Chapter 146

About the Culling Game (について) is the one hundred and forty sixth chapter of Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen.

Summary
The groups now know more about the Culling games and they come up with strategy. Choso and Tsukumo will stay to guard Tengen. Maki will go collect curse tools from the Zenin clan and Juzo Kumiya's workshop, then find Panda. Yuta will go by colony to collect information about the games. Yuji and Megumi will go find third year Kinji Hakari. Meanwhile, we're introduce to Fumihiko Takaba, another player in the Culling games.

Plot Details
Megumi asks Tengen if Hana Kurusu actually possesses the ability to erase curse techniques, who replies yes as should be necessary to open up the back of a Prison Realm. Megumi also asks if they know where she is, which Tengen replies that she's in the colony on the east side of Tokyo. They don't have any more information since the game barriers are rejecting them. According to Tengen, the games take place in ten colonies stretching along Japan, forming a line in order to convey people to the other side. The island of Hokkaido has been declared a "sacred area" and exempt from the games. Conveying everyone in Japan might be a stretch but a curse has befallen every citizen in preparation for the game. Megumi asks about the time frame for the ritual and Tengen responds that two months should be enough time.

From what they know, the player sorcerer awakened midnight on October 31st and it's currently 9 am on November 9th. Tsumiki has roughly 10 days and 15 to declare her participation as stated by rule one of the games. Megumi asks if refusal to participate will result in death with Tengen answering yes. Those who break the first rule will be subject to curse technique removal. According to Ieiri, she believes that the removal process is not done through Idle Transfiguration. Since it's removal and not proscription, there's no Binding Vow and something will happen to your brain. Thus, it would mean that one would die, otherwise everyone would refuse to participate. Maki states that Ieiri was right but it also means that sorcerers like her aren't at risk.

Rule three states that non-player that enter a colony are instantly made player and shall be considered to have declared participation in the Culling Games. Yuji wonders if citizens who already live within the colonies can leave and Tengen responds that they're given a chance to exit. They explain further that there are no rules about entering or exiting the barriers. From the start, players are tasked with exiting the barrier, possibly for stimulating the game. In order to confine players, the premise that they entered willingly is important. This reminds Yuji of the "increase or decrease" barrier effectiveness that Ino mentioned.

Rules four and five explain about scoring points. Points are rewarded by ending another player's life and the game masters determine the value of a player's life. Players are worth 5 points while non-players are worth 1. Megumi asks about the game master. Tengen replies by saying that each player receives a shikigami called a Kogane, but they act as more interference than master and should be thought of part of the Culling games' system. Yuji is confused by this.

According to rule six, excluding a player's own life value, each player can use 100 points to add a new rule to the game. The group realize that they can't remove rules from the game but there might be a loophole they could exploit. Rule seven, in accordance to rule six, the game master must accept them as long as it doesn't have a mark or long-lasting impact on the game. Choso wonders if that's fair with Maki replying that the clause gives leeway to the game master. Tengen states that they could expect an equitable decision since players must abide to strict rules.

The eight rule states that players will be subject to curse technique removal if their score stays unchanged for 19 days. Yuji realizes that he'll have to kill people again, but Megumi states that he has an idea around this. Now that they know about the games, Maki states they everyone knows their roles. Choso and Tsukumo will act as bodyguards for Tengen. Maki will head back to the Zenin clan to collect curse tool. Following Gojo's imprisonment, both the Zenin and Kamo clans had cleared out Jujutsu high's curse warehouse, but she should be able to get tools from the Zenin clan now that Megumi is the clan leader (a detail that he will tell Yuji later). Maki also asks Tengen about Juzo Kumiya's workshop and states she would appreciate it. Afterwards, she will go search for Panda.

Yuta will enter a colony in order to gather information before the others join. He'll avoid nearby colonies in order to avoid killing other and to watch out for Tsumiki. One issue is that the barriers will block cell service, so they might be out of touch for a while. Yuta and Yuji both contemplate over how efficient Yuta would be scouting alone and Megumi's safety. Megumi states that it's fine and if "that" happens and he dies, Yuta can come and kill Yuji. Yuta and Yuji looked distraught because the point was to avoid that scenario. Maki agrees and states that they should go find Kinji Hakari, a suspended third year student. Since they're shorthand, they need as much support as possible. Yuji asks if Kinji is tough, and Yuta states that he moody but he's stronger than him when he's worked up, which Maki rejects. As they leave, Yuji bid Choso farewell, which Choso replies "don't die". Yuji waves and Tengen and Tsukumo realize that Choso is crying.

At a comedy club in Tokyo, Fumihiko Takaba closes his show to a bored, lifeless audience who slowly clap. Backstage, the managers scold him for using his dull jokes again. He asks about Takaba's age with him saying he's 35. His manager says that he should quit and find something else. He says that the comedy industry has late bloomers because their underrated jokes suddenly become funny to the public, unlike his. Ken, another performer in the room, says that his jokes aren't so bad and that neither of them understand that unfunny guys can suddenly be funny. He goes on by stating that they're two types of comedians: ones who are funny and ones who think they're funny. He asks which of them is Takaba, and he replies he's about 50:50, but then rephrases by saying 70:30.

Locations

 * Tokyo Jujutsu High
 * Tokyo