Despite being one of the main characters in Jujutsu Kaisen, filling in the role as Yuji's foil until he is powerful enough to face Sukuna directly, little is known about the cursed spirit that goes by the name Mahito. The embodiment of humanities' hatred toward each other appears out of nowhere and possesses one of the most powerful cursed techniques in all of JJK, but that's just about all fans know about this cursed spirit.
Mahito's cursed technique, Idle Transfiguration bends the rules of natural science, but so do the majority of cursed techniques in Jujutsu Kaisen. Curses, Cursed Techniques, and Cursed Energy are each shrouded in so much mystery that they are hard to make sense of.
10 "The Soul Or The Body. Which Do You Think Came First?"
Mahito is one of the most memorable cursed spirits introduced in the first season of the anime because of his charismatic personality. Despite being a manipulative sociopath with no understanding of the value in human life, Mahito is the sort of fun-loving and philosophically inclined character that viewers can relate to.
The philosophy that Mahito regularly brings up during his action sequences has to do with the human soul and the human body. Like the classic chicken and egg debate, Mahito is curious as to which came first, the human soul or the human body. It makes sense that Mahito would be curious about the soul and the body considering his cursed technique, but the mystery surrounding the human soul makes it impossible to make sense of Mahito's line of reasoning.
9 Mahito Somehow Has More Growth Potential Than JJK's Protagonist, Yuji Itadori
Manga readers have read along as Mahito has evolved far past Yuji's current level of strength. Though Yuji is set up as Jujutsu Kaisen's overpowered protagonist that is able to learn at the speed of light, Mahito has somehow managed to outpace the young man despite running away from every battle he has been a part of.
The manga even shows Mahito learning new Barrier techniques from Satoru Gojo after watching him perform the technique just once. Yuji's ability to learn is impressive, but Mahito learns at a pace that makes no sense. A case could be made for cursed spirit superiority, but it is rare to see a villain outpace a shonen protagonist in terms of growth potential.
8 Mahito Should Have Been Able To Transfigure Kokichi Muta Immediately After Fixing His Body
After all Mahito's talk and speculation over the state of the human soul and the human body, the cursed spirit still chose to base his cursed technique around touching the physical human body in order to reshape the soul. Perhaps this can be explained away as foreshadowing for the moment pseudo-Geto explains that the body and the soul are formed together, one in the same.
Either way, it makes little to no sense when and where Mahito needs to touch his opponents in order to control them with Idle Transfiguration. One of the most confusing situations Mahito has been in can only be seen in the manga, just prior to the Shibuya Incident Arc. After altering Kokichi Muta's body, Mahito engages Mechamaru in battle for three chapters before defeating the young jujutsu sorcerer. Why he couldn't just apply his cursed technique immediately after granting Muta's wish is difficult to understand, but it may have something to do with the binding vow the two made. Or, Gege Akutami may simply be having a hard time building up tension with such an overpowered antagonist.
7 Mahito Is Able To Transfigure His Own Soul To Embody Features Of Objects That Are Soulless
With the ability to alter the shape of his soul, Mahito is the resident shape-shifter of Jujutsu Kaisen. The ability to change the shape of his body has opened the door to a number of different powerful transformations and evolutions that make Mahito a much deadlier threat today than he has ever been before.
Still, the ability to change shape doesn't inherently mean the shapeshifter will become more powerful. In fact, there is no reason that Mahito should be able to increase the durability or strength of his soul simply because of a cursed technique that allows him to alter the shape of the soul. Unless Gege Akutami can explain how Mahito alters his soul to mimic properties of a sword, an object most believe to lack a soul, then the majority of Mahito's upgrades make little to no sense at all.
6 Mahito Is The Culmination Of Human Hatred But Still Wants To Eradicate Humanity
Mahito is the self-proclaimed embodiment of humanity's hatred toward each other. In other words, every negative emotion that a member of humanity feels toward another human goes toward empowering the cursed spirit Mahito.
