Where to Start Jujutsu Kaisen Manga After Season 2 (Exact Chapter & Volume Guide)

By ZealPlane Editorial | Senior Pop Culture & Manga Analyst | ZealPlane Chronicles

The Quick Answer for Impatient Readers: If you just watched the credits roll on Season 2 Episode 23, pick up the manga at Chapter 138 ("The Zenin Clan"). If you are buying physical paperbacks, start halfway through Volume 16 (page 85). Do not buy Volume 17 first — you will accidentally skip five crucial chapters.

You just watched the screen go black on Episode 23 of the Shibuya Incident.

Tokyo is essentially a ruined, smoking crater crawling with millions of curses. Satoru Gojo is sealed inside the Prison Realm with zero immediate hope of escape. Nanami is gone. Nobara's condition is an agonising question mark. And right as the dust settles, Yuta Okkotsu drops back into Japan, unsheathes his katana, and promises the higher-ups that he will personally execute Yuji Itadori.

Waiting two or three years for MAPPA to animate the Culling Game is not an option. You want answers right now, and the only place to get them is Gege Akutami's original manga panels.

Here is the exact, spoiler-free breakdown of where to pick up the manga, the common volume purchase mistake that ruins the continuity for new readers, and what the anime changed along the way.

Jujutsu Kaisen Shibuya Incident aftermath and Culling Game transition

The immediate aftermath of Shibuya: Yuji on the run, Tokyo in ruins, and the Culling Game looming.

The Exact Chapter Cutoff: Why Season 2 Ends at Chapter 137

Season 2 was an absolute marathon. Across 23 episodes, MAPPA adapted two distinct storylines:

Episodes 1 to 5 (Hidden Inventory / Premature Death Arc): Adapted Chapters 65 through 79, showing Gojo and Geto's youth during their high school days in 2006.
Episodes 6 to 23 (The Shibuya Incident Arc): Adapted Chapters 80 through 136, concluding with Kenjaku activating Idle Transfiguration and releasing millions of curses across Japan.

The final moments of Episode 23 pulled its closing scenes directly from Chapter 137 — specifically, Yuta saving a small girl from a curse and then declaring his binding vow to execute Yuji in front of the jujutsu brass.

That means your exact continuation point is Chapter 138, titled "The Zenin Clan."

From the very first page of Chapter 138, you are thrown straight into the vicious political infighting of the Zenin clan, Naoya Zenin's entrance, and the manhunt across the abandoned ruins of Tokyo.

Beware "The Volume 16 Trap" (Don't Buy Volume 17 First)

If you prefer holding physical tankobon volumes in your hands or ordering off Amazon, pay very close attention here.

A staggering number of fans finish Season 2, look up an online volume list, see that the Shibuya arc ends around Volume 15 or 16, and assume: "Okay, Season 2 is over, so I should buy Volume 17 to start the next season."

This is a massive mistake.

Manga volumes do not align neatly with anime season finales. Here is how Volume 16 is actually structured:

Volume	Chapters Included	Anime Status
Volume 16 (First Half)	Chapters 134 – 137	Adapted in Season 2 Finale
Volume 16 (Second Half)	Chapters 138 – 142	UNADAPTED (Start Here!)
Volume 17	Chapters 143 – 152	Unadapted (Perfect Preparation Arc)

If you start reading at Volume 17, you will open page 1 at Chapter 143. You will have completely missed five full chapters covering Yuji and Choso fighting side by side, Naoya Zenin's speed technique, and Yuta Okkotsu's brutal direct confrontation with Yuji.

Your shopping rule: Purchase Volume 16. Skip forward to Chapter 138 on page 85, and read straight through.

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The Story Arc Roadmap: What Happens After Shibuya?

To help you pace your reading, here is the official roadmap of the narrative arcs that follow Season 2:

1. Itadori's Extermination Arc (Chapters 138 – 143)

A fast-paced, breathless mini-arc. With Gojo sealed, the jujutsu higher-ups reinstate Yuji's death penalty, declare principal Yaga guilty of treason, and appoint Special Grade sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu as Yuji's executioner. Yuji and Choso roam the ruins of Tokyo hunting curses while being hunted down themselves.

