“Throughout the Heavens and Earth,” the Meaning of Gojo’s Quote Explained!
Jujutsu Kaisen is a globally popular series, and we all know many of the characters from the franchise are globally popular. Of course, this also means that a lot of their quotes are quite popular, and in this article, we are going to discuss one particular quote – “Throughout Heaven and Earth” – which has been used by Gojo and when referring to Sukuna in the series, as we are going to explain its meaning and its significance for the story of Jujutsu Kaisen.
“Throughout the Heavens and Earth” is a quote used by Satoru Gojo when referring to Sukuna in Jujutsu Kaisen. It is an actual historical quote, supposedly said by Buddha himself after his birth, when he took seven steps from his mother and then uttered these same words. In Jujutsu Kaisen, though, as Akutami himself confirmed, the quote has a more arrogant context and was used by two characters who pride themselves in their power, Gojo and Sukuna, although one is a hero and the other a protagonist. In their series, this quote was meant to symbolize how each of them thought themselves wholly invincible.
The rest of this article will focus on Gojo’s and Sukuna’s quote, its meaning within Jujutsu Kaisen, and how it reflects their personalities. Both of them are undeniably important for the series, and both were exceptionally powerful, so it is only natural that fans want to know how this well-known quote is used in the context of these two characters and what it means for the series as a whole. This is why we will provide you with a detailed explanation of everything related to this quote. This article will not be spoiler-heavy, but we must warn you that some spoilers might be present.
“Throughout the Heavens and Earth” is Buddha’s quote, but it was also used to describe two Jujutsu Kaisen characters
There are many notable quotes in Jujutsu Kaisen, some of which are original, while others are either paraphrases or direct citations of other people or works. In this article, we will discuss a famous quote from the series used by Satoru Gojo and the Narrator to describe Sukuna. The quote was originally taken from Buddhist scriptures, and in the original, it goes like this:
天上天下唯我独尊
Original
tenjō tenge yuiga dokuson
Throughout the Heavens and Earth, I alone am the honored one.
Translation
The above line is the actual meaning of the phrase. As per the legend, Buddha, right after he was born, took seven steps from his mother, looked at the Heavens, and said the following words, which symbolized his role in the world and in Buddhism. But Buddha meant it most nobly and humbly imaginable when he said it. But the quote has also been used in Jujutsu Kaisen but in a very different context.
Namely, the narrator first uses the quote to describe Sukuna, whose vanity is known throughout the series, as he considers himself the most superior being in the series. Secondly, it was used by Satoru Gojo, a younger version of the character, to refer to himself, as, at the time, Gojo considered himself to be the most powerful character in the world; he still does, but his general attitude has changed over the years.
So, how does such a noble and humble quote end up being used in such a negative context? Well, take a look at what Akutami himself said:
As you can see, Akutami himself assigned this quote a pretty negative context, as he confirmed himself. He twisted the phrase’s original meaning and used it to describe two characters who are quite arrogant – Sukuna, who is always arrogant, and a young Gojo, who was quite arrogant. And while Sukuna did not change, Gojo has, over the years, and he is certainly not as arrogant as he was then. But, at the time, the quote fit him.
As Akutami himself confirmed, he wanted to illustrate the egoism of these two characters, and he did it in such a way that he used a well-known quote by Buddha and then twisted its meaning completely. This was a very effective way of sending his message out to the readers, and he did it in the best way possible.
When did Gojo and Sukuna use this quote?
As for the usage of this quote, we have explained already that Sukuna did not use it directly but used it by the narrator to describe Sukuna. The scene in question was Nanami’s fight against Mahito from Chapter 30 of the manga, and this is what it said:
“Throughout Heaven and Earth, he alone is the honored one… Only his pleasure and displeasure exist. For the double-faced specter… he doesn’t care… whether Nanami or Mahito dies. He is just curious about one single person. Other than him… he truly doesn’t care.”
– The Narrator, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chapter 30
As for Gojo, he actually did use it directly when referring to himself while he was in his so-called “feral Gojo” state, which happened during the second battle between him and Toji Fushiguro. This happened in Chapter 75 of the manga, and this is exactly what Gojo said:
“I am really sorry, Amanai. I am not angry on your behalf. I don’t hate anyone. All I’m feeling right now… is the pleasantness of this world. Throughout the Heavens and Earth, I alone am the honored one.“
– Satoru Gojo, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chapter 75
And this is the whole story about the quote and when it appeared in the original Jujutsu Kaisen manga.