Yuji Itadori vs. Yuta Okkotsu

Yuji Itadori vs. Yuta Okkotsu is a battle fought by excommunicated Tokyo Jujutsu High first-year student, Yuji Itadori against his appointed executioner and special grade jujutsu sorcerer, Yuta Okkotsu. It takes place in the abandoned remains of Shibuya after Jujutsu Headquarters revokes the suspension on Yuji's execution and assigns Yuta to carry it out.

Prologue
Yuta Okkotsu finds Yuji and Choso in a scuffle with Naoya Zenin in the middle of the city. The confrontation comes to an abrupt halt when Yuta's creepy cursed energy sends chills down everyone's spine. Standing on a platform high above them, Yuta is surprised to see that target isn't all alone.

Yuta unsheathes his katana and jumps down to where everyone else is. Yuta's identity hasn't been made clear yet but Choso is sure he's here to kill Yuji. The special grade sorcerer lands on a guardrail with such a heavy impact that it takes out the entire side of the road.

After making his intimidating entrance, Yuta walks down the debris asks which of the unknown fighters is with Yuji. Naoya answers and makes it clear that he's on Yuta's side. He introduces himself as Maki's cousin and recognizes Yuta as Yuji's official executioner. Naoya claims that he's here to kill Sukuna's vessel as well.

Yuji hears Naoya say Yuta's name and remembers it from Megumi informing him about the special grade second-year student. While Naoya speaks with Yuta, Choso makes sure to whisper directions to Yuji. Getting into a chase with a speed-type leaves them at a disadvantage, so Choso tells Yuji to run while he holds off Naoya. Choso specifies that Yuji must flee and avoid fighting Yuta at all costs. Yuta gives off the same presence that Satoru Gojo does, meaning fighting him means certain death.

Naoya asks Yuta to wait to inform the higher-ups after he kills Yuji because he wants to use Sukuna's vessel as bait for someone else. He considers himself lucky that Yuta didn't notice him say Megumi was his target earlier. Yuta decides to align himself with Naoya and agrees to leave Choso to him.

Battle
Choso acts quickly and aims his hands at Yuta while activating Convergence so he can block the special grade from chasing his brother. However, Naoya and Yuta move just as fast as Yuji does, if not faster. While Yuji takes off running, Naoya kicks Choso's arms upward and disrupts the activation of his cursed technique. This allows Yuta to rush right past Choso and chase after Yuji directly.

Yuta stays right on his target's tail and Yuji is surprised that his executioner can run so fast with a drawn katana. Yuta is also impressed by Yuji's speed and expected to end the fight in his initial rush.

Their path takes them towards a car that's been turned over on its side. Yuji jumps over it while his opponent gets low and slides around the front, channeling his momentum into a powerful upward slash. Yuji grabs onto the open car window and stops his body before it clears the vehicle, allowing him to avoid the sword. He flips back to the opposite side of the car from Yuta, who was sure that he sliced his target. This makes Yuta realize that his adversary has incredible physical capabilities just like Maki.

Yuji hits the car with a right hook so strong it lifts the vehicle off the ground and directly into his pursuer. Unable to shake his executioner out in the open, Yuji tries to use this chance to run indoors. By the time he reaches the sidewalk, however, the car suddenly comes flying back at Yuji from behind and crashes into the building he was trying to run into.

Yuta takes notice of his opponent's surprise and admits that he's not the power-type. Yuji can tell that despite not being physically imposing, Yuta possesses vast amounts of cursed energy. He compensates for a lack of physicality by reinforcing himself with cursed energy on a level that far surpasses most sorcerers.

Yuji is even more shocked by the revelation that his executioner possesses a higher volume of cursed energy than their teacher, Satoru Gojo. The big difference is that Satoru has the Six Eyes and he'll never run out of cursed energy, unlike Yuta. With tons of cursed energy surging from his body, the special grade sorcerer abruptly decides to end this short explanation and takes his swordsmanship stance.

Yuta rushes directly at Yuji, closing the distance between them before slashing at him. Yuji remains on his backfoot and avoids the katana but his executioner continues to stay dangerously close in pursuit. It's difficult to read the moves of someone with elite cursed energy control but its made even worse by Yuta because his body and sword are constantly emitting high levels of cursed energy. Regardless, Yuji's issue is beyond just predicting his opponent's moves. Every stroke of Yuta's offense can be a decisive killing blow and his defense can reduce all damage to a minimum.

Yuji is unable to avoid every attack and gets hit in the face with the pommel of his opponent's katana. The force is so strong that it knocks Yuji back a few steps. In spite of the massive odds stacked against him, Yuji remembers Nanami telling him "you've got it from here." and states he can't die just yet.

Yuta attacks again with a horizontal slash that's avoided by Yuji using a long backstep. The swordsman follows up with a downward slash that gets closer to its target then another upward slash that manages to slice Yuji's cheek. Yuji avoids any major damage but he knows he must deal with Yuta's katana before anything else. Normally, Yuji can steel his body against blades with cursed energy but that won't work on this opponent.

