Cursed Energy serves as the foundation of power in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, but even manga readers know very little about the supernatural force that Yuji Itadori and Satoru Gojo use to enhance their skills in combat. Domain Expansion, Cursed Techniques, and Cursed Spirits are all powered by cursed energy, but they each manipulate it in such a wide variety of ways that instead of clarifying cursed energy, each only makes it more difficult to understand.
Anime fans are not new to complicated power systems in their anime. Jujutsu Kaisen is just one of many Shonen anime that has introduced fans to a confusing power system. The list below acknowledges the ten most confusing things about cursed energy in hopes of clarifying the power system as much as possible.
10 Cursed Energy Is Powered By Negative Human Emotions
The most basic concept of Cursed Energy is easily missed in Jujutsu Kaisen because it has little to do with the shiny powers that the characters use when facing off against cursed spirits. Everyone knows that a power scale is only as interesting if it is also entertaining.
When Yuji and Nobara go on their first mission together, Gojo explains that cursed energy is created by negative human emotions. The more negative feelings that surround a place or an idea, the more cursed energy fills that place or idea. Jujutsu Kaisen has yet to fully explain why people are able to harness so much cursed energy, but perhaps future episodes will explain more about the risks involved when playing with cursed energy.
9 Yuji Itadori Breaks The Mold As A Jutsu Sorcerer, So Fans Should Look Elsewhere When Trying To Understand Cursed Energy
As the first season of Jujutsu Kaisen continues into 2021 it has been made more and more clear that the world of jujutsu sorcery is rooted by an ancient hierarchy of stubborn families. The way that these families understand cursed energy is not wrong, but it hardly applies to Yuji Itadori.
The families that control the world of jujutsu sorcery have a better understanding of cursed energy than anyone, but Yuji Itadori is a bit of an oddball. It is never made clear whether Yuji is endowed with cursed energy before he became the harbinger of Sukuna, but one thing about Yuji is clear. He is extremely powerful, despite the fact that he couldn't even see cursed spirits at the start of this anime series.
8 Cursed Energy Detection Is A Rare Ability, Which Explains Why So Little Is Known About The Powerful Force
There is a reason that cursed energy is such a confusing power to understand. On top of the fact that it is a Shonen anime power system, cursed energy is extremely rare within the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.
The ability to see cursed energy and cursed spirits is called Cursed Energy Detection. This ability is so rare that the 1st year class of the premiere jutsu school in Tokyo has only 3 students, and Nobara isn't even from Tokyo. If only a handful of jutsu sorcerers can study cursed energy each generation, then it stands to reason that very little would be known about the negative energy source.
7 Inherited Techniques Can Only Be Passed Down By Bloodline, But They Don't Always Get Passed Down
The reason the world of jutsu sorcery is ruled over by a small group of families can be explained by the way cursed techniques are inherited. Though not all cursed techniques must be inherited, the most powerful ones are connected to bloodlines.
Megumi Fushigiro's Ten Shadow's Technique is a skill passed down from the Zenin bloodline and Satoru Gojo's Limitless Infinity Technique is passed down through the Gojo bloodline. Both techniques seem to be limited to their respective bloodlines, but not everyone born from these families inherits these cursed techniques. This inconsistency is confusing but simple once fans are introduced to Maki, Mai, and Megumi as an example.
6 Cursed Techniques Come In A Wide Variety Of Forms, But Each Is A Simple Application Of Cursed Energy
After a jujutsu sorcerer has learned to maintain a steady flow of cursed energy they can begin applying their cursed energy with cursed techniques. These cursed techniques come in an infinite variety of shapes and sizes. Each is also as confusing as the power it stems from.
Despite being confusing, these cursed techniques are extremely useful. Megumi is able to control shadow beasts with his Ten Shadows Technique while Gojo controls infinity to make himself untouchable. Both of these cursed techniques are difficult to explain, but neither is anything more than an application of a jujutsu sorcerer's cursed energy. Yuji is the best example of a jujutsu sorcerer that simply applies cursed energy to his combat skills.
5 Domain Expansion Breaks The World Of Jujutsu Kaisen, But It Is Nothing Other Than A Powerful Barrier Technique
Despite being a difficult power system to understand, Jujutsu Kaisen actually does an incredible job of helping fans make sense of cursed energy. Domains might seem nonsensical when first introduced, but Gojo's Infinite Void actually makes much more sense when fans start seeing it as an enhanced barrier technique.
A barrier technique is a simple application of cursed energy that allows a jujutsu sorcerer to create a defensive dome over a small space. These domes can hide sounds, distort vision, and even deny certain people access to the area. It seems that this technique can even be extended to creating a personal domain that allows a jujutsu sorcery to battle in their perfect conditions.
4 Cursed Weapons Add An Extra Layer To An Already Confusing Power System, But Actually Help Clarify It
On top of cursed energy empowering cursed techniques, the negative power source can also be used to enhance weapons. In the same way that Sukuna's fingers carry a curse, physical items like weapons can also carry cursed energy.
Maki Zenin is well known for carrying an arsenal of cursed weapons with her. The addition of cursed weapons in Jujutsu Kaisen might be confusing at first, but it actually helps clarify the power ranking system that jujutsu sorcerers use to classify cursed energy. Special grade weapons are suited for combat against special grade curses. This is due to the fact that both are powered by similar amounts of cursed energy.
3 Cursed Spirits Are Cursed Energy That Have Gained Consciousness
Jujutsu Kaisen tries to simplify the idea that cursed spirits are just the accumulation of cursed energy by introducing spirits that are more beast than human. Once cursed spirits begin to demonstrate hints of consciousness, cursed energy becomes much more difficult to understand.
If cursed energy can create conscious cursed spirits after reaching a certain level of power, does that mean all consciousness is the result of cursed energy? It seems that cursed spirits don't reach the level of consciousness until ascending into the realm of special grade, but Mahito, Hanami, and Jogo are all proof of just how powerful cursed energy really is.
2 Reverse Cursed Energy Turns Cursed Energy Into Positive Energy, Offering Healing Buffs To Strong Jujutsu Sorcerers
Though Jujutsu Kaisen does well to cue viewers into the secrets behind cursed energy and cursed techniques, there are times that it fails to fill in all the blanks. Reverse Cursed Energy has only shown up in JJK a few times. Each time it appears, a powerful cursed spirit uses it to heal themselves in order to continue beating up the heroes.
All viewers have seen of Reverse Cursed Energy is that it can heal, but there is surely a whole world of reverse cursed techniques that viewers will get the chance to explore in future seasons. Reverse Cursed Energy is actually the result of a Jujutsu sorcerer inverting the negative force to create a positive energy source. This positive energy is able to heal entire limbs, but in the future it may accomplish even more.
1 Risk Enhances The Flow Of Cursed Energy And Enhances Cursed Techniques
Though it has yet to be explained just how humans are able to overflow with cursed energy like a cursed spirit, risk might have something to do with it. On a few separate occasions, Jujutsu Kaisen has hinted at the fact that cursed energy is enhanced by risk.
Kokichi Muta is the best example of cursed energy being enhanced by risk. The Heavenly Restriction that placed Muta in the state he is in puts his body in a constant state of risk in exchange for an incredible amount of cursed energy. Perhaps Megumi and Gojo are risking more than fans first assumed by embracing their powerful jujutsu bloodlines.