Death Painting Arc

The Death Painting Arc is the fourth arc in Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen series. In the anime adaptation, the arc is referred as The Origin of Obedience Arc (起首雷同編). It follows Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara as they investigate a series of strange curse related murders. Their mission ends up leading the students to cross paths with the newly incarnated Cursed Womb: Death Paintings.

Cursed by Death's Doorway
Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara are assigned a mission to investigate the mysterious deaths involving the victims. Each of whom died by their doorways under similar circumstances, where the entrances to their homes were left open with a curse waiting there to kill them. Supervised by Akari Nitta, the first-years' investigation takes them to Megumi's alma matter at Saitama Urami East Junior High. There, the sorcerers discover that the cursed victims all share an incident where they were found unconscious beneath Yasohachi Bridge.

At the same time, Mahito and Suguru Geto plant the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings into human vessels, allowing them to incarnate. While the first-years arrive at Yasohachi Bridge, Mahito incarnates Kechizu and asks him for a favor. The students are unable to find any evidence of a curse and initially stall their investigation. However, Megumi reunites with an old classmate and learns she and Megumi's sister, Tsumiki, ventured to the bridge one time as well.

After checking in with Ijichi and running the info by him, Megumi realizes the danger of the Yasohachi Bridge curse and tries to investigate it on his own. Despite Megumi's concerns, Yuji and Nobara accompany him and learn more about their friend. Megumi worries that they can't wait to exorcise this curse and needs to exorcise it now because Tsumiki is defenseless.

Megumi deduces the correct sequence of conditions to pass through the curses barrier beneath the bridge and the three first-years cross over into its domain. They discover the Yashohachi Bridge curse is a mole-like monster that pokes its head out rapidly from several exits. Just before the exorcism begins, Kechizu abruptly enters the barrier behind the sorcerers.

The Battle Beneath Yasohachi Bridge
While Yuji deals with Kechizu, Megumi and Nobara attempt to exorcise the other curse. Another party is added to the chaos when Kechizu's older brother, Eso, takes Nobara out of the Domain. He reveals that the Death Paintings have been assigned with retrieving Sukuna's finger. Megumi exorcises the mole curse and discovers that another finger bearer just like the one at the Detention Center has been hidden in the barrier.

Megumi battles the Finger Bearer and quickly learns this one is far more powerful than the previous curse. He recalls training with Gojo and how he needs to imagine a better version of himself instead of trying to match of up to Yuji. After being battered by the curse, Megumi lets go of his restraints and lets his cursed energy flow freely, manifesting his own Domain Expansion for the first time. Shattering his limits, Megumi defeats the special grade curse and proves he's far stronger than he's been giving himself credit for.

Megumi and Tsumiki's parents got together and split just as quickly. The "divorce" money Megumi's father gained was from selling his son to the Zenin family for his cursed technique. The man who explained all this to him would eventually become his teacher, Gojo. Megumi grew up resenting everyone but his sister Tsumiki, she was a good person who was unfairly cursed. Due to her circumstances, Megumi will continue to try and make the world more fair for good people.

Nobara and Eso notice the finger's presence and fight to claim it. Eso threatens to kill her if she looks at his back. Self conscious, Eso explodes with rage when Yuji and his younger brother end up behind him. The Death Paintings reveal their Rot Technique and take on the students in a two on two combat.

Yuji and Nobara initially evade danger but are both eventually struck by the Death Paintings' poison blood. Infected with the decomposing effect of Rot Technique Maximum: Decay, Nobara has no choice but to impale herself with Resonance to counter. It's effective, injuring both brothers at the same time as Nobara invites them to play a deadly game of chicken.

Using Straw Doll Technique: Resonance to stun the Death Paintings with piercing counterattacks, Yuji is able to pummel Kechizu with brute force. This leverages Eso into undoing the Decay technique to save his younger brother. Shortly after, the focus granted to them by the pain from the toxic blood allows Yuji and Nobara to tap into the sparks of black. They unleash Black Flash in their next attacks, critically injuring both brothers. Kechizu makes one last attempt to strike Nobara down but he's exorcised by Nobara's Hairpin attack. She tells Eso not to worry because he'll be joining his brother soon.

As Eso cries for his fallen brother, Yuji and Nobara realize the gravity of killing someone that is flesh and blood. The injured Eso attempts to make a daring escape by taking a hostage aboard a speeding truck, but Nobara stops him by using Resonance on his severed arm. Yuji finishes the fight, apologizing before delivering the final blow that ends Eso for good.

Eso and Kechizu's older brother, Choso learns of the news. Heavily irritated, he shares this information with Mahito and Geto. The three of them learn that the jujutsu first-years were responsible shortly after.

Consequences of Closing the Case
Following the fighting, Yuji and Nobara take a moment to reflect on killing flesh and blood people. Despite being curses, they cried for one another and Yuji can't help but feel something as a result. Nobara believes these kind of things happen as a sorcerer but the two of them ultimately agree that they're accomplices in the murder of two brothers.

Akari and Ijichi return the students to Tokyo, closing the case for good. A few days later, Gojo is impressed to hear about his students success. After checking in with Utahime over the possible mole at Jujutsu High, Gojo pays off Mei Mei to help promote his students. She and Aoi Todo recommend Yuji, Megumi, Nobara, Maki, and Panda for grade 1 status.

Aoi and Mei Mei compete in a game of ping pong afterward where the former is devastated to learn that he won't be able to carry out Yuji's assessment missions with him. Meanwhile, Nobara encounters one of Yuji's old classmate, Yuko Ozawa, and learns she has a crush on him. Nobara and Megumi help set up Yuko with a reunion with Yuji. Yuko appreciates Yuji's sincerity and realizes she's being shallow about her new appearance, deciding not to reveal her feelings.

Episodes

 * Episode 22: The Origin of Obedience
 * Episode 23: The Origin of Obedience, Part 2
 * Episode 24: Accomplices

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