Yuji jumps a guard rail to cross the street and hops over another car into the open window of an SUV. While leaping through to the window on the other side, Yuji notices a survival knife on the seat inside the vehicle and grabs it. Yuta clears both cars in a single jump and tries to strike down his target as soon as Yuji exits the other side of the SUV. However, Yuji is able to block the blade this time, surprising Yuta with the survival knife. Yuta quickly figures out his opponent got the knife from the SUV and dismisses it because there's no reason to fear a non-cursed tool.

For the first time in the fight, Yuji engages Yuta offensively. He imbues the knife with cursed energy and closes the distance without fear. Their blades clash and Yuji attempts a few slashes of his own that Yuta is able to parry. They trade slashes until Yuta halts both blades and forces Yuji to focus on defending. Yuji channels his cursed energy into his blade to defend the best he can, but the young student of jujutsu hasn't been taught this type of control yet.

While lifting his katana and using its tsuba to bring the weapons above his head, Yuta notes that Yuji is far too focused on the katana and delivers a powerful front kick to his body. Yuji is sent reeling back and acknowledges that a mere forward kick is still incredibly strong. Yuta follows up his kick with a fierce downward slash and Yuji's knife isn't enough to block it this time. The survival knife's blade breaks and Yuji suffers a deep cut directly across his abdomen.

The katana slices Yuji's lower abdomen and spills a concerning amount of blood. Yuji ignores the pain kicks the katana's blade while his opponent is still mid-swing. He stomps on the blade and traps the top of it into the ground. While holding it down with his left foot, Yuji uses his right to kick the flat side of the katana, breaking the blade in half. With his weapon broken, Yuta slides back and openly admits that it was never going to be easy to defeat another one of Gojo's pupils.

The wound in Yuji's lower abdomen is deep but his intestines are still intact. Now that both fighters are unarmed, Yuji attempts to close the distance again. However, Yuji's head is suddenly grabbed from behind by the large hands of an uncanny cursed spirit with a white face. It easily restrains Yuji and asks "what's going on here?".

Yuta tells "Rika" that they're just playing but Yuji is left very confused. From his perspective, this cursed spirit came out of nowhere and somehow has more than enough strength to immobilize him completely. Yuta asks Rika to hold Yuji still as the cursed spirit wraps its arms around his body. Yuta walks up to Yuji and thrusts the broken blade directly into his heart. Rika disappears and the wound causes blood to immediately pour from Yuji's mouth. He looks down at the blade in disbelief and Rika disappears. and it appears that Yuta has executed Yuji. Appearing to have completed his assignment and carried out the execution, Yuta apologizes.

Aftermath
Yuta takes Yuji's body to the area where the fight began and finds Naoya defeated by Choso. Yuta walks behind Choso and takes the Death Painting off guard. Before Choso can fully turn around, Yuta smacks with him with a closed-fist strike so strong it knocks him to the ground and leaves him unconscious.

After knocking out a fellow special grade with a single hit, Yuta walks up to the beaten Zenin Family sorcerer and generates reverse cursed energy around his hand. Naoya is annoyed at Yuta for looking down on him, but his displeasure is disrupted by violent vomiting caused by poison from Choso's blood. Yuta offers to heal Naoya with his reverse cursed technique in return for informing the higher-ups that Yuji has been executed.

Yuji wakes up later that night at a campfire. He's laying across the fire from Yuta, unsure of what's happening. He's even more confused when Yuta's expression changes from deadly serious to happy and relieved. Yuta explains that Gojo visited Africa back in September and asked him to watch over all the students should something happen, especially Yuji. Instead of allowing a different executioner or hiding all information about Yuji, Yuta decided to put on an act to fool the higher-ups.

Yuta entered a binding vow with the jujutsu headquarters and agreed to kill Yuji. The higher-ups are unaware Yuta can output reverse cursed energy. The instant Yuji's heart stopped, Yuta healed him with a reverse cursed technique. He figured this would work because he heard Sukuna's vessel returned from the dead before. Since this is the second time Yuji's death has been staged, Yuta warns him this cover may not last for long.

With his safety assured for the time being, Yuji asks Yuta why he's doing so much to help. Yuji is important to people who are important to Yuta. Yuta explains that he was once in a situation just like Yuji's. He was cursed with a power he could not contain and was slated for execution. Yuta doesn't blame Yuji for what Sukuna has done but Yuji doesn't believe it's a matter of who's to blame.

Before Yuji can fully respond, Megumi joins the two of them at the campfire. He tells Yuji they need to return to Jujutsu High. The barrier around the school has been expanded and Megumi thinks they should be able to sneak Yuji in without an issue. Yuji interrupts and tells Megumi to stop acting like tons of people didn't die. Yuta notices that Yuji is resistant but he's still unsure of whether or not he deserves to live. This is the reason Yuji held back in their fight and Yuta can tell.

Megumi tells Yuji not to be selfish and states that jujutsu sorcerers must prove the worth of their existence by saving others. These are principles Yuji displayed when they first met but he laments over the fact that Megumi will suffer as long as he lives. Megumi asks that he to be the first person saved on the path to redemption, surprising Yuji. Pseudo-Geto has planned a sinister battle royal called the Culling Game. Megumi reveals that his sister Tsumiki has been caught up in it.