Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Chapter 8 Finally Corrects Gege Akutami’s Biggest Original Misstep
Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Chapter 8 finally cracks open the mystery box the main series keeps sealed, handing Maru and Cross searing, character-defining backstories that turn sleek alien enigmas into scarred, purpose-driven protagonists.
Chapter 8 of Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo finally does the thing the main series loves to tease and then swerve away from: it hands two showy characters an actual past that explains who they are now. It is a clean character pivot for Maru and Cross, and yeah, it also quietly highlights a lingering JJK problem.
Quick spoiler warning: we are talking about Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Chapter 8.
What this chapter actually does
Up to now, Maru and Cross were the cool, unreadable types. Chapter 8 turns them into people. We get trauma, purpose, and a childhood that maps directly to their present-day choices. It is not just backstory for the sake of lore; it is motivation with teeth.
The flashback: desert kids, impossible dream
We jump back to Maru and Cross as twin kids scraping by in a harsh, desert-like settlement tied to the Simurian race. Their world is miserable: food is scarce, politics are hot, and two alien groups, the Rumelian (sometimes translated as Lumer) and the Deskunte, are in a never-ending resource brawl.
Enter Dura (you might see Daura in some translations), a mentor with big-vision energy. His pitch is simple: build a canal, stabilize resources, and force a peace between the factions. The catch is brutal. The land earmarked for this miracle project belongs to the sacred beast Kalyans (often rendered Karyan), and those things kill anyone who is not Rumelian. You can guess how quickly that plan goes from idealistic to catastrophic. As their people spiral, the twins split in outlook.
Same origin, opposite outcomes
Modulo does not just say Maru and Cross are different; it shows the fork in the road. Maru grows up clinging to kindness and unity as the only way forward. Cross decides compassion is just a nicer word for vulnerability. That one divergence explains everything about how they move in the present story.
- Maru: believer in cooperation and empathy; shaped by watching his world fracture and choosing to help anyway
- Cross: convinced mercy gets you killed; strength without sentiment is the only answer
- Dura/Daura: the idealist mentor who sells the canal plan as a path to peace
- Rumelian (aka Lumer) vs. Deskunte: the two alien factions locked in a resource war
- Kalyans (aka Karyan): sacred beasts that slaughter anyone who is not Rumelian, and a fatal obstacle to the canal
- Setting: a Simurian desert settlement where starvation, politics, and constant conflict shape the twins
And yes, it pokes the Sukuna problem
The subtext is not subtle: remember Sukuna? Massive villain. Practically no emotional context for more than 200 chapters. Fans did not want him softened; they wanted him legible. The main series often chose mystery over personality for its icons. Modulo refuses that trade. It gives its heavy hitters a soul first and their power second.
Maru and Cross instantly read as layered and relatable, not just strong faces with cool panels. Meanwhile, Sukuna is still mostly filed under: evil because he enjoys chaos. That difference matters. Modulo shows how much harder the hype lands when the characters have a history that actually hurts.
"Big fights are fun. Backstories that hit you in the ribs are what make them matter."
The bottom line
With one chapter, Modulo makes Maru and Cross feel like people you can root for or fear, depending on the page. If it keeps this lane, the spin-off will not read like an extra—it will read like an upgrade the franchise has needed.
Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo is available to read on Viz Media and MANGA Plus. Do you think Modulo is already the more character-driven series? Drop your take below.