The anime world is full of insanely creative and complex power systems.
But none is as notoriously complex and sometimes hard to follow as Jujutsu Kaisen, to the point
where characters in the story are frequently confused by it and even the author Gege Akutami
HIMSELF admitted that he could probably not explain it fully.
So to help him and anyone else having a hard time here out, we’re going to do exactly
that and break down the entire power system of Jujutsu Kaisen.
And at the base of it all, it of course all really boils down to Cursed Energy.
To put it simply: Cursed energy is born from humans’ negative emotions.
Fear, sadness, anger, envy - pretty much every person feels these emotions and overtime they
leak out and accumulate, eventually becoming evil cursed spirits.
And you thought your bad vibes were a problem.
To help make sense of the complexity that is Cursed Energy, let’s try to visualize
it.
This power system is a whole lot like a tree.
Cursed energy is the foundation of every power in this fictional world, so it’s a whole
like lot the roots - everything else grows from the basis of cursed energy.
However, some people with a high enough concentration of cursed energy can actually learn to see
these spirits and even control the cursed energy within themselves.
Enter the art of Jujutsu.
These so-called Jujutsu Sorcerers use cursed energy for their own purposes and are able
to manipulate it in order to fight and exorcise cursed spirits.
Continuing our tree visualization, once you have enough cursed energy to be able to actually
see and perceive energy and spirits, it’s like a sapling has broken through the soil
- while everybody else is underground and unaware of the world of cursed energy, those
who have broken through the surface can finally see what the world of Jujutsu is all about.
Starting with the very basics, the ground floor of Jujutsu Sorcery is just being able
to detect cursed energy, yet alone control it.
With the ability to detect cursed energy, sorcerers can see cursed spirits, but they
can also detect the energy of fellow sorcerers.
They can gauge the potential strength of an opponent by measuring the amount of energy
they possess.
Sometimes they can even track a large amount of cursed energy to its source by following
its residuals or even identify a sorcerer based on their cursed energy signature.
But being able to see a terrifying spirit beast is a long way from actually being able
to kill the thing, so let’s move on.
Eventually, we’re going to get into some crazy unique powers and techniques, but first
let’s start with the fundamentals.
Once you can detect cursed energy, the next step is to gain control over it.
Since cursed energy comes from negative emotions, gaining control over one’s emotions is crucial.
This is why to train Yuji, Gojo uses the method of making him watch emotional movies while
channeling his energy into a special cursed doll.
This makes Jujutsu the only power system where watching a romantic comedy is more effective
than doing push ups.
Once you gain control over your emotions, and therefore your cursed energy, you can
start actually applying it in combat.
By controlling their cursed energy output, this energy can be channeled into a user’s
fists for physical attacks.
It can also be used to coat their skin for added defense against enemy attacks.
Some users can even expel raw cursed energy for a ranged attack, or channel their energy
into weapons to strengthen them.
If enough energy is channeled into a weapon over time, it can even become a cursed tool.
As you train your cursed energy and you’re able to manipulate it, it’s like you’re
developing the trunk of your Jujutsu tree.
The greater your command of cursed energy, the thicker your trunk and the stronger your
bark.
A beginner like Yuji at the beginning of the series is just a sapling, while Gojo is like
a massive California Redwood that you could drive a whole car through.
When fighting using cursed energy, if the user’s control is precise enough a special
phenomenon can happen.
If a sorcerer’s physical attack syncs up with the application of cursed energy within
.000001 seconds, the result is a black flash which amplifies the power of the hit.
There’s no jujutsu sorcerer that can use this technique at will since it requires such
insane precision, but a skillful curse user can make it happen more frequently.
Nanami once held the record for black flashes for four consecutive attacks in a row until
Yuji surpassed it while fighting Mahito.
It just goes to show you - there’s no point to working hard at your day job - just take
one of life’s short cuts and eat some fingers.
One of the hardest abilities in Jujutsu Kaisen to wrap your mind around is Reverse Cursed
Energy.
You need to know math for this one!
As we all know (if you’ve passed fifth grade math), multiplying two negative numbers together
creates a positive.
Therefore, by multiplying two streams of cursed energy together, one can activate a reverse
cursed technique, which creates positive energy.
Unlike normal cursed energy which can only be used to cause harm, this reverse cursed
technique can actually be used to heal damage.
Apparently this works through the logic of positivity equals good, so it must heal you.
