreme Shikigami summon Mahoraga.
Sukuna vs Mahoraga was an epic clash that absolutely decimated huge swaths of Shibuya. Their massive domain expansions and attacks leveled entire city blocks. This is where Inumaki, still looking out for civilians, ended up directly in the crossfire of Sukuna’s overwhelming cursed energy.
A Gnarly Cursed Wound
Inumaki had the terrible luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time as Sukuna wrecked the area. The overwhelming force of Sukuna’s attack is what blew off Inumaki’s whole left arm in a gruesomely cursed wound.
When you think about it, Inumaki is actually lucky to be alive at all. Sukuna’s onslaught killed countless civilians with its shockwaves. Inumaki managed to survive, minus his arm of course.
It’s a miracle he wasn’t more severely injured or killed outright. Sukuna’s sheer power is absolutely terrifying – just one miscalculated attack was enough to dismember Inumaki so gruesomely.
Why Couldn’t It Be Healed?
Speaking of Inumaki’s wound, you might be wondering why it wasn’t simply healed with the Reverse Cursed Technique like Yuji’s injuries often are. After all, that’s usually a go-to for healing major cursed wounds and injuries.
Well, the leading theory is that Sukuna’s overwhelming cursed energy is simply too strong for modern healing techniques to fully repair. His status as the King of Curses means his cursed power operates on another level entirely from normal sorcerers.
Since Sukuna himself blew off Inumaki’s arm, the wound was likely too cursed for the Reverse Cursed Technique to fully heal and regenerate the limb. It could only stop the bleeding and deterioration of the wound itself.
The best healers have worked on Yuji, but his body still carries lingering Cursed wounds from Sukuna’s possessed attacks that can’t be fully healed. The strength of Sukuna’s cursed energy is simply too much.
What’s Next for One-Armed Inumaki?
So after that harrowing encounter in Shibuya, we didn’t see much of Inumaki for a while. But the manga has already given little glimpses of what’s next for the one-armed rice ball warrior.
In chapter 220, Inumaki makes a brief background appearance at a meeting between Gojo’s allies to discuss dealing with the Culling Games. Then in chapter 221, he’s present as the group unseals Gojo from the Prison Realm he was trapped in.
His role may be reduced, but Inumaki is still alive and kicking…even with just one arm now. We’ll likely see him rejoin the fight against the culling games and curses once Gojo is freed up to lead the counter-attack.
Inumaki, though not a main character, is a fun wild card and readers will want to see more of. Even with just one arm, rice ball vocabulary promises epic cursed combat.
The Loss That Cuts Deep
On a narrative level, Inumaki’s lost arm serves as a powerful statement on the true threat level of Sukuna and the sacrifices that come with trying to contain his unimaginable power.
Dismembering a fan-favorite character really drives home just how high the stakes are and how nobody is truly safe from Sukuna’s overwhelming curse when he’s on a rampage. If even a capable sorcerer like Inumaki couldn’t avoid losing a limb, it shows his cursed energy knows no bounds.
Seeing a familiar face suffer such a grisly permanent injury is an effective gut punch. It makes Sukuna, and by extension Yuji’s predicament, feel that much more real and dire. Inumaki may bounce back, but his lost arm will forever remind him of the heavy cost that comes with dealing with Sukuna.
So in summary – Inumaki lost his arm to the sheer overwhelming force of Sukuna’s cursed power while protecting civilians in Shibuya. It’s a gnarly, permanent wound caused by taking one of Sukuna’s attacks head-on. While not the main protagonist, it’s still an impactful loss that speaks volumes about the threats they’re facing.
Whether he rejoins the fight or not, Inumaki will carry that jarring sacrifice around as a symbol of just how high the stakes have become in dealing with Sukuna’s resurrection. The unpredictable rice ball sorcerer may be down an arm, but his story is far from over.
