Episode 38

Fluctuations (揺蕩) is the thirty-eighth episode of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime adaptation and the fourteenth episode of the second season.

Summary
Mei Mei and Ui Ui fight the Special-Grade Disease Curse summoned by whatever is pretending to be Suguru Geto. Meanwhile, Nanami joins up with Maki and Naobito, but they encounter a cursed spirit with unknown powers.

Plot Details
Inside the Smallpox Deity's Domain Expansion, Ui Ui watches in horror as Mei Mei is momentarily trapped underground beneath another one of the disease curse's gravestones. The cursed spirit counts down from three but Mei Mei breaks out of the coffin in time. She leaps toward her enemy and attempts to swing her axe, but once again she's instantly trapped inside a coffin by the domain's automatic hit. Mei Mei comments on the tight space and begins to understand the process of the special grade's technique.

First, the target of the domain is trapped inside a coffin. Then, they are buried underground when they are hit by the weight of the large gravestone. Lastly, the curse counts down from three and if the target does not break free before the count is up, they will be infected with smallpox and die. Breaking free from the trap once again, Mei Mei grabs Ui Ui and hides behind a tombstone with him. Mei Mei finds the large gravestone to be the most dangerous aspect of the domain. She fears that she would be unable to move if she is hit by it twice more, which would be disadvantageous for her fight with Pseudo-Geto later.

Mei Mei hypothesizes that the curse automatically targets the persona with the strongest cursed energy in the domain. She then notices that two of her crows were caught inside the domain, and uses her innate technique to increase the cursed energy in one of the crows. That crow is immediately targeted and subsequently killed by the disease curse.

With her hypothesis proven, Mei Mei devises a counterattack by having Ui Ui become the curse's target to buy her time, though she notes that Ui Ui will likely die if he is hit by the gravestone. She asks her little brother if she's willing to die for her and he replies that he's more than happy to do anything for her.

Ui Ui comes out from behind the gravestone and releases his cursed energy, noticing that his older sister suppressed hers. The disease curse notices the swelling energy and traps Ui Ui inside a coffin. But as the curse begins its chant and forms the requisite hand sign, Mei Mei suddenly slices its hands off with her axe. Injured, the curse disappears.

The grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer tells the disease curse that Ui Ui's role is more than just that of a pack mule. Ui Ui proves this by activating New Shadow Style: Simple Domain to protect himself within the coffin. It is revealed that when Mei Mei asked if Ui Ui was willing to die for her, it was her signal of permitting him to use jujutsu. Mei Mei says that his role is to counter domains and she doesn't like to be indebted to anyone.

As Mei Mei searches for the special grade disease curse, it suddenly appears behind her with its hands healed and reaches out to attack her. Suddenly, the last crow flies through the side of the cursed spirit, piercing and exorcising it in a single ferocious blow. While the disease curse is dealt a fatal blow, Mei Mei's crow spontaneously dies as well. Mei Mei asks what is the quickest way to raise one's strength as a sorcerer. Ui Ui answers that it would be a Binding Vow with one's life as the tradeoff for more power. He further explains that Mei Mei's innate technique is Black Bird Manipulation. Her extension technique, Bird Strike, forces a crow to commit suicide, exceeding the limits of its cursed energy in return before slamming into an opponent. No one other than Satoru Gojo has ever survived the devastating attack.

With the domain dispelled, Mei Mei and Ui Ui emerge from it and confront Pseudo-Geto, who has summoned a dragon-like curse. Declaring that it is time for the main act, Mei Mei calls a flock of crows to her side that fill the underground subway and asks if they're ready to die for her. Pseudo-Geto comes to confront her and admits that she's not bad for a jujutsu sorcerer of the modern era.

At 10:20 P.M. on the Inokashira Line of Shibuya Station, Kento Nanami, Naobito Zenin and Maki Zenin head toward B5F. Nanami informs them about Satoru Gojo's sealing and Pseudo-Geto's involvement. Naobito mentions he wouldn't mind the decline of the Gojo Family, prompting Maki to tell him to leave if he's not going to help. The head of the Zenin Family retorts that Maki is the one who should go home before asking for Nanami's opinion. Nanami agrees with Naobito, having left Nobara behind due to the danger of the mission. Maki believes she's more useful than her drunken uncle. Irritated, Nanami asks Naobito if he's been drinking and the special grade 1 sorcerer claims he's done nothing of the sort.