And the author needed a way for characters to somehow survive the crippling wounds they
receive from other characters, so this was a solid solution.
Massive head trauma is a problem no more and thanks to reversed cursed technique.
Now that we’ve got our basics covered, it’s time for the bread and butter of the JJK power
system.
Cursed Techniques.
This is where we start to get crazy unique powers that make Jujutsu Kaisen’s battles
some of the most intriguing…and at times confusing…fights in all of Shonen anime.
Unlike every other shonen, we actually encourage all of the characters on the sidelines to
give us a play by play of the fight because without them explaining every move, we’d
have no idea what’s going on.
Cursed techniques are special abilities fueled by the user’s cursed energy.
Most sorcerer’s have an innate technique which is assigned to them from birth, but
which begins to manifest in childhood and can grow and develop along with its user.
In the vast majority of cases, sorcerers only have access to one of these techniques and
they cannot be replicated or taught.
In extremely rare cases, a user can use multiple cursed techniques, but this is almost unheard
of in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.
How do these techniques fit into our tree example?
Well, since cursed techniques manifest themselves in all sorts of different forms for each user,
these are like the branches of our tree.
Unlike general cursed energy use which looks the same for most users, this is where ever
Jujutsu Sorcerer splits off in their own unique direction.
One major exception to techniques being unable to be taught are Inherited Techniques, which
are passed down genetically.
This is especially common in the Big Three Families of Jujutsu Sorcery - the Zenin, the
Gojo, and the Kamo.
Techniques like Satoru Gojo’s “Limitless” , the Zenin’s “Ten Shadows”, and the
Kamo’s “Blood Manipulation” are so powerful precisely because their strength has been
honed and perfected across many generations.
The “Ten Shadows” technique in particular is an example of a Shikigami summoning technique.
Shikigami are monstrous creatures that resemble cursed spirits that a user can summon and
use as a familiar.
Most shikigami users are only able to conjure one shikigami to act as a partner, but Megumi’s
“Ten Shadows” allows him to utilize several different ones…uh…ten to be precise.
Many powerful sorcerers can be born to non-sorcerers but also have access to Cursed Techniques
that are not inherited.
Some examples include Aoi Todo’s “Boogie Woogie” or Kento Nanami’s “Ratio Technique.”
Even Suguru Geto’s “cursed spirit manipulation” was a non-inherited technique, which shows
that even sorcerers who aren’t born to the Big Three Families can achieve the status
of being Special Grades.
Weird that he ended up being the one super into non-curse user racism.
In addition to these Cursed Techniques, there are also different categories of non-innate
techniques.
The most common ones we see in the series are Barrier Techniques.
Abilities like “curtain” allow sorcerers to seal off an area while they hunt down cursed
spirits in order to keep civilians from witnessing any supernatural combat and to prevent them
from being caught in the crossfire.
Going back to our Jujutsu Tree, these barrier techniques are like the leaves that surround
the remainder of the branches.
These leaves expand outward, making the whole tree’s appearance larger and fuller - just
like a barrier expands a user’s cursed energy beyond their own body.
Of course, the most hype version of the Barrier Technique is a Domain Expansion.
This is where a Cursed Energy user will erect a barrier that is powered by the cursed technique.
This is the most powerful technique that a Jujutsu Sorcerer can use because within the
domain their techniques are amplified and even guaranteed to hit their target.
For example, Gojo’s standard limitless technique allows him to use the power of infinity so
that his opponents can never reach him.
He can also manipulate space itself to repel or attract opponents.
However, his Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void, is on a whole different level.
This power floods the mind of anyone trapped inside the domain with infinite information,
overwhelming their brain to the point of immobilization, forcing them to experience what feels like
an eternity before they pass away, unable to do anything about it.
Some domain expansions simply relentlessly attack the opponent.
Jogo’s “Coffin of the Iron Mountain” simply tries to combust the opponent inside
a giant volcano, whereas Sukuna’s “Malevolent Shrine” subjects its victims to a flurry
of slashing attacks.
These more typical domains are all about raw offensive power.
After all, there’s no much your opponent’s weird techniques can do against you if they’re
dead.
However, others are more reality warping and trying to understand their mechanics can even
be brain-breaking to the viewer.
