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 on the path of the powerful. Meanwhile, Panda and Ultimate Mechamaru fight in a Clash of the Cursed Corpses.
Plot:
The hand cannot advance faster than the eye. One must improve one’s eyes to discern flaws in order to have hands that create works of art. This concept applies to many disciplines, including jujutsu. Those with an eye for detail will advance further than those without. Yuji progresses and improves every moment of his battle with Aoi. The third year is stunned and almost consumed in bliss by Yuji’s power. However, it’s still not good enough.
Aoi suddenly stops the pace of their fight to talk to Yuji about his Divergent Fist. Granted it’s powerful, but it will never be effective against a special class. Divergent Fist uses the cursed energy left behind by Yuji’s superhuman speed. First, Aoi makes Yuji understand that he must use cursed energy at the moment of impact. He can only do this by letting the cursed energy flow properly throughout his body. There is an opinion that emotions accumulate in the stomach and spread throughout the body. However, one should not consider themselves disproportionate parts. Everyone in the world exists with their whole mind, body and soul. It’s a simple concept that many fail to understand, but Aoi helps Yuji realize it.
Yuji, now able to make his first great leap as a wizard, thanks Aoi and envelops his entire body in cursed energy. Aoi does the same and they prepare to face each other again, excited by the fantasy of best friends Aoi has created between them. As long as Yuji can survive, he will reach even greater heights.
Meanwhile, Nobara and Panda taunt Momo while she is still stuck in the tree. Nobara asks if they tried to kill Yuji, surprising Momo. The first year in Tokyo says it’s okay because he’ll get a payback for Mai or a can from Kyoto. Suddenly, Panda is shot from behind by Ultimate Mechamar, who takes offense at being referred to as a tin can. Momo steps in and says she will fight for the first year. In another twist, Panda quickly stands up and blasts Mechamara away. He says they should get along because they are both cursed by the corpse.
This offends the wizard wielding Mechamar and activates Sword Option + Boost On to unleash his Ultra Spin technique. He fires at Panda with explosive speed but misses. Panda realizes that he needs to end their fight quickly if he is to return and help Nobara. He asks Mechamaru what his class is and is surprised to find out that he is in semi-first class just like Toge and Noritoshi. Mechamaru fires his Ultra Cannon, but Panda easily dodges it by empowering his body with cursed energy.
Cursed corpses are inanimate objects that contain curses. Panda is a special type of cursed corpse, the masterpiece of Masamichi Yaga, a leading puppet jujutsu practitioner. Panda is a suddenly mutated cursed corpse, not a panda. In close combat, Panda effortlessly overpowers Mechamaru with a series of unpredictable moves.
Panda deduces that Mechamaru is not an intelligent cursed corpse, he is a puppet controlled by someone else. He doesn’t quite understand why Mechamaru would take so much offense at being called a cursed corpse. Kokichi Muta, Mechamar’s controller, explains that he was born with a Celestial Restriction that renders his body almost useless. The fact that Panda can live freely in the sun without the world to care for him angers Kokichi. He achieves with his most powerful technique: the Ultimate Cannon!
Mechamaru believes he has won, but the smoke soon clears to reveal Panda’s surprising form, Gorilla Mode! Panda has three cursed corpse cores, as opposed to the standard one 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 would be there to lend him strength.
Panda’s Gorilla Mode effortlessly breaks through Mechamaru’s defenses, breaking through his Ultra Shield and sending him flying. Not only did it cause external damage, the hit resonated and damaged the puppet internally. Panda explains that it’s Gorilla Mode’s special ability: Unblockable Drumming Beat! One more hit from it will be enough to defeat Mechamar, but two more Panda cores are damaged and he quickly goes through the cursed energy. However, it still holds the advantage in close combat.
The two cursed corpses battle on the buildings of the battlefield until Mechamaru uses a tile to distract the Panda. He continues by making his way around Panda’s back. He attacks where the cursed energy in his body is the densest and once again believes that it is won. He praises Panda for doing well with the puppet, but the raging gorilla isn’t done yet. Panda is highly intelligent and capable, able to fake the location of his cores through cursed energy manipulation. He grabs Mechamara’s only working arm and ends the fight with a powerful forward palm strike that breaks his opponent into pieces.
Kokichi lost because he underestimated the puppets. Panda hoped they would get along, but he was never jealous of humans. Thinking of Yuta, Panda believes that humans are a bit creepy and he doesn’t understand them, but he still loves aspects of them that he lacks. Having hardships doesn’t make Kokichi right, and they aren’t enemies anyway. Panda offers to help him in the future before leaving to continue the action. This causes Kokichi to recall memories of all his peers and his desire to walk among them. Before Panda finishes leaving, he doesn’t forget to ask Mechamaru to use his phone.
Meanwhile, Kasumi and Maki clash and the former realizes how powerful the Tokyo Second Year really is.
Juju Stroll
Mai, Momo, and Kasumi call Mechamaru for help with various tasks. Mechamaru asks them why they always ask him, and Mai and Momo think Aoi and Noritoshi are too much trouble, while Kasumi is still afraid of them. However, all three girls think that if they spoke their thoughts out loud, they would no longer be able to ask Mechamara for help. Instead, they forcefully tell Kokichi that they’re counting on him and run off, leaving Mechamar’s question unanswered. Kokichi thinks it’s good that the girls can rely on him.