A few minutes later, the sorcerers reach the lower floors of the station. Nanami and Maki notice the octopus-like curse Dagon hiding behind one of the pillars in the open area. Nanami draws his sword and prepares to exorcise him. However, Naobito suddenly next to Dagon, who trapped the curse in a frame using his cursed technique. While Dagon is immobilized inside the frame, Naobito lands a heavy punch that sends the curse flying across the station and crashing into another pillar. Nanami and Maki were unable to see how Naobito approached Dagon so quickly, though the former surmises that it is due to his cursed technique.

The impact severely injures Dagon, causing him to vomit up the skeletal remains of the numerous non-sorcerers he ate. As it crawls on the bones and writhes in pain, Dagon calls out to his allies, including Hanami. Dagon suddenly realizes Hanami is dead, enraging him and causing him to evolve. Dagon leaves his original skin behind and evolves into a much larger, muscular form. Naobito recognizes that the curse was so weak before because he was only a cursed womb.

The newly evolved Dagon generates a large sphere of water behind him before unleashing it, flooding the entire area. To avoid the water current, Maki stabs her spear into one of the pillars and stands on it to avoid the furious water current. She is shocked by the pure volume of water the cursed spirit is outputting. Meanwhile, Naobito manages to shield himself by trapping much of the water coming his way within projection frames with his cursed technique.

Naobito asks the cursed spirit if he knows how many frames there are in a single second of animation. Dagon reveals his name and asks to be addressed as such. Naobito goes on about how everything is about resolution these days, expressing his frustration at the modern tendency to raise resolution and frame rate, as well as how the frame interpolation feature is set on by default on modern television which creates a soap opera effect that he dislikes. At the same time, Dagon yells out that all his allies bear names. Naobito yells back and says that concepts such 4K upscaling and 60FPS frame interpolation are so unrefined.

While Dagon is distracted, Nanami gets above him and strikes using his sword. Dagon blocks it but is sent crashing into the ground. Maki attempts to follow up with an attack of her own but Dagon grabs the blade of her cursed tool. Before he counterattacks, Naobito traps him inside a frame and throws him to Nanami, who dives down to strike the cursed spirit out of it. Dagon is able to protect himself from Nanami this time by catching the blade with his hands before pushing him away with a blast of water. As the two land on the ground, Dagon generates a whirling shield of water that circles around him.

Nanami understands that they are dealing damage, but is frustrated by the feeling that the curse has boundless health. Naobito is impressed that two grade 1 jujutsu sorcerers aren't enough to exorcise the cursed spirit. Maki laments being saved by Naobito, humiliated by the fact she would have died if he hadn't stopped Dagon earlier.

Naobito commends Dagon for being able to pull off multiple simultaneous cursed techniques. He recognizes that the curse has massive amounts of cursed energy and likely more techniques up his sleeve. In order to counter, Naobito leads the way and claims they'll all crush him with speed before he can activate any more moves. Before the jujutsu sorcerers could attack Dagon, he causes the water to explode as a distraction and levitates in the air. However, Naobito suddenly appears behind Dagon and says he foresaw the curse attempting to flee up high. He kicks Dagon onto the ground and follows up with powerful attacks while overwhelming Dagon with pure speed, which the curse admits is even faster than Jogo, and his Projection Sorcery.

Eventually, Dagon is knocked to the ground and attempts to form his fingers together to create a hand sign, but Naobito destroys his fingers with a punch. However, a cursed seal forms on Dagon's stomach area, allowing him to cast Domain Expansion. In an instant, Dagon disappears and Naobito is trapped inside a coastal domain, looking out at sea.

Dagon reveals that he trapped Nanami, Naobito, and Maki inside his Domain Expansion: Horizon of the Captivating Skandha. Inside the coastal domain, Nanami and Maki are both suddenly bitten by piranha shikigami. The domain's guaranteed hit creates shikigami that don't exist until they hit the target. Meanwhile, Naobito is easily able to counter the domain's attacks with Secret Art: Falling Blossom Emotion.

Dagon decides to focus seventy percent of his power on Noabito and the other thirty percent on Nanami. Unleashing his technique Death Swarm, Dagon calls upon a swarm of shikigami to attack his foes. Knowing the shikigami will instantly eat them alive, Nanami warns Maki to attack without hesitation, though he is interrupted when several shikigami abruptly appear to devour him first.

