JJK S3 EP 9 (YUJI VS HIGURUMA) DEEP THOUGHTS: WARNING THIS IS YAP SESSION

"Your Honour,yeah i watched it for 100th time,i won't lie and i won't deny it, but in my defense it was ABSOLUTE CINEMA" IwillfuckHiguruma Well well, first of all, Yuji vs Higuruma is pure cinema.And once again thank you MAPPA for elevating the fight even more. Higuruma is genuinely one of the best side characters I’ve ever experienced, so I’m really glad everyone gets to appreciate him through these back-to-back generational episodes that showcase just how strong his character writing is while reinforcing the broader themes and mechanics of the series. This episode perfectly highlights the core of Higuruma’s character,he doesn’t actually want absolute power to cast a verdict himself. Instead, he outsources that role to Judgeman. What he really wants is a place where the rules are clear and he can finally fight on equal footing instead of constantly defending people in a system designed to crush them. At the same time, that environment also lets him vent the resentment he built up from years of seeing injustice happen to the weak. Naturally, fighting Yuji becomes the perfect confrontation for his own moral and emotional weakness,the weakness he refused to acknowledge until he came face-to-face with someone who was not actually guilty of their crimes but still willingly accepted the burden and responsibility of guilt simply because his own weakness allowed the tragedy to happen. Yuji vs Higuruma is storytelling through combat at its absolute best, and i'll keep saying that everytime🗣️. It brings out the most unique aspects of both characters. No one else could remind Higuruma of his original ideals the way Yuji does, just like no one else could reaffirm Yuji’s innocence while he’s drowning under the guilt of Sukuna’s actions. Higuruma himself is such a fantastic example of Gege’s ability to write characters who hold conflicting beliefs that they view as equally valid until one defining moment forces them to choose a path. We’ve seen this kind of ideological breaking point with characters like Nanami and Geto as well. In Higuruma’s case, I do think that in the moment he genuinely felt satisfaction when he killed the judge and prosecutor who delivered Oe’s guilty verdict. Those two represented the system that kept wronging him and the people he tried to protect. He took out years of pent-up resentment on them. But at the same time, he also recognized how awful it felt to abandon the justice system he once believed in so deeply. That duality is what makes him feel authentic. Both ideals coexist inside him: the lawyer who believed in justice and the man who lost faith in that system. Outside events simply pushed him to act on one of those beliefs over the other. That’s why his character feels human rather than inconsistent. The imagery throughout the episode is so peak.Yuji being held down by the “gavel of justice” always reminded me of Atlas holding up the heavens. The cinematography really emphasizes the crushing weight of it. It becomes a metaphor for carrying the burden of someone else’s sins and preventing the world from collapsing under them. I’m also a big fan of how quick the “yeah I killed them” scene went by. It really emphasizes how little Yuji hesitated when admitting guilt for the Shibuya massacre. That moment hits hard because he accepts responsibility almost instantly, especially we know that the real reqson he blames himself for that was because he swallowed Sukuna's finger out of free will.Now lets talk abt "Deadly Sentencing", Higuruma’s Domain Expansion itself is fascinating because it follows the structure of a Japanese courtroom almost perfectly. The only unconventional part that i could see is Higuruma standing in front of the judge. Inside his Domain, he fairly performs every other role within the legal system except the witness. I think the reason the Domain manifests with such strict structure and fairness is because Higuruma himself is principled enough to uphold those values. His personal belief in fairness allows the system within his Domain to function authentically, and that’s also why Judgeman’s authority is so powerful. One detail that really stood out to me is Judgeman crying blood during the second trial in which Yuji admits to the crime of mass murder in Shibuya. That imagery suggests that Judgeman might symbolically represent an angel. An angel crying blood often symbolizes a desperate cry for justice, mercy, or redemption. Judgeman knows everything about the accused. It can see through lies. So it knows Yuji is actually innocent and that Sukuna was the one responsible for the massacre. The blood tears and furious screams feel like an expression of helplessnes cuz of the weight of punishing someone good. It’s screaming because Yuji is blaming himself for something he didn’t do. The evidence itself comes from Judgeman, which means the Domain already knew Yuji was innocent.