It's fun to speculate!
Summary:
- Toji Fushiguro and Maki Zenin were proclaimed equals in terms of fighting, but are they really?
- Toji's experience and his physical size are his advantages.
- Maki, however, is unpredictable to him and is fueled by anger, which may tip the scales.
Shounen series are known for their heated power scaling battles. Fans argue all the time, trying to pit characters against each other to decide who is the strongest, and Jujutsu Kaisen may offer a very interesting battle: one between Toji Fushiguro and Maki Zenin.
Both characters are outsiders of the Jujutsu world and their powerful clan, as they don't have an ounce of cursed energy flowing through their veins. Because of that, they heavily rely on cursed tools, and while in chapter 198 it was told that stats-wise they became equal, it boils down to their unique experiences and tools available at their disposal.
Hit count matters
Toji is a powerhouse, a person with a hit list longer than his heritage. This gives him a huge advantage in experience against Maki, as he has been able to use his skills in more battles. More than that, his fighting experience is much more diverse: while Maki mainly fought cursed spirits and a bunch of other sorcerers, Toji is proficient in killing not only sorcerers but mere humans.
Another advantage is his physical stats: he is taller and bigger, which makes him a very formidable opponent in hand-to-hand combat. He has a longer reach, more mass that produces more power on impact, and generally physically dominates even against the powerful Maki.
But his physical stats are also his downside: his sheer size makes him an easier target, and something tells us he's less nimble than Maki.
Cold mind vs heated rage
There is, however, a thing that may work to Maki's advantage: it's her despair. They both were abused and berated by the Zenin clan, but Maki's anger is fresh, still, an open and gaping wound that fuels her power. This may possibly lead to another awakening and maybe some intricate and very creative usage of weapons and terrain. Granted, Toji explores a quite strategic approach to dealing with his targets, and Maki, being an enigma to him, can pose some problems.
Another Maki's advantage is that she has been learning to fight with a huge disadvantage which clearly affected her style and way of thinking. This also can bring some creativity to the battle that may be unexpected for Toji.
We doubt we'll ever see their showdown in the manga, despite Akutami Gege's love for sticking Toji anywhere in the narrative he believes he fits in, but that won't stop us from speculating. Who do you think will win?