Jujutsu Kaisen’s Culling Game: Rules & Participants Guide

The Culling Game in Jujutsu Kaisen is a game of death between Jujutsu sorcerers, considered by many to be a pure act of terrorism within Jujutsu society. The game immediately follows the Shibuya Incident and is orchestrated by Kenjaku to evolve humanity by optimizing cursed energy. The game functions as a “deadly battle royal” between Jujutsu sorcerers who serve as players and points are scored by killing each other. Players must abide by the game’s strict rules and fight through ten barrier arenas that form a line across Japan.

In this article, we are going to give you the most important details related to the Culling Game in Jujutsu Kaisen, as we are going to explain everything you need to know about this particular game.

What is the Culling Game in Jujutsu Kaisen?

The Culling Game is actually a ritual set up by Kenjaku in order to prepare the Japanese population for Assimilation with Tengen, a very complex and dangerous ritual. Indeed, the Culling Game creates an environment in which each player emits cursed energy within the barriers where the fights take place, which will allow humans to “achieve the awakening.”

In addition, for the smooth running of the ritual, eight rules govern the game. In addition, Kenjaku has imposed certain oaths on himself, the first being that he cannot be the master of the game. Thus, even if he is killed, the game will not end since indeed, everything has been thought out so that the ritual is not interrupted.

Coming back to the game master, it is important to consider the Culling as its own game master. The Culling Game takes place all over Japan and is divided into ten arenas in which the fights will take place. These arenas are magical barriers connected together to form a boundary that humans will cross to “achieve enlightenment.” All the arenas have more or less different sizes, but each covers several kilometers.

In addition, the metropolis of Tokyo is divided into two arenas and, therefore, contains two very distinct battlefields. However, the Hokkaido region is not included in the Game because another group of sorcerers has already erected a barrier there, and its inhabitants are sufficiently exposed to cursed energy.

On the other hand, any player who has crossed an arena is teleported at random to one of the nine predetermined places of the magic barrier. This rule is not part of the eight rules governing the game but is a rule attached to the arena, a specificity of the barrier in short. Although it really depends on how the Game goes, the ritual will take about two months to complete, and the frontier that humans must cross to “achieve enlightenment” will have covered all of Japan. Thus, all humans will be fit to merge with Tengen.

On the other hand, any player who has crossed an arena is teleported randomly to one of the nine predetermined places of the magic barrier. This rule is not part of the eight rules governing the game but is attached to the arena, a specificity of the barrier in short. Although it depends on how the Game goes, the ritual will take about two months to complete, and the frontier that humans must cross to “achieve enlightenment” will have covered all of Japan. Thus, all humans will be fit to merge with Tengen.

The rules of the Culling Game are as follows:

1. Once a player has awakened their cursed technique, they must declare their participation in the Culling Game at the colony of their choice within 19 days: A rule requires 1,000 awakened sorcerers to join a Game, allowing them 19 days to register. They must declare participation by November 19, considering they awakened on the night of October 31 to November 1.
2. Any player who breaks the previous rule will be subject to cursed technique removal: Players must declare participation within the 19-day period, or they lose their spell, facing brain suppression that ultimately leads to death. Individuals without spells, like Maki Zenin, and those with unique conditions, like Panda, are exempt from this rule.
3. Non-players who enter a colony become players at the moment of entry and will be considered to have declared participation in the Culling Game: For the Culling Game, sorcerers must voluntarily enter an arena to become players. Non-sorcerers entering the arena are also considered players. If non-sorcerers are already inside a barrier, they can exit the arena only once. The effectiveness of the barrier is increased if a person willingly enters it, trapping them in the arena, but this can only happen once, and once inside, they cannot leave the arena.
4. Players score points by ending the lives of other players. The rule is simple: to earn points, you will have to kill other players.
5. The point value of a player’s life is decided by the game master. As a general rule, sorcerers are worth 5 points and non-sorcerers are worth one point: Lives taken in the Culling Game have varied values, and players receive a Kogane, a pet that serves as a mediator for the game master. The Kogane communicates the value of lives based on the specific situation to the players.
6. Excluding the point value of the player’s own life, a player can expend 100 points to negotiate with the game master and add a new rule to the game: Players with a minimum number of points in the Culling Game can introduce new rules but cannot delete existing ones. However, they may attempt to find ways to bypass or work around certain rules in specific situations.
7. n accordance with rule 6, the game master must accept any proposed new rule as long as it doesn’t have a long-lasting effect on the game: Players cannot introduce rules that disrupt the Culling Game’s smooth operation or enable them to prematurely end it. This ensures impartiality between players and the game’s investigator, Kenjaku. Additionally, players cannot manipulate the rules if things don’t go in their favor.
8. If a player’s score remains the same for 19 days, they will be subject to cursed technique removal: The crucial final rule dictates that if a player fails to earn points, they must die. If a player maintains the same point count for 19 days, they also face death. Thus, all players must consistently participate in the Culling Game until the conclusion of the ritual.
9. Players gain access to information on other players, such as their name, amount of points, number of rules added, and their current colony: Rule added by player Hajime Kashimo using rule number 6 grants all players access to information about each other through the Kogane at any time.
10. Players may transfer any number of points between one another: Added by tracking player Hiromi Higuruma using rule number 6, this rule allows all players to freely exchange points, considering the point variation required by rule number 8.

It all began at the very end of the Shibuya Incident when the surviving sorcerers confronted Kenjaku. Kenjaku explains to them that his goal is neither more nor less to awaken the buried potential of the cursed energy and that this is where the next of humanity is. Understanding that he is limited, however, Kenjaku must bring to life something even greater than what he has already created, an uncontrollable chaos even for him.

Extracting Mahito’s spell using Spirit Manipulation, Kenjaku used Absolute Alteration on two types of non-sorcerers. The first type are people who have ingested relics, like Yuji Itadori. The second type are people who, like Junpei Yoshino, possessed techniques without being aware of them. Thus, by adjusting the structure of their brains to that of exorcists with Absolute Alteration, Kenjaku granted the first type enough strength to become vessels and the second the ability to use spells.

Many non-sorcerers have been put into a long sleep after being marked by Kenjaku. After the latter also breaks the seal on all the relics he had the future vessels ingest, many of them begin to awaken. Besides, the relics he offered were the remains of the sorcerers and curses Kenjaku had made a deal with over a thousand years ago. However, each of these pacts lost value when Kenjaku obtained Suguru Geto’s body.

In order to further the understanding of cursed energy to these non-sorcerers, Kenjaku plans to have them kill each other. Convinced that the coming conflict will mirror the Heian era, the golden age of exorcism, Kenjaku flees from Shibuya, unleashing countless curses. It is then that the Culling Game is launched during this tragic night.

Who are the participants of the Culling Game in Jujutsu Kaisen?

As per the manga, the participants of the Culling Game, based on the arenas they’re fighting in, are:

• Tokyo 1: Hana Kurusu, Hiromi Higuruma, Fumihiko Takaba, Hanyu, Rin Amai, Haba, Remi, Reggie Star, Chizuru Hari, Iori Hazenoki, Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro
• Tokyo 2: Hajime Kashimo, Charles Bernard, Kinji Hakari, Panda, Momo Nishimiya
• Sendai: Dhruv Lakdawala, Ryu Ishigori, Takako Uro, Kurourushi, Yuta Okkotsu, Kasumi Miwa
• Sakurajima: Noritoshi Kamo, Cursed Naoya Zenin, Maki Zenin
• Others: Tsumiki Fushiguro

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