Why Did Yuta Want to Kill Yuji?
The confrontation between Yuta Okkotsu and Yuji Itadori is one of the most unexpected twists in Jujutsu Kaisen. Back from abroad, Yuta suddenly shows up to be the executor of Yuji and makes it clear that he is here to kill Yuji. Everything here seem to contradict him: he’s the student of Satoru Gojo and so is Yuji. One Gojo tried to protect and the other used him to achieve his plans; the relation was obvious.
Yuta’s deception goes further: he starts fighting and appearing to successfully accomplish the task of carrying out the execution. Nonetheless, Yuji’s death was not what he ever aimed at for personal issues: he took on the role of executor because they had decided to carry out the task and he had to accept it, not just to take part but because he was about to remove Yuji from a more perilous situation. Actually, his fury was mainly due to a plan that consisted of establishing trust with authorities and so meeting the constraints imposed on him.
We will uncover that everything is about consequences of Shibuya incident, Yuji Itadori’s pact with Sukuna, Yuta Okkotsu’s relation with Satoru Gojo, Toge Inumaki and of what is real behind the execution.
Why Was Yuji Sentenced to Death Again?
Yuji’s death sentence was not created because of his personal behavior alone. The central problem was Sukuna.
Yuji is the host to one of the most dangerous cursed users: Ryomen Sukuna. While for the most part Yuji does retain possession of himself, Sukuna may be allowed to seize control of Yuji’s body. The idea, at least according to conservative jujutsu powers that be, was that any further risks to let his vessel remain alive was too large.
Satoru Gojo had initially used his power and status to prevent Yuji from execution. The plan in place was to actually let Yuji eat all of Sukuna’s remaining fingers so he may die alongside with his host when his sentencing would begin again at the beginning of 2019.
That all changed during the Shibuya Incident however. With Gojo sealed and powers to be more overbearing than ever, Yuji’s suspended execution was reinstated and he was ordered to be put to death. Yuta Okkotsu was specifically ordered to do the deed.
This is where his seeming enmity stems from.
Why Did the Higher-Ups Choose Yuta?
Yuta was an unusually powerful choice for the assignment.
He already was a special grade sorcerer, which would place him among the strongest current active jujutsu sorcerers. Moreover, he wasn’t just some sorcerer thrown at Yuji- he had some type of connection with people directly involved, such as Gojo, and Toge Inumaki.
Furthermore, whoever they sent needed to be able to kill Yuji, actually.
Yuji had already encountered multiple threats, and became exponentially more powerful and experienced. A run-of-the-mill sorcerer would have been unreliable to dispatch after Yuji- the mission could fail. Yuta- with his skill with a blade, cursed energy ability, reverse cursed technique application ability, and his relationship with Rika- could easily achieve the assignment.
The higher ups trusted him for a more technical reason.
However, there was a different crucial fact. The higher-ups needed to know that Yuta actually sided with their plan.
Yuta’s public reason
When Yuta speaks to his higher-ups, his motive to kill Yuji appears to be that Yuji was responsible for Toge Inumaki losing an arm during the Shibuya Incident. Yuta claims he will “kill Yuji by himself” and goes as far to ask for a Binding Vow as for the execution, which instills the necessary authority with the belief that Yuta’s intent is clear. At first glance this would make Yuta appear angry toward Yuji.
But later chapters reveal that his apparent hostility was part of a larger strategy.
Did Yuta Actually Hate Yuji?
No. There is no strong basis for interpreting Yuta’s actions as genuine hatred toward Yuji.
In fact, the later reveal changes the meaning of almost everything that happens during their confrontation.
Yuta consciously put himself in the position to be Yuji’s executioner precisely so that it could control his fate, a decision that becomes clearer when examining Yuta Okkotsu’s role in Jujutsu Kaisen and his connection to the events following Shibuya. He was able to decide for himself what fate had in store for Yuji instead of letting superiors deal with the task and someone who might actually have killed Yuji doing the deed.
That distinction matters.
But if Yuta would have denied his order then they might choose any other execute and this execute might have no reason to show up compassion to Yuji as a Yuta would did.