Naobito resists the wave of shikigami using Fallen Blossom Emotion, but he still recognizes this situation does not favor him. He notices the force of the shikigami isn't slowing down at all and wonders about the technique connected to the domain. His thoughts are abruptly stopped when Dagon hides in the stream of shikigami and punches Naobito through a forest area on the beach. Naobito tries to reactivate Falling Blossom Emotion, but Dagon suddenly appears behind him and ensnares him with a shikigami's bite. Maki then attempts to attack Dagon but is also bitten by a few shikigami, leaving her unable to move or fight back. Dagon turns to Maki and says she's the weakest among the three before kicking her hard into the forest. Dagon reveals Death Swarm is an endless stream of shikigami as more and more appear to devour Naobito after launching him into the air.

Despite the heavy hit, Maki survives and tells the curse to finish her in one hit if he is going to insult her strength. Dagon threatens to give her the same fate as the other two. Suddenly, a geyser of liquid shadow erupts from the ocean near the beach, getting Dagon and Maki's attention instantly. Megumi Fushiguro appears from the geyser right on time and calls out to Maki. He extends his shadow out to her, allowing Maki to pick up the special grade cursed tool: Playful Cloud. Grateful for the help, Maki tells Megumi that he really is a cocky brat.

Megumi surmises that Dagon is the master of the domain. Dagon believes Megumi to be foolish for entering his domain voluntarily and attacks him with two shikigamis, but misses the attack. A confused Dagon then blocks an attack from Maki using Playful Cloud, though the power behind the strike causes him to recoil. Maki then follows up with another blow that sends Dagon flying into the ocean water. He recovers from the attacks and recognizes that his guaranteed hit has been nullified because of Megumi's domain engaging in a domain tug-of-war with his. The cursed spirit decides to prioritize defeating Megumi and sends two fish shikigami from his body towards his adversary. Nanami suddenly appears, jumping on multiple Toads manifested from Megumi's Chimera Shadow Garden and slicing apart the shikigamis with his Ratio Technique. Megumi is surprised to see him and Nanami asks about Yuji Itadori and Takuma Ino. Megumi informs him of their statuses and Nanami asks Megumi to concentrate on maintaining the domain while he focuses on protecting him.

Dagon is shocked that Nanami managed to withstand Death Swarm for about a minute. Suddenly, Naobito appears behind him and attacks with blinding speed. Dagon is equally surprised the old man survived as well and blocks the attack. Maki appears behind the cursed spirit and Dagon defends by spawning two large eel-like shikigami to repel the sorcerers. Maki destroys the one attacking her by hitting it with Playful Cloud while Naobito crushes the one attacking him with a powerful stomp. Naobito tells Dagon that all his attack did was take his right arm. He adds that even if it was seventy-one years old, it will still cost the curse dearly.

Nanami continues defending Megumi but the young sorcerer is reaching his limit. Megumi reveals that he's actually trying to open a hole in the domain's barrier rather than engaging in a domain battle. He guesses that the disaster curse likely can't use Domain Expansion multiple times in the same day, so if the jujutsu sorcerers can escape they can win. Nanami makes sure that Megumi isn't planning on staying behind and the student clarifies that he has no intention of throwing his life away.

Nanami calls out to the Zenins and tells them to assemble. The two rush toward him immediately. Dagon is confused for a moment but he quickly realizes his adversaries' plan. He rushes to stop them, though Nanami believes it is too late as a hole appears in the ground below Megumi that leads outside the barrier. However, before the sorcerers can exit the domain, Toji Fushiguro suddenly enters the domain through the hole.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Ui Ui
 * Smallpox Deity
 * Mei Mei
 * Satoru Gojo (Fantasy)
 * Pseudo-Geto
 * Kento Nanami
 * Maki Zenin
 * Naobito Zenin
 * Dagon
 * Hanami (Fantasy)
 * Megumi Fushiguro
 * Toji Fushiguro (Seánced)

Locations

 * Shibuya
 * Fukutoshin Line Platform
 * Shibuya Station

Battles & Events

 * The Shibuya Incident
 * Mei Mei & Ui Ui vs. Smallpox Deity (Concluded)
 * Jujutsu Sorcerers vs. Dagon