The Death Painting Arc in Jujutsu Kaisen: Choso, Eso, Kechizu and Megumi’s Domain
The Death Painting Arc (死滅回游編 — not to be confused with the Culling Game) is the fourth story arc in Jujutsu Kaisen, covering Chapters 55 to 64. It is the manga’s shortest major arc and works primarily as a bridge — introducing Choso and his brothers while setting up threads that pay off in the Shibuya Incident and beyond.
Arc Profile
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Arc Name | Death Painting Arc |
| Chapters | 55–64 |
| Anime | Season 1, Episodes 22–24 |
| Key Characters | Yuji Itadori, Nobara Kugisaki, Megumi Fushiguro, Choso, Eso, Kechizu |
| Key Events | Yuji and Nobara vs Eso and Kechizu, Megumi’s Domain Expansion debut |
What Happens in the Death Painting Arc?
The Death Painting Arc sends Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi to retrieve three special grade cursed objects — the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings — before they can be used by Geto’s organisation, leading to confrontations with the first two brothers, Eso and Kechizu, who have already been incarnated.
The Cursed Womb: Death Paintings are nine special grade cursed objects — the preserved remnants of children born from a human mother and a cursed spirit father. Three of those nine have already been taken by Geto’s group. The mission is to recover the remaining six.
Yuji and Nobara encounter Eso and Kechizu — two of the three incarnated brothers — separately from Megumi. The fight is brutal. Eso’s technique, Wing King, sprays corrosive blood that rots flesh on contact. Kechizu’s blood does the same. Both Yuji and Nobara are infected during the fight.
Nobara’s response to being slowly killed by poisoned blood is to hit herself with her own nails and push the technique through the blood connection between her and Kechizu — harming both of them simultaneously. She kills Kechizu. Yuji kills Eso. Both walk away seriously damaged.
Megumi, meanwhile, faces a curse user alone and debuts his Domain Expansion — Chimera Shadow Garden — for the first time. The domain is incomplete, which means it does not have a sure-hit effect, but the sheer scale of shadow manipulation it enables is enough to end his fight.
The third brother, Choso, is present but does not fight in this arc. He feels his brothers die. That sensation will shape everything he does from this point forward.
Read this arc from Chapter 55 through Chapter 64.
What Does This Arc Set Up?
Choso’s grief at the death of his brothers is the arc’s most consequential plant. By the Shibuya Incident, Choso is one of the most dangerous opponents Yuji faces — and his motivation is entirely personal. This arc is where that personal story begins.
Megumi’s Domain Expansion debut also matters more in retrospect than it does in the moment. Chimera Shadow Garden is the technique Sukuna later decides he wants access to — and the reason Sukuna makes the choices he makes in the Culling Game.
The Yuji-Nobara team fight against Eso and Kechizu is one of the manga’s best two-on-two sequences. The tactics are specific, the stakes are real, and both characters make decisions that feel earned rather than convenient.
What Makes This Arc Underrated?
Most fans rank this arc low because it is short and sandwiched between two more celebrated arcs. That comparison is fair but misses the point. The Death Painting Arc is not trying to be epic — it is doing precise setup work efficiently. Ten chapters. Three significant character introductions. Two excellent fights. One domain debut. Everything that follows makes more sense because this arc happened.
