Warning: Spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen AnimeOver the first two seasons of Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuji Itadori has one big nemesis, and that’s the Disaster Curse Mahito. Representing the negative emotions that humans have for one another, he’s an immensely powerful threat, able to mold the soul with a simple touch through ‘Idle Transfiguration.’ He’s an enemy that repeatedly gives Yuji the slip and escapes other situations he ends up in. Combined with his cruel and twisted sense of humor, Mahito makes a fantastic villain for the series’ early arcs.

But Jujutsu Kaisen makes a big mistake with Mahito. When Yuji finally has a shot to get his revenge, having resolved to never let Mahito slip through his fingers again, the shape-shifting curse is finally killed by his supposed ally Kenjaku. It’s one of the most disappointing moments of the series, and perhaps one of the biggest mistakes its author, Gege Akutami, has made.

How Mahito Became Yuji’s Most Hated Enemy

Why Itadori Hates this One Curse in Particular

Mahito and Yuji’s rivalry began when he was training under Kento Nanami to become a proper sorcerer. While Nanami ran into him alone, Yuji made friends with a young man named Junpei Yoshino, a non-sorcerer who could see curses. Mahito pulled strings in Junpei’s life to mold him into a curse user wielding the shikigami ‘Moon Dregs.’ When Yuji finally managed to stop Junpei from attacking his school bullies, Mahito used Idle Transfiguration to turn Junpei into a monster. Cackling at Itadori’s despair, he was finally taught a lesson when Yuji and Nanami combined might forced him to retreat.

But later, in the Shibuya Incident, Yuji’s hatred for Mahito is multiplied tenfold when he stumbles upon his mentor Nanami and Mahito facing off. Nanami was already worn down by the other disaster curses Dagon and Jogo, and had no strength left to fight back against Mahito. Yuji was forced to watch his mentor be killed horribly, and it didn’t end there – using a clone of himself, Mahito also baited Nobara Kugisaki, Yuji’s fellow sorcerer friend, over to the fight. Using his double to disorient her, the curse allegedly killed Nobara too.

How Yuji Was Denied his Vengeance

Mahito Was Betrayed by Kenjaku

After seemingly killing two of Yuji’s friends back to back, Mahito proceeds to mock and beat the now heartbroken boy. It isn’t until his ‘brother’ Aoi Todo arrives that Yuji manages to bounce back and start fighting again. Even this battle is a harsh one, as Todo loses one of his hands and has his remaining one scorched by Idle Transfiguration. But Itadori finally corners the curse, and vows to hunt him to the ends of the earth, no matter what form he takes. For once, Mahito’s bravado is broken, as he’s reduced to a terrified wreck before Yuji.

But the disaster curse flees once again, finding refuge with his ally Kenjaku. Having hijacked Geto Suguru’s body for the express purpose of absorbing curses, Kenjaku does exactly that to Mahito, using his Idle Transfiguration to kickstart his Culling Game, which had been his plan all along. It’s an absolutely disappointing sendoff to the character, as it denies Yuji the revenge he deserves.

All the buildup until then was focused on Yuji maturing through pain and loss, and coming to understand that curses are, after all, just that, conglomerates of evil, no matter how developed they can be. Yuji realizes that his role as a “cog” in the machine is just that, to keep eradicating curses, and he finally finds the ruthlessness he needs to survive in the jujutsu world. However, by taking away Yuji’s cathartic moment of killing Mahito, it’s almost like his path to the point was made less relevant.

In the end, it’s one of Jujutsu Kaisen‘s biggest mistakes, as it robs Itadori of the cathartic final beating of this villain that fans desperately wanted to see.