Why did Geto turn evil in Jujutsu Kaisen?

Jujutsu Kaisen is full of complex and intriguing villains, but one of the most cunning and memorable is Geto Suguru. Unlike the cursed spirits the main characters often fight in the manga and anime series, Geto Suguru is a human villain. With his unique status, why exactly did Geto turn evil in Jujutsu Kaisen?

Geto Suguru, explained

Geto Suguru is a Special Grade Sorcerer in Jujutsu Kaisen. This puts him among the top curse users in the entire world, of which only a handful exist. He grew up with fan-favorite character Gojo Satoru, with the two attending Tokyo Jujutsu High together. They are best friends and inseparable for most of their lives, until certain events happen that break them apart. We see these transpire in the Hidden Inventory arc of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2.

Geto Suguru appears as a typical curse user in the series, but soon turns into a villain. He appears as one of the major bad guys in both the spin-off manga and film Jujutsu Kaisen 0, and also a major villain in the core series as well. Given his connection to Gojo and previous status as a more heroic sorcerer, it’s understandable to wonder why Geto Suguru turned evil in Jujutsu Kaisen.

Why is Geto evil in Jujutsu Kaisen?

I should warn there are going to be full spoilers ahead for the series, so turn away now if you aren’t caught up with the manga and anime.

Geto Suguru turned evil because of a number of factors in the series. It begins with his disillusionment over protecting normal people, who are unable to see cursed spirits, in high school. His thoughts about society worsened when one of his only friends, Riko, is viciously murdered. Geto’s view on society and non-sorcerers gradually worsens as he sees others die.

The turning point in his life, though, comes when he travels to a remote village to rescue two young sorcerer girls. They were locked up by the non-sorcerers in the town and mistreated. This broke Geto inside and he freed them, while also killing all of the villagers as vengeance. It is at this point that Geto became a villain and actively worked to eliminate normal people from society.

Is Geto alive?

Fair warning again for even more spoilers ahead if you aren’t caught up with the manga or anime series.

There are two different Geto Sugurus in the Jujutsu Kaisen series. The original Special Grade Sorcerer, Geto Suguru, dies at the end of Jujutsu Kaisen 0. The Geto who appears years later in the main series is actually an ancient sorcerer known as Kenjaku, who took over Geto’s corpse. While Geto very much became a villain in his lifetime, the Geto prominently featured in the Shibuya Incident Arc and beyond is a different villain entirely.