Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Episode 8 Recap: Can Yuji Convince Higuruma To Join The Team?

The excitement surrounding the Culling Games arc is building up with the introduction of some really intriguing players, making Hiromi Higuruma’s first appearance in the eighth episode of the ongoing season of “Jujutsu Kaisen” a pivotal moment for the series. Previously, Yuji, Megumi, Panda, and Hakari passed through the Culling Game barrier set around Tokyo in search of high-ranking sorcerers like Kashimo and Higuruma, in order to convince them to use their points to add a new rule to the battle royale. Newly awakened sorcerer Rim Amai agrees to help Yuji reach Higuruma, and Remi, another fledgling sorcerer, promises the same to Megumi. However, with their destination turning out to be different, it was quite clear that one among them, if not both, was lying.

Spoilers Ahead

Before moving to the main topic of Higuruma’s introduction, let’s get the less important aspects of the episode out of the way. As it turns out, Remi has tricked Megumi and brought him to a mysterious sorcerer named Reggie. Apparently, Reggie is the leader of the sorcerer group Remi is a part of, and they have been preying on unsuspecting novice sorcerers to accumulate points and survive since the Culling Games began. Seeing Megumi has unleashed his shikigami, Divine Dog, to take them down, Reggie realizes he is much stronger than he had assumed, and offers him a chance to join his group. It appears Reggie has known Kenjaku since before the beginning of the Culling Games, which hints at the possibility that he might just be a veteran sorcerer. Reggie proceeds to reveal his observations about the Culling Game, that it’s not just a medium to elevate humanity to the next step of evolution like Kenjaku claims it to be. Instead, its battle royale format systematically eliminates weak players to leave standing the strong ones like Kashimo and Higuruma, whom Kenjaku probably wants to use for his secretive plan, which will be put in motion later. Whatever Reggie’s theory is, he is not going to be able to convince Megumi to join his side, and their conflict is going to be highlighted in the upcoming episodes. 

The episode begins with a look back to Higuruma’s past, as viewers learn that, before awakening his cursed energy, Hiromi used to be an extremely skilled, sharp defense lawyer, who used to take increasingly difficult cases. Hiromi’s zeal to serve justice, to look out for the powerless, was so strong that he fought for truth even while facing hurdles like low pay, insurmountable work pressure, public notoriety, and tackling the legal adversities on his own. At some point in time, when Higuruma was in the law firm of his former associate, Takagi, he handled a case of drunk driving and tried to save the defendant, a teenager who was framed by his colleagues. Despite his best efforts, Higuruma was not able to win the case, incurring the wrath of the defendant, who lashed out at him. Takagi had advised Higuruma to act wiser before taking impossible cases, but Higuruma tried to justify his decision by mentioning it is natural that his clients, who are usually denied justice and have low social standing, vent their anger at him. With his moral compass well calibrated, Higuruma remained resolute on his goal to do whatever it takes to serve justice, even at the cost of his personal peace. 

Higuruma took another seemingly impossible case before joining the Culling Games, where he stood by the defendant, Keita Oe, who has been accused of killing a mother and daughter. With all the evidence piling up against Keita, it appears to be an open and shut case, but Higuruma’s investigation with her associate, Shimizu, reveals how circumstances shaped around Keita, an impoverished live-in NPO worker, to make him look like a killer. Against all odds, Higuruma wins the case as the lower court declares Keita innocent, and netizens on social media try to brand Higuruma a crooked lawyer. Knowing Higuruma has saved his life, a teary-eyed Keita thanks him for believing in him. However, as the prosecutors filed for an appeal, raising the case to the Supreme Court, where such cases hardly receive much attention and time, the verdict was overturned, and Keita was served with a life imprisonment term. Higuruma, fed up with the continual, shameless denial of justice in most of the cases he had to handle, can’t bear the look of anger, despair, and regret in Keita’s eyes. At some point in time during the case, Higuruma had awakened his cursed technique while Kenjaku marked him along with numerous other non-sorcerers by using Idle Transfiguration. As Keita receives the unjust verdict, Higuruma’s pent-up frustration and anger with the judicial system find an outlet through his cursed technique, which allows him to summon a shikigami and hold the entire courtroom to account in his own version of trial. Ever since then, Higuruma has lost his faith in the established system, and in his present disillusioned state of mind, he has joined the Culling Games and taken the lives of a number of sorcerers/non-sorcerers to reach beyond a hundred points.

Rin Amai leads Yuji to Higuruma’s lair, a closed theater in Ikebukuro, and remembers his past interaction with Yuji. To save his own skin, Rin had joined a bunch of feckless bullies in high school, and even though he never condoned their nasty behavior, he chose to side with them to keep himself safe. Rin remembers how Yuji, a middle schooler back then, definitely stood up against those bullies and beat them up, prompting Rin to have a change of heart. As a gesture of gratitude towards Yuji for inspiring him to be good, Rin has helped him to find Higuruma’s lair. 

Yuji believes that, being a recently awakened sorcerer, Higuruma might be easier to convince compared to the reincarnated ancient sorcerers, and reaching him, Yuji tries to convince him about their plan to ensure minimizing the loss of lives in the Culling Game by adding new rules. However, Higuruma believes the Culling Game is much more fair in delivering justice than the established legal system, as at least in this battle royale the rulebreakers receive their due punishment. He wants to witness the Culling Game’s version of natural justice at work, especially how the confiscation of sorcerers’ techniques results in their death. 

Yuji realizes he can’t reason with Higuruma and needs to beat some sense into him as he prepares to take him on in a battle. Higuruma summons his Shikigami and holds Yuji’s trial in the theater by unleashing his Domain Expansion, Deadly Sentencing. Before the episode draws to a close, Kenjakj is seen visiting some authoritarian figures, although their real motive for the visit remains a mystery. Higuruma’s unique trial-based Domain Expansion is going to be the highlight of the next episode, and viewers will also learn about Kenjaku’s ulterior motive with the battle royale.