Introduction
So in today’s blog, I’m going to answer a question that’s definitely crossed all our minds at least once. What is that question? Well, at the end of JJK 0, when Rika finally left Yuta, how did we still see Rika in the last episode of the anime that we watched, which is the end of Season 2?
It’s a great question, and also quite confusing, but I have the answer. I’ll tell you in this blog, but before that, you need to understand the difference between Cursed Spirits and Shikigami.
Understanding the Birth of Cursed Spirits
Okay, look, the birth of Cursed Spirits happens due to humans’ negative emotions. These negative emotions that build up inside us eventually lead to the creation of a Cursed Spirit. Now, since their birth is due to human negativity, their purpose is also somehow tied to harming humans. But it’s the responsibility of Jujutsu Sorcerers to prevent harm from coming to humans, which is why these Cursed Spirits often clash with Jujutsu Sorcerers.
A Cursed Spirit can be very weak or extremely powerful. For example, the Cursed Spirit with Fly Heads is so weak that it hasn’t even been assigned a grade, like where it would fit. On the other hand, a Cursed Spirit like Mahito or Jogo is a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. Usually, the power of these Cursed Spirits is related to the negative emotions they are tied to. For instance, Jogo’s power is similar to a volcano and fire because he was born from the fear that humans have towards fire and volcanoes.
You can apply this logic to Dagon, whose power is like the ocean or water. Then there’s Mahito’s soul manipulation power, which relates to people’s fear of manipulation, and Hanami, who is linked to nature. In general, a Cursed Spirit can think independently, and they have a purpose too. Whatever their purpose, it ultimately comes down to killing humans because they are the reason for all the bad things happening in the world.
What Are Shikigami and How Do They Work?
Now coming to Shikigami. Well, you can think of them as creatures or supernatural beings that humans summon. The person who summons a Shikigami is called its user, and usually, the Shikigami obeys every command of its user. There are some clauses here, which I’ll explain.
For example, we have Megumi, who uses the Ten Shadows Technique and has ten Shikigami at his disposal that he can summon anytime, and they obey Megumi’s commands. Again, there are clauses. What are these clauses? I’ll tell you. The clause is that for these Shikigami to obey, Megumi has to perform a ritual, kind of like an exorcism, where he defeats and tames the Shikigami. Only then will these Shikigami obey Megumi.
“The cursed energy that binds Yuta and Rika is a manifestation of deep sorrow and relentless affection. Such a curse can be both a gift and a burden.”
– Suguru Geto
Differences Between Cursed Spirits and Shikigami
Now you might say there doesn’t seem to be much difference between Shikigami and Cursed Spirits. Well, there is. Shikigami don’t have their own purpose. They don’t have a mind of their own to hate or dislike humans. No, their job is to follow the orders of their user or to carry out the task they were created for. You can kind of think of them as programmed robots that either follow their master’s orders or only perform the specific tasks they were programmed for.
Additionally, the power of a Shikigami can be channeled from anywhere, whether it’s negative cursed energy or positive cursed energy. Take Mahoraga, for example, whose sword is imbued with positive cursed energy, and with one attack, it can destroy any Cursed Spirit because Cursed Spirits are only channeled through negative cursed energy. Now, Cursed Spirits exist independently, meaning they don’t need a medium to manifest, whereas Shikigami always need a medium. For example, Megumi always forms hand signs that cast shadows, and through that, the Shikigami appear. So, you understand now, even though Shikigami and Cursed Spirits may look similar, there’s quite a difference between them.
Connecting the Dots: Rika’s Different Versions Explained
Now, at this point, many of you might be thinking, “What happened to the topic of this blog? He started talking about Yuta, and now he’s going on about Shikigami and Cursed Spirits. Did he clickbait us? What’s this injustice, man?” No, no, I didn’t clickbait you. The question I asked at the start of the blog, about how Rika is still with Yuta, well, to answer that, you needed to understand Cursed Spirits and Shikigami properly, which I hope you do now, right?. So let’s answer the burning question.
We all know Yuta’s past, where Yuta and Rika were very close, but Rika died and then came back as a Cursed Spirit. As revealed at the end of JJK 0, the curse wasn’t on Yuta from Rika; rather, Yuta unknowingly cursed Rika, which is why Rika’s Cursed Spirit was so powerful and attached to Yuta, protecting him. But at the end of the movie, Rika is finally exorcised, and we see Rika leaving. This means Rika’s soul, the Cursed Spirit, left.
So far, we’ve seen two versions of Rika: the original Rika, who was a girl and died, and the second version, the Cursed Spirit Rika, who was attached to Yuta, protecting him but also leaving at the end of JJK 0. But here comes Rika’s third version, which is neither a Cursed Spirit nor a girl, but a Shikigami.
Transformations of Rika
Yes, friends, Rika, as a Cursed Spirit, has left, meaning the Rika you now see in the manga is not a Cursed Spirit but a Shikigami. You can consider this Shikigami as a parting gift from the original Rika because this Shikigami stayed with Yuta. How? Because this Shikigami is a manifestation of Yuta himself, literally. And because it’s a Shikigami, Yuta summons it by wearing a ring.
Remember when Rika was a Cursed Spirit, she would attack others and protect Yuta, even against Yuta’s will. In other words, the Cursed Spirit Rika had a purpose: to stay with Yuta and protect him. However, this Shikigami Rika is a manifestation of Yuta’s powers, connected to him, but Yuta can control it better. This Shikigami Rika usually store Yuta’s cursed energy and his copied cursed technique. Because a humain can not store 2-3 innate techniques at once. Meaning This rika is an external storage of cursed energy for Yuta. This Shikigami Rika attacks others when Yuta commands it and follows his instructions.
The True Nature of Shikigami Rika
Although it’s a Shikigami, there’s a clause here: Rika still seems to have some feelings for Yuta. That’s why, in the latest chapter, when Yuta was injured, we literally saw this Rika crying.
So now you understand the difference between these three versions of Rika: the original Rika, the Cursed Spirit Rika, and now the Shikigami Rika. Rika’s original spirit is truly gone; this is just a manifestation of Yuta’s powers with the original Rika’s consciousness inside.
“Rika… you were always there to protect me. Even in death, you never left my side.”
– Yuta Okkotsu
Conclusion
Okay, so overall, if we sum up this theory, it would go something like this…
So, there are three versions of Rika. The original Rika, who was a girl and died, gave birth to the Cursed Spirit Rika, whose purpose was to stay with Yuta and protect him. The Cursed Spirit was born because of Yuta, meaning Yuta cursed Rika himself due to his immense cursed energy.
At the end of JJK 0, Rika’s actual soul was exorcised and left, and now the Rika with Yuta is the Shikigami Rika, which is the third version. This is a manifestation of Yuta’s own power beyond the original Rika, and it supports Yuta’s cursed technique as an external storage. The only strange thing is that this Shikigami Rika still has some of the original Rika’s consciousness and is emotionally connected to Yuta, acting somewhat independently, which usually Shikigami don’t do. Yuta summons this Shikigami Rika by wearing his ring.
So I hope this sums up everything and clears up any confusion you had. That’s it for today’s blog. I hope you enjoyed it. If you liked the blog, please like and share it. I will see you guys in the next one. Sayonara..
