Jujutsu Kaisen: What Happened to Panda in Shibuya? Did He Die?
As far as Jujutsu Kaisen characters are concerned, we’ve seen everything. From regular humans to robots, from monsters to whatever the hell Sukuna’s true form is. But, even among them, one character stands out for numerous reasons, and he is – you’ve guessed it – Panda. Panda was initially a more important character in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 and the early arcs of Jujutsu Kaisen, but as the story shifted towards Yuji, Panda was left in the background. He reappeared with Kusakabe in Shibuya, and we are going to use this article to tell you what happened to him in this arc and whether he survived.
Panda was paired with Kusakabe in Shibuya
On October 31, the day the Shibuya Incident began, Atsuya and Panda were in front of the new south entrance of Shibuya Station on the JR Line. Panda and Atsuya discuss Panda’s part in this operation and how crucial it is for them to limit any harm. When Panda starts to worry about the public, Atsuya reassures him that he has looked behind the veil and saw nothing amiss. Moreover, Atsuya declares that he will not return, claiming to have felt several S-Grade cursed spirits beyond the curtain. Later, when transfigured people start attacking the townspeople, Atsuya and Panda run to the veil to defend the non-sorcerers.
Atsuya and the others enter the veil and hear Yuji exclaim that Satoru has been sealed. Kusakabe wants to stay out of harm’s way, so he and Panda keep moving around Shibuya in search of weak opponents. Atsuya persuades Panda to continue looking for those in peril since they are crucial, even after the latter suggests that they go help Satoru. Then Atsuya learns they will soon have to go farther into Shibuya. So, in order to avoid having to descend to the lowest floors, where he might be killed, Atsuya feigns that he is lost.
When Toshihisa Negi and Manami Suda approach him and Panda and demand that they surrender, Atsuya begs to hear Panda’s side of the story, telling him he can’t just give up like that. Atsuya chooses to confront the two after giving them a chance to explain their stances, taking his time to avoid running into any S-Grade cursed spirits. But, his plan ultimately failed because something unexpected happened, and Panda and Atsuya were caught in that strange fight.
Namely, at the same time, Jogo and Sukuna were fighting their fight, an epic clash in which Jogo gave it his all. The fight was truly epic, and it encompassed a large area. As Jogo was activating his meteorite and sending it towards Sukuna, Panda, Kusakabe, and their enemies were caught in the area. They tried to flee, but Sukuna arrived and told them not to move until he said so, or he would kill them. They obeyed, knowing how powerful Sukuna was, and were immobile until Sukuna gave the signal, which was very close to the moment of impact. So, did Panda survive? He and Kusakabe split up… we know Kusakabe survived, but what happened to Panda?
What happened to Panda after the Shibuya Arc?
So, what happened next? Well, Panda did survive the meteor attack, and after it calmed down, he went to search for Kusakabe and found him beneath a pile of rubble. The two of them then went to the others and helped fight against Kenjaku, who had arrived earlier to absorb Mahito and fight the others. And while Kusakibe did more of the fighting, Panda was also helpful. Later, during the Perfect Preparation Arc, Kusakibe once again saves Panda, and Panda is a participant in the Culling Game.
We know that Panda is, as of the time of writing, alive and well in the series, and since he doesn’t seem to be too important in the current Shinjuku Showdown, we assume it is going to stay like that for a while, at least until Akutami decides to do something illogical again.
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