Summary

• Panda survived the brutal encounter thanks to his three cores: Panda, Gorilla, and Triceratops.
• Panda is powered by cursed energy and can self-resurrect, despite two cores being extinguished.
• Despite losing two cores, Panda's survival remains a unique and strange aspect of Jujutsu Kaisen.

Jujutsu Kaisen's Panda ran into bad luck during the Culling Game when he encountered Hajime Kashimo and all that was left of him was his severed head propped on the end of Kashimo's staff. While Panda was still living at that moment, it was a gruesome scene that left little room for Panda's survival. Fortunately, a subsequent chapter of the hit series revealed Panda's miraculous survival.

As a friend and classmate of Megumi Fushiguro, it was not hard for Panda to volunteer his support to enter the Culling Gama in order to rescue Megumi's sister and find Angel to free Gojo from the Prison Realm. Partnered with the only Jujutsu sorcerer who could rival Gojo, Hakari Kinji, the duo entered the Tokyo No. 2 Colony with the plan being that Panda would search for Angel while Hakari would provide the muscle.

Unfortunately, they got separated, and Panda ended up running into Hajime Kashimo, an ancient sorcerer determined to defeat anyone in his path until he could challenge Sukuna. Forced to engage Kashimo, Panda proved no match for the wily veteran. While under normal circumstances, there would be no way for Panda to have survived the beating he experienced, Panda is not normal. In fact, he is not even a Panda, in the true sense of the word, which has ensured his survival in one of the weirdest resurrections in Jujutsu Kaisen.

Panda is Still Alive Thanks to His Multiple Cores

Created by Gege Akutami, chapter #190 "Tokyo No. 2 Colony, Part 9"

In one of Jujutsu Kaisen's most confusing Cursed Techniques, Panda is actually a "metamorphosized cursed corpse". That is, he was an inanimate object, that through puppet jujutsu, was transformed into a sentient being able to independently operate or live on its own, and generate its own cursed energy to sustain itself. In other words, Panda is a stuffed toy bear brought to life with cursed energy. Moreover, Panda is one of the most advanced versions of a metamorphosized cursed energy corpse.

Rather than one heart, he is powered by three cores, including one primary, and two secondaries, with each core having separate and unique traits, that Panda can switch between when necessary. It's as if three beings live in one body, any of which can come "online" to power and run operations if the other two are incapacitated. In Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen chapter #185, readers find that Panda envisions his three cores as three siblings, namely an older sister who is a Triceratops, a middle brother who is a Gorilla, and a younger baby brother who is a Panda.

Panda's primary core is clearly the younger baby brother. It is also clear that one secondary core is the middle brother, Gorilla. In chapter #185, readers also learn that the final core is the older sister, Triceratops. What this means in regards to how Panda survived his encounter with Kashimo, is that it was not just "Panda" who engaged in the fight. Rather it was Panda, Gorilla, and Triceratops.

Kashimo succeded in extinguishing only the Gorilla and Rhino secondary cores, but not the primary Panda core. Since that core is a metamorphosized cursed corpse, it had the ability to generate its own cursed energy, which it most likely used to regenerate its original form, namely that of the younger baby brother Panda.

Why Panda is Important to Jujutsu Kaisen

Interestingly, Panda has maintained his miniature form in the chapters since and fortunately appears to be doing well. Panda was present when Gojo was unsealed, and he is also seen attending the sorcerer's meetings discussing the plan of action against Sukuna and watching Gojo's fight along with the other sorcerers. That said, with two of his cores gone, it is unlikely that Panda will be able to contribute to the big battle against Sukuna in any way, which is truly quite a shame given that he started out as one of the most interesting members of the main cast.

Unlike other anthropomorphic anime characters, Panda was never reduced to a mascot and was often seen as quite the fighter with his own unique brand of humor. Hence, while it is fortunate that he survived the ordeal with Kashimo, it is still disappointing that he received such a significant nerf and has been relegated to the sidelines.

Overall, Panda has always been one of the more unique students to attend Tokyo's Jujutsu High School. Exhibiting all the characteristics of a real panda with the ability to talk and practice the sorcery of the Jujutsu Kaisen world, his strangest but most useful ability has been the capacity to self-resurrect.

Jujutsu Kaisen is available from Manga Plus and Viz Media.

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