Higuruma, a curse user who is a lawyer, uses his Deadly Sentencing, which traps his opponent
in a court of law wherein all violence is prohibited and a Shikigami called Judgeman
determines his opponent’s guilt or innocence.
JJK’s powers go way beyond punching to say the least.
The drawback of these extremely potent techniques is that they use up an absolutely insane amount
of cursed energy.
Gojo is one of the only characters in the series who can actually use his domain expansion
multiple times per day.
The scientific explanation for this is that Gojo IS HIM.
Of course, there are a few ways that a user can counter this power.
By casting a simple domain, a cursed user can avoid the guaranteed hit rule with their
own domain without expending the cursed energy necessary for a full Domain Expansion.
The other counter-measure is to simply go head-to-head with your own Domain Expansion
in what’s called a Domain Clash.
As long as the domains are evenly matched against each other, the guaranteed hit will
be canceled out - however as soon as one of the domains wins out over the other, that
attack will take effect.
Another important element of the Jujutsu Kaisen power system comes in the form of Cursed Restrictions.
For viewers familiar with Hunter x Hunter, these function in much the same way as Nen
Contracts - by placing various conditions upon their powers, sorcerers can unlock greater
feats of strength when those conditions are met.
Back to our Jujutsu Tree - restrictions are kind of like the soil conditions your tree
is growing in.
If you add some fertilizer to the ground, your tree is going to grow bigger and stronger.
But in this case, instead of putting on your gardening glove you’re more signing a binding
legal contract with a plant.
One of the funniest versions of this in the series is when users’ cursed techniques
actually get stronger if the opponent understands how their power works.
This means that JJK can play into the age-old anime trope of combatants over-explaining
how their powers work, while it has an actual in-universe reason for happening.
In most shows, this is purely for the audience to be able to follow along with the fight
- obviously by explaining your secret technique to an opponent, you’re just giving them
an advantage by letting them understand their power.
However, in JJK, they make it so that these explanations actually increase the technique’s
power.
Not only does it help it make sense, but it adds another layer of tactical strategy to
Jujutsu Kaisen’s brain-bending battles.
By withholding parts of their power, or misleading their opponent, they can get partial increases
of power while still maintaining the element of surprise.
However, this isn’t the only version of a “Binding Vow” being used in JJK.
One of the best examples is Nanami’s “Overtime” vow.
Normally, Nanami’s power level is limited to only around 80% of his full power while
he’s on the clock working for Jujutsu High.
However, whenever that time limit is exceeded and his “overtime” begins, he’s able
to exceed his upper limit and output 120% of his maximum power.
Other vows are exchanged with individuals other than the user themselves; the penalty
for breaking these vows is supposedly much harsher than breaking a self-imposed vow.
The most notable example of one of these vows is the deal made between Yuji and Sukuna,
wherein Sukuna healed Yuji’s heart in exchange for giving him control of Yuji’s body for
one minute and a time to-be-determined.
The most extreme example of a Cursed Restriction is the Heavenly Restriction - this is a phenomenon
wherein a user’s cursed energy is reduced in exchange for greater physical prowess.
Or - the opposite can be true, where someone’s physical body can be weak in exchange for
greater cursed energy.
Of course, there are also probably people in the world of JJK who are physically weak
and have very little cursed energy and…well, sucks to be them!
However, one good example of a trade off is Kokichi Muta AKA Mechamaru - his body was
extremely weak and feeble, but his cursed energy could reach an insane distance to be
able to remotely pilot Mechamaru.
However in the case of Megumi’s father, Toji Fushiguro, the opposite is true.
Unlike most humans who are born with at least a small amount of cursed energy, Toji was
born with absolutely zero.
Nothing at all.
However, in exchange, as part of this bargain, he gained unparalleled speed and strength.
In fact, his five senses were heightened to such a degree that he could even see cursed
energy and cursed spirits even though he possessed no cursed energy himself.
And he could even sense changes in the air and atmosphere around him.
However, even though Toji was a complete monster, he still couldn’t handle the unreal strength
of Satoru Gojo.
In his backstory, Toji was the toughest challenge Gojo faced as a young sorcerer - it just makes
you wonder just exactly what Gojo’s upper limit is in the story since this beast rarely
gets to go all out.
During the Shibuya Incident, he was even handicapped by not wanting to hurt civilians.
It really makes you wonder how much he’d be able to dominate the verse if he used his
maximum power.
Conveniently, we answered that question right here in this video: