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Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 significantly altered the entire course of the series. This season featured the Shibuya Incident arc, which bid goodbye to several beloved characters and showcased death and destruction on an unprecedented scale.
One of the characters whose fate is left ambiguous in the anime is Maki Zenin, who was burned alive by Jogo in episode 15, alongside Kento Nanami and Naobito Zenin. As of now, there is no word on her survival, as the anime is currently focusing on Yuji Itadori's battle against Mahito.
Although things look bleak as of now, it can be said with absolute certainty that Maki is alive and well in the current timeline of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga. Her survival was confirmed in chapter 144 of the manga, albeit with a drastic change in appearance.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 and the manga. Reader's discretion is advised.
How Maki Zenin survived certain death in the Shibuya arc of Jujutsu Kaisen season 2
In episode 15 of Jujutsu Kaisen season 2, Kento Nanami, Maki Zenin, and Naobito Zenin were all burned alive by the Disaster Cursed Spirit Jogo. Although Naobito's death was a bit more prominent, the fates of Nanami and Maki were still uncertain.
At the end of episode 17 however, Nanami was shown to have survived Jogo's attack, despite sustaining grave injuries. Unfortunately, Nanami met his end at the hands of Mahito sometime later, while he was desperately trying to take on a bunch of transfigured humans all by himself.
However, the only one whose fate was left ambiguous was Maki, who was not seen again after episode 15. This led a lot of anime watchers to worry about her condition since it seems unlikely that she will make an appearance this season.
In chapter 144 of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, Maki was shown to have survived Jogo's life-threatening attack, despite suffering a great deal of damage as well. The majority of her body was covered in scars from the severe burns.
Furthermore, her hair only reached past her ears, which might be either due to her cutting it or it may have been burned off. This drastic change in appearance was just the starting point of her character development, which takes place just a few chapters later.
What happened to Maki after the Shibuya arc?
The Shibuya Incident witnessed the deaths of countless civilians and sorcerers including the head of the Zenin clan, Naobito Zenin being one of them. Due to his death, Megumi Fushiguro was made the new head of the clan, a role which he was hesitant to accept at first. He argued that Maki should take the position instead, to which she argued back that no one would accept her as their leader.
With the approval of the new clan head, Maki returned to the Zenin clan to collect some cursed tools. However, it proved to be an elaborate trap for her, as her father conspired against her by attempting to kill both Maki and Mai. Although she fought bravely, she was defeated and left to die along with her sister.
In a surprising turn of events, Mai ended up saving Maki's life by sacrificing her own. She explained that since cursed techniques identify all twins as single individuals, Maki would never reach her full potential as long as Mai was alive. By sacrificing herself, Mai took away the last ounce of Cursed Energy possessed by Maki and allowed her to become incomprehensibly strong. Before passing on, Mai left her sister with one mission - to destroy everything.
The death of her sister marked a massive change in Maki's personality, transforming her into a cold-blooded killer who had only one goal in mind - to eliminate the Zenin clan. She started by brutally slicing off her father's head with the sword that Mai left her. She went on to ruthlessly annihilate her entire clan without showing any remorse. Naoya Zenin was the last one to face her, proving to be a much tougher fight than the rest of his family. However, Maki put down Naoya with a single punch that smashed his face in.
Final Thoughts
Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 proved to be a turning point for not only Maki but for the entire series. In the current timeline of the story, Maki has been stated to be a fighter equivalent to Toji Fushiguro, who is canonically one of the strongest characters of the series.
Considering that Maki's return to the story took place in chapter 144 of the manga, it's likely that she will not appear for the remainder of Jujutsu Kaisen season 2. She is most likely to make an appearance in season 3 of the anime, which is yet to be confirmed as of yet.
