Maki Zenin killed the Zenin clan primarily out of long‑built revenge, grief over Mai’s death, and a desire to destroy the abusive system that had oppressed them since childhood. Within the story of Jujutsu Kaisen, the massacre is framed as both personal payback and a symbolic “cleansing” of a corrupt family whose values were centered on cruel hierarchy and cursed energy status.

Quick Scoop: Why Did Maki Kill the Zenin Clan?

In the manga, Maki and her twin sister Mai grow up as despised “failures” inside the prestigious Zenin clan because they lack strong cursed energy, which the family worships. They are abused, sidelined, and treated as disposable tools, especially by their father, Ogi Zenin.

The breaking point comes during the Perfect Preparation arc:

  • Ogi lures Maki and Mai and attempts to execute them both, seeing them as stains on the clan.
  • Mai sacrifices herself to save Maki, giving up her life and creating a weapon for her, asking Maki to “destroy everything.”
  • Reborn with a perfected “Heavenly Restriction” body (similar to Toji), Maki gains overwhelming physical power and cuts down Ogi instantly.

From that moment, Maki moves through the Zenin estate and systematically wipes out the clan’s fighters and leaders—members of the Kukuru Unit, the Hei, and other squads—fulfilling both Mai’s last request and her own long‑suppressed rage. Narration and later discussion in fan circles describe the event as a near‑genocide of the Zenin family, including noncombatants like her mother, showing that this is not a clean “heroic” act but an extremely dark turn driven by trauma and vengeance.

In forum and fan discussions, people often frame it as Maki “burning the old world down” so that a new sorcerer order, free from Zenin‑style abuse and elitism, can exist.

Main Reasons in Simple Terms

You can think of Maki’s motives in three overlapping layers:

  • Revenge for Mai
    • Mai’s death is directly caused by the Zenin leadership’s attempt to erase the twins.
* Mai’s final request—to destroy everything—acts as an emotional trigger and moral “permission” for Maki to go all the way.
  • Payback for Years of Abuse
    • The clan humiliated, controlled, and physically endangered the sisters because of their low cursed energy, treating them more like cursed tools than family.
* Maki’s long‑held resentment explodes once she finally has the power to fight back without being crushed.
  • Destroying a Corrupt System
    • The Zenin clan represents the worst parts of jujutsu society: bloodline worship, power obsession, and cruelty toward the “weak.”
* By eliminating the clan, Maki removes one pillar of that system, and in‑story this even affects the political status of the “Big Three Families.”

How Manga and Fans Portray It

In the manga itself

  • Narration boxes explain that after the massacre at the estate, Maki proceeded to kill dozens more members of the clan’s combat units (Kukuru, Hei, etc.).
  • Some panels emphasize her almost emotionless, mechanical slaughter, drawing clear parallels to Toji Fushiguro as a “monster” who exists outside normal sorcerer values.

In forum and Reddit discussions

  • Some fans see her as completely justified: the clan was planning to kill her anyway after she killed Ogi, and Mai’s death made coexistence impossible.
  • Others argue she crossed a line by killing non‑combatants and that it amounts to moral “character assassination,” making her less sympathetic than earlier arcs suggested.
  • Many threads debate whether this was necessary from a plot/world‑building perspective (to break the power of the old families) or mainly shock value.

Context: Why This Is Trending Now

  • The Maki vs Zenin clan material spans chapters roughly 148–152 of the manga and is expected to be a major highlight in an upcoming anime season, which keeps the topic resurfacing online.
  • New analysis videos and blog posts in 2024–2026 revisit the question “why did Maki kill the Zenin clan” and discuss her as one of the strongest, most morally gray women in current shounen series.

TL;DR

Maki kills the Zenin clan because:

  1. they abused and tried to execute her and Mai,
  2. Mai dies to empower her and asks her to “destroy everything,” and
  3. she chooses to erase a cruel, elitist family system from the inside out.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.