Episode 16

Kyoto Sister School Goodwill Event - Team Battle, Part 2 (-②-) is the sixteenth episode of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime adaptation.

Summary
Aoi Todo is determined to help his new best friend Yuji reach all new heights. During their fight, Aoi teaches Yuji about cursed energy as a starting point down the path of the mighty. Meanwhile Panda and Ultimate Mechamaru duel in a clash of cursed corpses.

Plot Details
The hand cannot progress faster than the eye. One must improve their eyes to discern flaws in order to have hands that create works of art. This concept applies to many fields, including jujutsu. Those with the eye for detail will progress farther than those without. Yuji is progressing, improving every moment of his battle with Aoi. The third-year is impressed and almost engrossed in bliss by Yuji's strength. However, it's still not quite good enough.

Aoi suddenly halts the momentum of their fight to talk to Yuji about his Divergent Fist. He admits it's strong but it will never be effective against a special grade. Divergent Fist takes advantage of cursed energy that's left behind by Yuji's superhuman speed. First Aoi makes Yuji understand he must apply cursed energy at the moment of impact. He can only do so by making cursed energy flow correctly throughout his body. There is a belief that emotions build up in the stomach and spread throughout the body. However, one should not think of themselves as disproportionate parts. Everyone in the world exists with their entire mind, body, and soul. It's a simple concept that many lose grasp of, but Aoi helps Yuji realize this.

Now able to take his first huge leap as a sorcerer, Yuji thanks Aoi and shrouds his entire body in cursed energy. Aoi does the same and they prepare to stand off against each other again, impassioned by the fantasy of best friends Aoi has created between them. As long Yuji can survive, he will reach even greater heights.

Meanwhile, Nobara and Panda taunt Momo while she's still stuck in the tree. Nobara asks if they tried to kill Yuji, surprising Momo. The Tokyo first-year says it's fine because she'll get payback on Mai or the tin can from Kyoto. Suddenly, Panda is shot from behind by Ultimate Mechamaru, who takes offense to being referred to as a tin can. Momo steps in and says she'll fight the first year. In another twist, Panda quickly gets up and hits Mechamaru away. He says that the two of them should get along since they're both cursed corpses.

This offends the sorcerer in control of Mechamaru and he activates Sword Option + Boost On to unleash his Ultra Spin technique. He launches at Panda with explosive speed but he misses. Panda realizes that he needs to finish their fight quickly if he's gonna get back and help Nobara. He asks Mechamaru what grade he is and is surprised to learn he's semi-first grade just like Toge and Noritoshi. Mechamaru shoots his Ultra Cannon but Panda easily defends against by reinforcing his body with cursed energy.

Cursed corpses are inanimate objects that house curses. Panda is a special type of cursed corpse, the masterpiece of Masamichi Yaga, the foremost practitioner of puppet jujutsu. Panda is an abrupt mutated cursed corpse, not a panda. In close-quarters combat, Panda effortlessly overwhelms Mechamaru with a series of unpredictable moves.

Panda deduces that Mechamaru isn't an intelligent cursed corpse, he's a puppet being controlled by someone else. He doesn't quite understand why Mechamaru would be so offended to be referred to as a cursed corpse. Kokichi Muta, Mechamaru's controller, explains he was born with a Heavenly Restriction that makes his body nearly useless. The fact that Panda gets to live free in the sun without a care in the world instead of him pisses Kokichi off. He takes out his range using his most powerful technique: Ultimate Cannon!

Mechamaru believes he's won but the smoke soon clears, revealing Panda's surprise form, Gorilla Mode! Panda possesses three cursed corpse cores, unlike the standard which is normally one. His other two cores are his brother and sister, as Yaga explained to him when he was younger. Yaga told Panda whenever he needed help, they will be there to lend him strength.

Panda's Gorilla Mode effortlessly breaks through Mechamaru's defense, breaking his Ultra Shield and sending him flying. Not only did it do external damage, the hit resonated and damaged the puppet internally. Panda explains this is Gorilla Mode's special ability: the Unblockable Drumming Beat! One more hit from it will be enough to defeat Mechamaru, but Panda's two other cores are damaged and he's going through cursed energy quickly. However, in close combat, he still holds the advantage.

The two cursed corpses duel atop the buildings of the battlefield until Mechamaru uses a tile to distract Panda. He follows up by boosting his way around Panda's back. He attacks where the cursed energy is most dense in his body, once again believing he's one. He commands Panda for doing well for a puppet, but the raging gorilla isn't done yet. Panda is highly intelligent and capable, he can fake his cores' locations with cursed energy manipulation. He grabs on to Mechamaru's only functioning arm and finishes the fight with a powerful forward palm thrust that breaks his opponent apart.

Kokichi lost because he underestimated puppets. Panda hoped they could understand each other, but he's never been jealous of humans. Thinking of Yuta, Panda believes humans are kind of creepy and he doesn't get them, but he still loves aspects about them that he lacks himself. Having hardships doesn't make Kokichi right and they're not enemies anyway. Panda offers to help him in the future before leaving to continue the event. This prompts Kokichi to recalls memories of all his peers and his desire to walk among them. Before Panda finishes leaving, he remembers to ask Mechamaru to use his phone.

Meanwhile, Kasumi and Maki clash with each other, and the former realizes just how powerful the Tokyo second-year actually is.

"Juju Stroll"
Mai, Momo, and Kasumi each call upon Mechamaru for help with various tasks. Mechamaru asks them why they always go through him, and Mai and Momo think that Aoi and Noritoshi are too much trouble, while Kasumi thinks that she's still scared of them. However, all three girls think that if they said their thoughts out loud, they wouldn't be able to ask Mechamaru for help anymore. Instead, they energetically tell Mechamaru they're counting on him and run away, leaving Mechamaru's questioned unanswered. Kokichi (Mechamaru's body) supposes that it's good that the girls can rely on him.

Locations

 * Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College

Battles & Events

 * Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event
 * Spirit Bash Race
 * Yuji Itadori vs. Aoi Todo (Concluded)
 * Panda vs. Ultimate Mechamaru
 * Maki Zenin vs. Kasumi Miwa (Started)