Jujutsu Kaisen: Is Rika Still Alive? Here’s What Happened to Her After ‘Jujutsu Kaisen 0’!

We have already written many times about Jujutsu Kaisen‘s Yuta Okkotsu here on Fiction Horizon, and it makes sense that the protagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 and the original protagonist of the whole series (as envisioned by Akutami before Yuji was created) is so popular. We know him as the timid and anxious jujutsu sorcerer whom Rika Orimoto was protecting in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 because he cursed her into remaining with him after she was killed by a car. When Yuta released her, Rika disappeared, but we’ve seen Yuta use a cursed spirit called Rika even now. Who is this Rika? Is Rika alive? Keep reading to find out!

Rika is not the same as Rika Orimoto, but they are related

If you remember, Yuta Okkotsu was initially accompanied by the vengeful spirit of Rika Orimoto, known as the Queen of Curses. She protected Yuki, but he had no control over her protective but violent nature. Rika was initially Yuta’s childhood love who died in a car accident when they were kids. Initially, it was thought that Rika cursed Yuta, but when Yuta realized that he had cursed Rika into staying, he decided to free her.

At the conclusion of Jujutsu Kaisen 0, we witnessed Yuta leaving to train with Miguel and Rika disappearing after having been freed by her. But, then, a strange thing happened when the Itadori’s Extermination Arc began. Yuta was first mentioned as Pseudo-Geto prepared to seal Satoru; the latter then remarked that Yuta was still on their side. However, the villain occupying Suguru’s body informs Satoru that Yuta’s cursed abilities originated when he held Rika’s soul. The impostor then informs Satoru that Yuta would never be able to follow in Satoru Gojo’s footsteps under any circumstances. But… he was not right.

Namely, at the very beginning of the Itadori’s Extermination Arc, just as a creepy cursed spirit is ready to devour a young girl, Yuta skewers the creature to the ground and inquires of the girl whether she is scared. The cursed spirit reappears behind Yuta when he asks her how she’s feeling, but it vanishes in a splatter of blood. Then, as he walks with the young girl to safety, Yuta warns Rika not to push herself too hard. Wait, wasn’t Rika dead? Or disappeared, at least? How did this happen?! Well, if you were confused, we at Fiction Horizon are here to explain what happened in that scene.

Namely, Yuta was not lying when he called out Rika, as Rika was still with him. We can confirm that much. But we can also confirm that it is not the same Rika we saw in Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Namely, the original vengeful spirit of Rika Orimoto is indeed dead, as it disappeared when Yuta freed her from remaining with him. Still, Rika Orimoto did not lose her love for Yuta and while she was gone, she decided to help Yuta however she could. So, what did she do?

Rika Orimoto then used her last remaining powers to create a cursed spirit, an entity comprised of cursed energy, that she left with Yuta as a symbol of her love and her eternal desire to protect him. This cursed spirit is also called Rika, and what is the cursed spirit Yuta was talking to when he saved the little girl from Shibuya. So, technically, she both is and is not Rika. She is not the original Rika Orimoto, but she is a cursed spirit created by her.

Rika is powerful, but her power level is not the same as that of the original Rika Orimoto. The cursed spirit has an exceptionally high amount of cursed energy, and its abilities are similar to the original’s, but while the original Rika Orimoto was known as the Queen of Curses, Rika is just a powerful cursed spirit used by Yuta, and that is – more or less – it. With this, we have explained everything you need to know.

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