REVIEW: ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ Season 3 Episode 11 — “Tokyo Colony No. 1 – Part 5”

Megumi (Yuma Uchida) demonstrates his incredible potential in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Episode 11, with his fierce determination and skill rivaling those of any sorcerer. As he fights Reggie Star (Yutaka Aoyama), we’re reminded that it’s not just Yuji with a self-destructive streak; he pushes himself to his limits. Unsurprisingly, the animation is largely fantastic (if a bit inconsistent). But what it lacks in cohesion, it makes up for in smart direction that heightens the stakes and extends the longest bouts of tension. 

In many ways, very little actually happens in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Episode 11. The bulk of the runtime concerns the standoff between Megumi and Reggie, both of whom are slowly crushed by the weight of Megumi’s domain and Reggie’s sorcery as he adds more to the expansion. It largely works because of the animation and lighting, which make us feel the weight. 

It loses itself a bit when the story, again, prioritizes explanations to the point of distraction. But MAPPA gives it their all in ensuring we feel the mounting physical strain that Megumi is experiencing. Even Megumi’s character design highlights the immense pressure he’s under, only able to stay afloat through his intellect and physicality. It’s a nice comparison to Yuji (Junya Enoki) in Episode 9, who was overwhelmed and nearly lost his grip under Higuruma’s (Tomokazu Sugita) onslaught. 

Megumi undergoes another transformation in his fight with Reggie Star. 

The two images, put side by side, would present an effective mirror-image narrative. Both have to deal with the expectations of family and legacy, and with a universe in which their powers are given greater significance than their youth. Megumi’s face shifts in this standdown, transforming from his standard stoicism into something much more charged. Ugly, even, as a means to visualize just how hard he’s having to work to stay standing. It’s reminiscent of the Season 1 finale in his showdown against the Finger Bearer. 

Both moments draw on the cumulative effort of all the work he’s put in. And both showcase that there’s much more power hidden in his aloof persona. More than that, even, but a destructive desire to win that shows how close he’ll come to death to achieve as much. These parallels help make the fight against Reggie work, as does the animation, which gives it more vitality and motion than the manga did. Uchida’s performance also gives the fight more weight, his struggle coming through in his breathlessness and in his taunts of Reggie. 

That said, the main fight in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Episode 11 is a bit dragged out. Scenes such as Reggie floating in the shadows of Megumi’s domain or, later, the water of the pool they were fighting above, are drawn out to the point of feeling like time filler. It happens, too, when the two walk towards one another, once out of Megumi’s domain, and the camera pulls back to watch as they circle the pool to meet, Reggie’s footsteps slapping against the floor. 

Swift combat leads to death. 

The biggest burst of life comes in the final interaction, as the two engage in a brief bout of hand-to-hand combat before Megumi’s Divine Dog reappears and takes a big chunk out of Reggie, leaving him to bleed out. It’s a blink-and-you-miss-it moment that speaks to both Megumi’s skill and the animation team’s use of space and timing. It’s brutal without being excessive, the violence so swift and lethal that it’s almost as disturbing as a drawn-out battle to the death. 

Their ending in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Episode 11 draws another parallel to Yuji and Higuruma’s fight. The latter ended on a note of quiet triumph and understanding. Yuji got the rule change and was gifted some points to stay in the fight without having to kill anyone.

Meanwhile, Reggie doesn’t know either Tengen or Kenjaku well enough to give Megumi meaningful intel. And, while he gives his remaining points to Megumi, it feels more like a last laugh for Reggie than his “one good deed” before his death. Most striking is that Megumi had to kill (all for a measly five points) and was ready to kill again with Remi, before his sister’s voice stops him. 

The story pivots once again at the end of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Episode 11. 

One of the best moments in the episode is the tracking shot of Megumi as he stalks Remi, seemingly intent on killing her for more points, before he passes out from his wounds. The lighting and shadows reinforce his threat and Remi’s fear. In an episode that uses many tricks in the main fight, where characters and their facial expressions warp into simpler, fuzzier designs, this moment elicits the greatest sense of dread. 

Luckily, Megumi doesn’t kill Remi. And, as he passes out, the score builds just as Angel appears overhead, beckoning in the new leg of the story. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Episode 11 ends by pivoting the story once more, this time to Yuta (Megumi Ogata), who is in the Sendai Colony.

The Sendai Colony is much more dangerous, and a four-way stalemate between the strongest players is only disrupted by Yuta, who kills the sorcerer Dhruv Lakdawalla. The slow-motion effect of their introductions effectively emphasizes the heightened danger. 

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Episode 11 works because of the self-destructive force Megumi wields during his intense standoff against Reggie. While it lacks the crisp precision of earlier battles, “Tokyo Colony No. 1 – Part 5” succeeds as a parallel story to Yuji’s while also reminding us of just how strong Megumi is and why, for so long, he was Gojo’s star pupil. It’s just a shame he didn’t get a more interesting opponent worthy of his development and the haunting, oppressive imagery of his Domain Expansion. 

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Episode 11 is out now on Crunchyroll. 

Previous Episode | Next Episode