Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 17 details Sukuna's brutal fight with Mahoraga, and the former mentions an interesting term. Learn about the meaning of Yamata no Orochi in Jujutsu Kaisen below.
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What Does Yamata no Orochi Mean?
Most of us first encountered the term "Yamata no Orochi" in Jujutsu Kaisen, but this isn't where the tale originated.
"Yamata" can mean "eight forks" while "orochi" is a serpent. Together, the term describes a legendary eight-headed serpent, also referred to as a dragon.
Legends and folklore about Yamata no Orochi can be traced in the ancient Japanese text known as Koijiki.
Chapter XVIII of Koijiki recounts the story of Yamata no Orochi (sometimes translated as the Eight-Forked Serpent), which is described as a monster with eight heads and tails.
In the legend, an old man is grieving because the serpent has eaten his eight daughters.
Eventually, the hero manages to defeat Yamata no Orochi by getting the monster drunk and killing it with his sword.
Why Does Sukuna Mention Yamata no Orochi in Jujutsu Kaisen?
Sukuna's reference to Yamata no Orochi in Jujutsu Kaisen has a couple of possible meanings.
The first would be a straightforward reference to a previous battle between Sukuna and Megumi.
Another more imaginative explanation suggests that Jujutsu Kaisen's creator, Gege Akutami, is inspired by Japanese folklore in more majestic ways than we thought.
Sukuna Against the Great Serpent
Some fans interpret Sukuna's reference to Yamata no Orochi in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 17 as a reference to a previous fight against Megumi Fushiguro.
One of Megumi's strongest Shikigami was a snake-like spirit known as the Great Serpent. In Japanese, the term used to describe the Shikigami is Orochi.
Megumi summons the Great Serpent to protect Nobara Kugisaki from deadly curses and later uses it against Sukuna.
While the Serpent holds Sukuna immobilized in its mouth for a while, the King of Curses ultimately escapes by decimating the huge snake.
Of course, the Great Serpent doesn't have eight heads, so Sukuna could be using the term either ironically, or to showcase just how difficult fighting Megumi's Shikigami was.
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Does Sukuna Refer to the Original Yamata no Orochi?
The role of Japanese folklore in Jujutsu Kaisen cannot be understated. Thus, it wouldn't be out of the question for Sukuna to refer to the actual Yamata no Orochi, rather than a made-up JJK concept.
There is no absolute proof for this, but some viewers theorize that Sukuna might have fought the eight-headed dragon at some point in his long life.
If you overthink it, chronologies could present issues with this theory, as Sukuna is considered to be a little over 1,000 years old, and there have been much earlier references to Yamata no Orochi.
Regardless, the possibility of Sukuna having fought a legendary monster is a fascinating one.
Since the manga is reportedly ending soon, we may never find the real meaning of the reference to Yamata no Orochi in Jujutsu Kaisen.
Even so, Gege Akutami's idea to mention the mythical being shows the amount of research the shounen manga creator has conducted to write JJK.
The show's references show that, indeed, Japanese folklore and philosophy are important for Jujutsu Kaisen's setting, character development, and magic system.
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