Still, Mahito has made it his life's goal to eliminate humanity from the face of the earth in order to bring about an age ruled by curses. Considering the core of Mahito's power, it seems rather shortsighted to dream of eliminating humanity. The closer Mahito gets to finding success in his mission, the weaker he is bound to become. It doesn't make sense, but it offers Yuji the chance to finally take down Mahito as long as he continues to survive the upcoming culling games.
5 Mahito Translates To "True Human" Or "Authentic Person"
Despite only being the conscious accumulation of humanities' inability to coexist, Mahito's name translates roughly into the short phrase "true human." Of course, Mahito is a cursed spirit that either named himself or was named by another unreliable antagonist, so the fact that his name doesn't make sense is no surprise.
What is surprising is the fact that Gege Akutami, the mangaka behind Jujutsu Kaisen has dubbed one of his main antagonists Mahito. All while knowing that the cursed spirit is not a true human. Perhaps Akutami has hopes that fans will debate over the idea of what a "true human" is after researching the meaning behind Mahito's name.
4 Despite Being A Young Cursed Spirit, Mahito Is Still Amongst The Most Powerful Cursed Spirits Roaming Through Japan
On a number of different occasions, it is made clear that Mahito is a young cursed spirit. Despite already classifying as a special grade cursed spirit, Mahito is younger than the average cursed spirit that jujutsu sorcerers deal with on a regular basis.
Still, Mahito is more powerful and more intelligent than all but a small handful of cursed spirits. Characters like Sukuna and Nanami present the idea that age offers both experience and power in the world of JJK. Mahito breaks this trend by being as childish as he is powerful.
3 Mahito Is An Antagonist That Only Other Antagonists Have Been Able To Defeat Thanks To An OP Cursed Technique
Perhaps the number one aspect of Mahito's character that doesn't make sense is the cursed spirit's overpowered cursed technique. While some may be able to connect the dots between Mahito's cursed technique and his connection to humanity, it makes little sense to create a secondary antagonist that is capable of defeating most of the series' leads with a single touch.
Though Mahito does match up against Yuji well, the cursed spirit is so overpowered that the only characters that have been able to beat him are the primary antagonists of JJK. How does it make sense to write in a villain that the hero can only beat with the help of other villains?
2 Just Like The Other Unregistered Special Grade Cursed Spirits, Mahito Appeared Out Of Thin Air To Terrorize Yuji & His Friends
One of the most appealing aspects of Jujutsu Kaisen is the way it draws out its plotlines with mystery and suspense. An important example of this can be found by any fan willing to search for the origin of Mahito, Hanami, Jogo, and Dagon.
Despite being four of the most powerful cursed spirits alive, the origin of these characters is still a mystery. The ideas behind creating cursed spirits are fictional and difficult to follow, but they are still clear enough to make sense of as long as JJK takes the time to put a cursed spirit's origin story on-screen. Only a few cursed spirits have had their origin story told on-screen, which makes it unlikely that Mahito will ever be given the honor of having his past explained to curious viewers.
1 Despite Running Away From Every Fight He Has Been In, Mahito Claims That Near-Death Experiences Make Him Stronger
Mahito's charisma and hyper-aggressive personality make him difficult to forget after the first season of Jujutsu Kaisen, but the main reason the cursed spirit still lingers throughout the JJK fandom is because of his ability to survive each of his encounters with jujutsu sorcerers.
Mahito may be young, but his ability to run away from a fight at the perfect time is unmatched. Unfortunately, this cowardice makes it hard to explain how Mahito has evolved so much since first being introduced. Every character in JJK uses the stress of near-death experiences to evolve as a combatant. Mahito manages to accomplish this growth while also calculating the exact moment that he has reached his limit. This level of self-awareness is lacking in almost every other character in JJK, which makes it hard to understand why Mahito is able to act so scared and still grow at a faster rate than any other character in the series.