Maki's transformation in Jujutsu Kaisen season 3, explained

Unraveling the secrets of Maki's intense makeover

There are a lot of things to pay attention to at the start of Jujutsu Kaisen’s two-episode season 3 premiere. The allegiance of Yuta, then the Zenin clan drama that makes Megumi the new head of the family, and of course, the Culling Game. But in the background, there’s a character we haven’t had much time with since JuJutsu Kaisen 0 and the early episodes of the Shibuya Incident, and now she’s donning a new hardcore look.

We’re naturally talking about Maki Zenin, who was introduced as a prodigy with cursed tools in season 1, someone who trained Yuta upon his arrival at Jujutsu High and took on Kenjaku alongside him. Audiences haven’t seen Maki since her brutal encounter with the resurrected Toji Zenin and the devastating burns she suffered from Jogo during the Shibuya Incident. Then she makes an abrupt return at the end of season 3, episode 2, with short hair, burn marks all over her body, and a bandage covering her face. It’s easy to ignore, as the episode and manga it's adapted from pretty much gloss over the noticeable change, noting only that she was nearly killed by Jogo’s attack in Shibuya; if not for her Heavenly Pact, which bolsters her physical prowess at the cost of suppressing her cursed energy, she would have succumbed to her wounds.

Maki is also wearing a cloak that covers most of her body. However, the new season 3 opener teases even bigger changes for the character. Maki is shown with rippling muscles, and the anime audience may wonder why. Although the opening hints at a few things with some abstract shots here and there, the truth will be revealed in the upcoming episodes.

You could spoil it for yourself, but then you’ll miss out on the surprise and how it ties back to the previously established Zenin drama. All we know for now, as Furudate explains in the first episode of the season, is that family head Naobito Zenin is dead from the injuries he suffered in Shibuya, and, under the circumstances of Gojo’s disappearance, his will dictates that Megumi will be the head of the family, rather than Ogi, Jinichi, or Naoya. This is what makes Naoya attack Yuji, in a hopeful attempt to also kill Megumi and take his place as heir to the Zenin clan. Fushiguro, of course, was sold into the Zenin clan by his father, Toji, before his death.

But what about Maki? She’s part of the clan, too, as the daughter of Ogi. However, her family shuns her for being a woman and for her lack of cursed energy. We saw how Naoya responded to Megumi becoming head of the clan, but Ogi and Jinichi are perhaps worse. The Zenin clan will play an important role this season, when Maki returns home to prepare for the upcoming Culling Game.

There are a lot of twists and turns waiting in this season of Jujutsu Kaisen, but Maki’s development stands out as one of the highlights of the Culling Game. Let’s just say that, if you’re a fan of the character, season 3 has a lot in store for you.