Catch the latest, cherish the timeless
I've been thinking about this shot for a while. At first it didn't make sense to me, why Gojo was in the red and Geto was in the blue, I thought it should've been the opposite but after seeing some others talk about it, I think it makes a lot of sense.
Because of Gojo's powers and how it directly relates into this. At the near end of Hidden Inventory, Gojo and Geto are spending less time together, Gojo is going out on missions alone, he is training and refining his techniques multiple times over and is leaving little to no room for friends. He's essentially isolating himself from others to be able to become strong enough to go on as many missions as possible. He's pushing people away, like how his ability Red repels. Thus, Gojo is in red, like his ability, pushing away those around him.
Geto on the other hand is in the blue, by the near end of Hidden Inventory, he is depressed and consistently consuming curses. I think Gege was great at showing his depression, Geto’s got heavy eye bags, like he either can’t sleep or sleeps too much. He hunches over, resting on his knees like sitting up straight is just too much work. When someone talks to him, he blinks slowly and takes a beat too long to respond, like even that takes more energy than he has. And like Gojo said, he was losing weight, meaning he was eating less. Like Gojo's ability blue, which attracts, he is absorbing curses, wallowing in his negative thoughts and feelings to the point he developed a hatred for most of humanity. He's pulling in all the negativity into himself just as how blue attracts.
And it also fits in nicely with the openings of season 2. Ao no Sumika (Where Our Blue is) is imo showing that they were together and happy. Where Our Blue is, in this case would also translate to Where Our Attraction is because Gojo's blue is pulling and attracting. The title to me means "Where we're together" for them. The rest of the opening is mostly blue as well, emphasizing it further. The second opening of season 2, is mostly red, and akin to reversal red presents a push. Gojo and Geto are no longer united anymore, they stand against each other.
Also these two frames put that nicely.
I once said that he doesn't prioritise personal connection, but it's more nuanced than that, so very badly worded from my part.
Gojo very much understood personal connections and relationships.
Gojo however loves being the strongest, he loves his strength, revels in it infact and wouldn't give up on it for anything, even if it caused him loneliness and that's why his dehumanisation comes from HIMSELF too. He is fine being a tool and being lonely if it means he can have his strength. Yes, his mindset is fucked up, that's the point.
That's why I never subscribed to all the "bring back nerfed" theories because chapter 236 made it ever clear.
Sukuna calls him (and kashimo) greedy, because unlike sukuna who thinks "love" is worthless, gojo very much wants both connections AND strength.
It wasn't that people were not reaching out to him, it's just that, he wouldn't stoop to their level, he wanted them to become stronger so that they can become as strong as him, so no one is lonely, so that strength doesn't isolate them like it did with him.
He pushes away people while at the same time craves attachment and understanding, but since he would NEVER give up on his strength, that results into largening the gap/distance even more. He causes his own misery and is ready to live with it.
The recent chapter was pretty much very consistent with his portrayal, he fully committed to his role by becoming the monster he was stopping himself from being all these year, for his students. Even in this chapter yuta very much reached out to him, in a way gojo couldn't to geto during that kfc meet, but it's gojo who again decided that it's his burden to bear alone. His was being reached out, it's HIM who didn't close the gap.
People are not ok with him just being treated like a tool and just being seen for his strength, but my point is, when has he ever had any identity beyond being "The strongest," not to imply he doesn’t have any other identity at all, but everyone always prioritized his identity as the strongest, EVEN he himself.
That's the reason why he loved his youth so much and considered it the best time of his life, because then, he had BOTH, strength and a equal buddy (geto), that's why that friendship lasted such huge impact on him. (Also imma just say here, people both underestimate and overestimate his relationship with geto, it's very funny to watch)
People were complaining about characters seeing him as a tool, but they were quite unironically doing the very same thing. Putting him on pedestal, using him to continue being in series for their own happiness and enjoyment of the series, not respecting his wishes from chapter 236, and treating him the same way characters within the story do with him.
Also, you can dislike the way he was treated, that's precisely the point, but don't go around claiming the gege assassinated his own writing because your dislike ≠ bad writing. People are using morality of their real life within a story where everything is being questioned, the so called "good guys" of the story keep repeating that they are not heros, most of them are murderers themselves.
The curses are showing humanity, everything related to normal human morality is being questioned.
So the "he would be happy powerless" doesn't work because thats what YOUR morality tells you (its fine to feel that way), but he most likely wouldn't be happy with it, he isn't a real person either lol. Dude has nasty aspects to him, it’s one of them, they add more to his character, he is selfish (and selfless too), and let him be like that.
In the very end, Gojo very much managed to raise a bunch of students who will carry his will, he is alive in them.
Peace out ✌️
Pretty much my rant after this chapter because of the discourse going around is creating wayyy too many misinterpretations. Also I don't care what you think of the series as long as you just stop forcing your beliefs on others and saying its bad writing, when it's not. I don't think a character can exist outside of the narrative or story he was created in, gojo is amazing because of jujutsu kaisen story, outside of it, who is he?