2. Perfect Preparation Arc (Chapters 144 – 158)

Before entering Kenjaku's deadly game, the surviving sorcerers regroup at Jujutsu High. They visit Master Tengen at the Tomb of the Star to unlock the secrets behind the Prison Realm and the Culling Game. This arc features Maki Zenin's absolute masterpiece of a storyline — one of the rawest sequences in modern shonen manga.

3. The Culling Game Arc (Chapters 159 – 221)

Kenjaku's grand battle royale. Sorcerers from across different eras — from modern reincarnations to 1,000-year-old ancient duelists — are trapped inside 10 barrier colonies across Japan. Highlights include the introduction of fan favorites Kinji Hakari and Hiromi Higuruma, and some of the most creative Domain Expansions in the series.

4. Shinjuku Showdown Arc (Chapters 222 – 271)

The final, catastrophic battle of the series. The ultimate clash between Satoru Gojo and Ryomen Sukuna, followed by the entire jujutsu roster throwing everything they have at the King of Curses.

What Did MAPPA Skip or Change From the Manga?

Overall, MAPPA's adaptation of the Shibuya Incident is remarkably faithful. They did not skip entire chapters or cut vital characters like older anime adaptations used to do. However, there are three distinct differences in how the story feels between the two mediums:

1. Gege Akutami's Dry, Clinical Narration

In the manga, Gege Akutami relies heavily on an omniscient, matter-of-fact narrator who speaks almost like a forensic scientist explaining an autopsy. The manga panels break down exact mechanics: why 0.2-second Domain Expansions work without frying human brains, the precise geometry of Sukuna's Cleave versus Dismantle, and the exact millisecond delays of Naobito Zenin's Projection Sorcery.

While Season 2 reintroduced a narrator (voiced by Yoshiko Sakakibara in Japanese), the anime had to trim much of this technical exposition to keep the sakuga animation moving at supersonic speed.

2. The Scope of Sukuna vs. Mahoraga

In Chapter 117 to 119 of the manga, Sukuna's fight with Mahoraga is relatively short, brutal, and calculated. Sukuna tests Mahoraga's adaptation speed, realizes how the wheel turns, opens Malevolent Shrine, and ends it with Divine Flame.

Episode 17 of Season 2 transformed this encounter into an apocalyptic, city-levelling spectacle involving trains, subways, and whole building complexes being flung through the sky. If you read the manga after watching the anime, expect the manga fight to feel much more concise and tactical.

3. Yuji's Internal Psychological Weight

The manga panels spend more time lingering in quiet, claustrophobic despair. The stark black ink and raw sketchy lines convey Yuji's guilt after Sukuna's massacre with a gritty weight that hits very differently on the printed page compared to a musical anime score.

Where to Read Jujutsu Kaisen Legally

If you are looking for legal, official platforms to read the manga without sketchy popups or machine-translated scanlations:

Manga Plus (by Shueisha): Available globally, including India. The mobile app lets you read every single chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen once for free via their "First Read Free" campaign.
VIZ Media / Shonen Jump Vault: If you prefer desktop reading, a Shonen Jump subscription is roughly ₹160/month ($2.99/mo) and gives you access to the entire 271-chapter catalog with official English translations.
Physical Tankobon: Available through official comic retailers and Amazon India. Grab Volume 16 to start, followed by Volumes 17 through 28.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 cover the entire Shibuya Incident?

Yes. Season 2 adapts the Shibuya Incident from start to finish (Chapters 79 to 136), with Episode 23 ending on the cliffhanger from Chapter 137. Starting at Chapter 138 takes you directly into the post-Shibuya story.

Should I reread Shibuya in the manga before continuing?

If you have the time, absolutely. Gege Akutami's gritty art style and technical narration boxes add tremendous depth to the power system that the fast-paced anime simply could not fit into 20-minute episodes.

How many chapters are left to adapt in Jujutsu Kaisen?

The manga concluded at Chapter 271. With Season 2 ending at Chapter 137, there are exactly 134 chapters remaining — plenty of material for Season 3 (The Culling Game) and a prospective final season or movie series for the Shinjuku Showdown.

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