The first half of the season, Hidden Inventory, is by far the best part of the show. It retains the charm, wit, and emotional depth of the first season while making you care about the characters from the past. And then came the Shibuya Incident, where characters you have no emotional connection to die, and they show an 8-minute-long character development flashback just before their demise, as if trying to compensate for the lack of earlier development.
Take Nanami Kento, for example. He barely receives any character development in the first season aside from his care for a worker in a FamilyMart and his identity as an office worker. Suddenly, we're supposed to feel attached to him as he faces death, all because he desires a vacation in Malaysia that he won't get? The same applies to Nobara, where they depict a flashback of her crying over a departed friend, expecting it to evoke emotions. While it was nice to see the gang's past moments, imagine if there were more scenes like that, developing Megumi, Yuji, and Nobara. There's no emotional payoff when side characters meet their demise.
The Shibuya Incident arc essentially turns into a series of fight-fests in each episode, leading to inconsistencies in the fights' quality. While most would argue that the fight between Makora and Sukuna suffered the most, the one I disliked the most was Todo and Yuji versus Mahito. What's the point of a finishing blow if it doesn't finish your opponent? Why did the animators spend weeks on a fight that ultimately doesn't matter significantly if Mahito still survives to be killed by Geto? Moreover, what's the purpose of Mahito's second form if it only lasts for five minutes and doesn't impact anyone?
Overall, it was a huge letdown compared to the first season where fights actually mattered and told more about the characters.
