Jujutsu Kaisen Explained
Jujutsu Kaisen has been a powerhouse for Weekly Shonen Jump since it began serialization in early 2018. The manga and its accompanying anime have left a solid impression on fans, who can’t seem to get enough of it.
Gege Akutami, the series’s creator, wonderfully blends intricate storytelling, fascinating characters, and compelling action sequences to create a world that feels richly dark and intriguing to observe. By tackling stimulating ideas surrounding friendship and personal growth, Jujutsu Kaisen managed to resonate with many audiences new and old.
Jujutsu Kaisen’s universe is thoughtful and creative. It’s brimming with enough mysteries, shocking revelations, and interesting physical confrontations to keep viewers on board for the ride. It’s a story that’ll leave audiences craving more and one that gets deeper the more it continues.
Being the geeks that we are over here, we’ll be diving deep into the rich concepts and lore of Jujutsu Kaisen, shedding light on the elements that make this story such a marvel to anime and manga veterans and newcomers alike.
What is Cursed Energy?
Essentially, cursed energy is a power source cursed spirits and jujutsu sorcerers use as fuel for their jujutsu. Most of its power derives from negative emotions like anger and sadness. Many humans have cursed energy in Jujutsu Kaisen, too. If they reach a specific threshold, it’ll allow them to see cursed spirits. If that’s the case, they’ll be classified as jujutsu sorcerers, a rarity in this universe.
Cursed energy is known to leak from the human body and accumulate over time until a cursed spirit appears. However, only non-sorcerers cause this to happen since sorcerers undergo intense training to control and channel their energy into jujutsu.
Moreover, cursed energy can be found in various tools and corpses. Typically, it’s used to fuel techniques, strengthen one’s body, or activate specific talisman. The manga notes its uses can vary among individuals.
How Can Cursed Energy Be Detected?
Humans who display an above-average level of cursed energy can see curses and jujutsu. However, most humans can detect cursed energy when their lives are in danger.
Jujutsu sorcerers tend to read their opponent’s cursed energy to predict their movements. Unfortunately, this can backfire on sorcerers when they face an enemy who has incredible physicality that outclasses their energy. This is due to physically strong fighters having low cursed energy, making them difficult to read.
Furthermore, when a sorcerer uses jujutsu they can potentially leave residuals of cursed energy behind. These spectral footprints allow people to track sorcerers down. Thankfully, most sorcerers are trained to cover these up.
How Can Cursed Energy Be Manipulated?
Controlling and carrying out certain actions with cursed energy is essential for jujutsu sorcerers. It requires innate skill and training, though. For instance, Yuji underwent special training with Satoru in season one to control his emotions and use cursed energy simultaneously. While raw cursed energy can be used for its blunt force, many sorcerers prefer to use it to power their techniques.
While there are many ways for sorcerers and non-sorcerers to use this energy, identifying how it flows is essential. Many argue it starts from the negative feelings that brew in one’s stomach which cycles throughout the body. However, the energy can be delayed if the person can’t realize that their mind, body, and soul are whole with the universe.
Moreover, the amount of cursed energy one releases is referred to as one Cursed Energy Output. This applies to how it’s used offensively and defensively. Defensively, folks can coat their skin in the energy to harden their bodies to block curse-themed attacks. Offensively, they can imbue their physical attacks or special weapons with cursed energy to increase their power.
What Are The Restrictions For Using Cursed Energy?
Risk is a key aspect that can affect one’s cursed energy alongside their emotions. The greater the risk, the more their cursed energy reacts. Many sorcerers forge Binding Vows with their lives to raise their sorcery levels. Specific stipulations that can potentially harm its creator can increase its cursed energy and techniques.
By setting rules for their cursed techniques, the user puts themselves in a more riskier situation. However, due to the negative emotions that stem from these matters, their cursed energy grows alongside the effectiveness of their techniques. Heavenly Restrictions are another outlet many people like Toji Zenin lean on.
These restrictions help someone reduce their cursed energy to low levels. In return, they receive an increase in their physical attributes. Others like Kokichi Muta can trade their physical health for cursed energy.
What Are Cursed Spirits & How Are They Created?
Cursed Spirits are spiritual organisms that are invisible to humans and created from the cursed energy that leaks out of humans over time due to their negative feelings. While cursed spirits and jujutsu’s true origin remains a mystery (so far), many speculate curse spirits have always existed next to humanity, thanks to the existence of Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses.
Cursed Spirits tend to crop up in hospitals and schools since many hold negative memories of their times at these locations. Humanity’s fear of natural disasters and plagues can lead to cursed spirits being manifested too. Hanami is an example of this as she was born from humanity’s fear and treatment of forests.
How Do Jujutsu Sorcerers Combat Cursed Spirits?
Since their bodies are composed of cursed energy, many cursed spirits cannot be harmed through conventional methods. In that case, sorcerers must exorcise cursed spirits by using cursed energy. This will cause the cursed spirit to disappear completely, but this won’t apply to curses that manifest from a human vessel.
Over-powered cursed spirits must be sealed away using a constraint as in the case of Sukuna and his multiple fingers.
What Types of Cursed Spirits Are There? What Are Their Powers/Abilities?
There are many types of cursed spirits. They’re classified as Vengeful Cursed Spirits, Imaginary Vengeful Cursed Spirits, Disease Cursed Spirits, and Special-Grade Cursed. Vengeful Cursed Spirits are spirits created when humans become a curse after death. Sorcerers have a chance of becoming one of them, but others tend to kill them before that happens.
Imaginary Cursed Spirits are spirits manifested from humanity’s cumulative fear of something. Whether they all fear an image of a ghost or spooky tail, an Imaginary Vengeful Cursed Spirit manifests. Disease Cursed Spirits arise from humanity’s disdain for plague and sickness. They can use cursed techniques to infect humans with the disease they’re based around.
Special-grade Cursed Spirits, like Sukuna and Mahito, are known for possessing high cursed energy and can manipulate their energy more naturally than sorcerers. Cursed Spirits can use cursed energy in similar ways as sorcerers. Many weaker spirits use their presence to attack innocent people and sorcerers. More powerful variants possess a decent mastery of cursed energy and use uncanny techniques. Some special-grade curses can produce their own domains and some can even outweigh sorcerers in strength.
In Conclusion
Jujutsu Kaisen is a fantastic manga series with an equally enjoyable anime adaptation. Unlike other Shonen Jump projects that end up getting axed, Jujutsu Kaisen struck fans at their core. This is thanks to the series’s stellar writing, world-building, and cast. With its inclusion of fascinating concepts like Cursed energy and spirits, many can’t help but feel captivated by Akutami’s work.
Are you a big Jujutsu Kaisen fan? What do you think is the most interesting aspect about cursed spirits and energy? Let us know in the comments below!