This action of Yuta actually put himself in between Yuji and real want to execution him.
The fact that this part is most intelligent here because of this it make us as audiences to think Yuta also going against another student of Gojo.
The truth is almost the opposite.
Yuta was taking control of the situation.
What Happened When Yuta Fought Yuji?
Yuta eventually finds Yuji in the aftermath of the Shibuya Incident.
Yuji has immense pressure already to begin with and Yuta enters the scenario with a clear motive, killing Yuji. Soon enough a battle ensues and it’s Yuji who initially can’t keep up with Yuta’s level and experience of fighting. Yuta’s physical capabilities in addition to his skilled swordsmanship makes him an incredibly challenging enemy to deal with due to his special grade status.
The situation becomes even more dangerous when Rika appears.
Rika restrains Yuji, leaving him unable to escape. Yuta then stabs Yuji through the chest with the broken sword.
From Yuji’s perspective, the situation appears straightforward: Yuta has killed him.
Yuta even apologizes.
That scene is intentionally misleading because the apparent execution is not the end of the story.
How Did Yuta Keep Yuji Alive?
The key to understanding the scene is Yuta’s reverse cursed technique.
Yuta also has reverse cursed technique that can be use for healing. Yuta not just have the ability but was aware that the healing can be applied right after Yuji’s heart stopped. Yuta resurrected Yuji with reverse cursed technique immediately after stabbing his heart.
Yuta had to appear like he was executing him but ensure he would not remain death.
From the chapter 143 Yuta could perform the reverse cursed technique right after heart of Yuji had stop.
This explains why Yuji eventually wakes up alive.
It also explains why Yuta was willing to make the fight look so real.
The higher-ups needed evidence that Yuji had been executed. Yuta gave them exactly what they expected to see.
Why did the execution have to look real?
Yuta was not simply trying to fool Yuji.
He needed to fool the jujutsu authorities.
The higher-ups had ordered Yuji’s death and were suspicious of anyone who might oppose them. Yuta therefore had to establish himself as someone who would obey their commands.
His apparent willingness to kill Yuji gave him credibility.
Once he had that authority, he could control the circumstances surrounding the execution and secretly save Yuji.
That is why Yuta’s actions make much more sense when viewed from the perspective of his larger objective rather than the initial fight alone.
What Was the Binding Vow About?
The Binding Vow is another major reason the situation can be confusing.
Yuta states that because he made a Binding Vow, he agreed to be Yuji’s executor. The vow was linked to Yuta’s pledge to kill Yuji, which served to sway the higher ups and have them believe Yuta actually intended to execute Yuji.
This reveals that an essential difference exists between what Yuta vowed to do and what he really wished to accomplish:
He could not simply stand before the higher ups and state that he intended to defend Yuji from everything. Doing so would strip him of his authority and potentially bar him from being Yuji’s executioner, a position Yuta took as his duty to fulfill, without ever intending to see the duty to its morbid conclusion.
This makes the scene that shows him at the execution unable to serve as any type of proof that Yuta became an enemy.
Was Inumaki Really the Reason?
Inumaki’s injury is relevant, but it should not be treated as the complete explanation for Yuta’s behavior.
While on the Shibuya Incident arc, Yuji was part of the damage Sukuna caused, Inumaki was disarmed on an arm during the confusion and Yuta brought up that moment while speaking to the higher-ups as one of the reasons why he would have kill Yuji.
The subsequent reveal of the incident however also had Yuta playing an acting role.
His statement gave him a functional reason for being able to make his willingness to put Yuji down as convincing as it was.
This fits the personality of Yuta perfectly – he can become hyper-serious and decisive when protecting the people he cares about and will execute and plan to kill them for them, but it does not seem to fit him casually killing a person based on personal grudges.
His behavior during the execution reflects calculation rather than simple revenge.
Why Was Yuta Willing to Go So Far to Protect Yuji?
Yuta’s motivation becomes clearer when he explains why Yuji matters to him.
After the staged execution, Yuji is confused about why Yuta would help him.
Yuta states that Yuji is significant to those who is significant to him. It linked Yuji with the entire network that supports Gojo as well as students in the school of jujutsu.
Yuta does not have to be Yuji’s best friend to recognize him as someone who matters.
Yuji was Gojo’s student. He also related to Megumi and Nobara and other sorcerers. And more widely, Yuji have repeatedly proven himself willing to sacrifice himself for others.
Therefore, the decision of Yuta stemmed not from hateful thoughts but loyalty.
He was willing to undergo moral pain himself for Yuji life.
Yuta vs. Yuji: What the Fight Really Meant
The fight is easy to misunderstand because both characters are genuinely fighting.
Yuta does not simply pretend to swing his sword while Yuji pretends to defend himself. Their confrontation is dangerous, and Yuji is genuinely injured.
That realism is part of what makes the twist effective.
Yuta needed the situation to appear authentic. If the fight looked staged, the higher-ups could have suspected that he was protecting Yuji.
At the same time, Yuta had enough control over his abilities to make the final outcome survivable.
The battle therefore has two layers:
- The visible conflict: Yuta is executing the order and Yuji is desperately trying to survive.
- The hidden objective: Yuta is using the assignment to protect Yuji from the authorities.
The apparent contradiction disappears once the second layer is revealed, much like other Jujutsu Kaisen character motivations and story twists that become clearer as the series develops.
Common Misunderstandings About Yuta’s Motive
“Yuta wanted revenge for Inumaki.”
This interpretation is incomplete.
Yuta did mention Inumaki’s injury when speaking with the higher-ups, but later events show that he was using the situation to establish his credibility as Yuji’s executioner.
“Yuta Became an Enemy After Returning to Japan.”
He did not.
His behavior was designed to make the authorities believe that he was aligned with their decision. His later actions demonstrate that he was actually working to preserve Yuji’s life.
“Yuta really killed Yuji.”
Yuta did technically stop Yuji’s heart, and the scene was presented as an execution. But he immediately used reverse cursed technique to restore him. Chapter 143 explicitly reveals this part of the plan.
“Yuji survived because Sukuna revived him.”
That is a different situation from the one involving Yuta.
Yuta himself explains that he restored Yuji with reverse cursed technique after his heart stopped. The survival was therefore connected to Yuta’s healing ability and his plan.
“Yuta and Yuji were enemies.”
They were opponents in that particular encounter, but their broader relationship is much more complicated. Yuta’s assignment put them on opposite sides temporarily, while his actual plan was to prevent Yuji’s permanent execution.
Why Yuta’s Plan Was So Important to the Story
The encounter is more than a surprise twist. It demonstrates how dangerous the political situation inside the jujutsu world had become after Shibuya.
By being absent, Gojo gave all of their power back over the issue to those higher up and immediately left Yuji to deal with it by himself. However, it does not mean the solution that Yuta came up with was any less innovative: he simply circumvented the higher-ups system. He obeyed their will as long as it was not going to endanger anyone, used his position for his own goals: to gain their trust and follow their orders once to ensure Yuji was not killed; then they would be grateful to him and will leave Yuji alone for the remaining months Yuji had with the authorities to have.
Additionally, this shows one of Yuta’s defining characters: his niceness does not make him idle.
When someone he cares for is in danger he can make harsh decisions and take huge risks. The scene being when he performs is show Yuta as caring student as well as powerful sorcerer willing to do anything scary to defend another.
What Can We Learn From the Relationship Between Yuta and Yuji?
In general, the most significant thing is the fact of how much we must never judge appearances in Jujutsu Kaisen.
When Yuta comes back to what Yuji can see-a sorcerer to kill Yuji to perform the deed-the show gives barely a reason to doubt such an interpretation.
Only later does this change the event entirely.
It demonstrated that “protecting someone” isn’t necessarily publically being right there beside them. The quickest path for him to achieve “protecting Yuji” could actually lie in him taking care of the problem.
And in distinguishing between command and loyalty; the higher-ups have the juridical and institutional means to kill Yuji in official protocol, Yuta had loyalty to the cause so he found loopholes in such spiritual orders to bypass it. Such discrepancy in absolute jujutsu rules and personal relation is also one of the thematic traits of this show.
The Real Answer: Why Did Yuta Want to Kill Yuji?
The simplest answer is that Yuta did not genuinely want Yuji dead.
He took the job because the jujutsu higher-ups brought the execution back and he was chosen as the executioner. Yuta was taking this as an opportunity to persuade them that he was on their side. He even pointed to inumaki’s wound as his excuse for being antagonistic and he also agreed to be bound by a Binding Vow tied to the execution.
And then, when confronting yuji, he acted out the execution by stopping his heart, which he later reversed through the reverse cursed technique.
The result was a convincing execution that allowed Yuta to protect Yuji while keeping the authorities satisfied, at least temporarily.
So the apparent desire to kill Yuji was largely a calculated act. Yuta’s real objective was to take responsibility for the execution himself and prevent Yuji from being permanently killed by someone else.
Final Takeaway
The answer to why did Yuta want to kill Yuji is much less straightforward than the early chapters make it seem. Yuta was assigned by the jujutsu higher-ups to execute Yuji after the suspension of his death sentence was revoked. He appeared to accept the order because he needed their trust and wanted control over what happened to Yuji.
Yuta’s fight was real, but it ended with a well-orchestrated sham. Yuta literally stop Yuji’s heart and had him perfectly healed using the reverse cursed technique so that it would be believed that the sentence have been carried out.
In other words, hatred was not what guided Yuta. He saved Yuji from the executioner, not to spite anyone, but from the authorities, who issued a sentence he truly didn’t want, nor agree, nor was guilty, just to face them on his behalf: as in being the man they were asking for, instead of Yuji’s himself.
Conclusion
The answer to why did Yuta want to kill Yuji is that he never truly intended to let Yuji die. The jujutsu higher-ups had ordered Yuji’s execution, so Yuta deliberately accepted the role of executioner to make sure he—not someone who would genuinely kill Yuji—controlled the situation. He even entered a Binding Vow connected to the order so the authorities would trust him.
During the fight between them, Yuta stopped Yuji’s heartbeat and simulated an actual execution of the ability. The only thing that mattered was the fact that Yuta brought Yuji back with reverse curse technique almost immediately. As no one from higherups didn’t know that he could manipulate it this way, they could report the outcome as death while he kept Yuji hidden and alive.
The explanation from Yuta states that Yuji is important for the people who’s important to Yuta and because he experienced a situation of keeping dangerous force that one can barely manage. Hence they hated Yuji from the beginning, that wasn’t because they hated him, rather was about protecting someone/something they cared for and it was some kind of redemption.
FAQs About Why Yuta Wanted to Kill Yuji
1. Did Yuta actually want to kill Yuji?
No. Yuta’s apparent intention to kill Yuji was part of a plan to protect him. He accepted the execution assignment so he could control the situation and prevent another sorcerer from carrying out the order permanently.
2. Why was Yuta ordered to execute Yuji?
The jujutsu higher-ups had reinstated Yuji’s death sentence because of the danger associated with Sukuna being inside his body. Yuta was selected to carry out the execution because he was powerful enough to defeat Yuji and was trusted by the authorities.
3. Did Yuta really kill Yuji?
Yuta stopped Yuji’s heart during the fight, making it appear that he had completed the execution. However, he immediately healed Yuji with reverse cursed technique. Yuji later woke up alive beside Yuta.
4. How did Yuta bring Yuji back to life?
Yuta used reverse cursed technique at the exact moment Yuji’s heart stopped. His ability to output positive energy for healing was not widely known, allowing him to deceive the higher-ups about what had actually happened.
5. Was Yuta angry because Yuji injured Inumaki?
Yuta used Toge Inumaki’s injury as part of his explanation for why he was willing to execute Yuji. However, the later reveal makes it clear that Yuta was putting on an act for the higher-ups rather than genuinely seeking revenge against Yuji.
6. Why did Yuta pretend to hate Yuji?
It was necessary that those in charge thought that he was willing to carry out the execution. It was the best way he could stay on top of events if he was to be the official one, and not have someone else get to Yuji.
