One of the best shonen anime series is Hunter X Hunter, and not much needs to be said to explain why the series deserves so much praise. Dedicated fans of the classic series know that it is rare to find any popular shonen series airing today that doesn't borrow from it.
Jujutsu Kaisen is no exception to this rule. Despite reinventing the way a shonen series can include traditional tropes, the anime still borrows from the classic shonen series that came before it—and that is the kinship the series shares with it in terms of supernatural roots. Jujutsu Kaisen's Cursed Energy and Hunter X Hunter's Nen both share some similarities and differences.
10 ALIKE: Practitioners Of Nen And Cursed Energy Are Both Reliant On Their Genetic Affinity With Their Respective Energy Sources
Much like Yuji and Gojo both appear to be blessed with an incredible base level of Cursed Energy, Gon is equally blessed with Aura and Nen. It seems that despite the power source or power scale, there is always some sort of hereditary buff that a good shonen anime protagonist can take advantage of.
Gon and Yuji both carry an incredible amount of potential. Yuji's heritage has yet to be revealed, but one day, fans will surely discover what it is.
9 NOT ALIKE: Cursed Energy Is Defined And Studied Primarily By The Kamo, Gojo, And Zenin Families Rather Than A Democratically Elected Association
Despite the fact that Nen is boosted by a character's genetic disposition, the degree by which a Nen user is affected by genetics varies widely when compared to the world of jujutsu sorcery. This world is ruled by three powerful families because each of these bloodlines has a special affinity for Cursed Energy.
The Gojo, Kamo, and Zenin families each pass down an incredible aptitude for Cursed Energy paired with powerful inherited cursed techniques. Though powerful cursed techniques are not limited to these families, it appears that the combination of pure blood and a big three-technique is difficult to beat. On the other hand, Gon is easy to beat despite being the son of one of the top five Nen users in the world.
8 ALIKE: Nen And Cursed Energy Offer Simple Buffs To Fighters Like The Jajanken And Black Lightning Techniques
Like Nen, Cursed Energy is a simple energy source that well-trained combatants can utilize to enhance their base combat skills. Yuji demonstrates just how simple Cursed Energy can be by enhancing his own martial arts with Cursed Energy techniques like Divergent Fist and Black Lightning.
Gon uses Nen for the same sort of simple enhanced attacks that Yuji does. The power behind Gon's Jajanken technique may be different than that behind Yuji's Black Lightning—but the end result is the same.
7 NOT ALIKE: Cursed Energy Is Powered By Humanity's Negative Emotions While Nen Is Powered By An Individual's Personal Aura
Nen borrows from the idea of aura, making it a personal and neutral force that can be used for both good and evil. Hunter X Hunter does an incredible job of pushing the reader to question just what it means to use this power for personal and/or altruistic reasons.
Cursed Energy is much less ambiguous than Nen. Jujutsu Kaisen's power source is formed by collecting the negative emotions human's feel toward the people and settings around them. This link to negative emotions makes Jujutsu Kaisen a much darker show than Hunter X Hunter, which is notorious for its surprisingly dark themes and climactic moments.
6 ALIKE: Both Power Sources Have Infinite Potential For Creative Expressions Of Power Thanks To Hatsu And Cursed Techniques
Despite having the potential for simplicity, both Nen and Cursed Energy enter the realm of complexity when cursed techniques and Hatsu are introduced. In the world of Hunter X Hunter Hatsu is the personal expression of Nen. Bungee-Gum, God Speed, and Jajanken are all different versions of Hatsu that prove how versatile Nen can be.
On the other hand, Jujutsu Kaisen's Cursed Energy is by no means limited to enhancement abilities like Black Lightning. Megumi's shadow Shikigami and Nobara's hammer and nail combo are both equally complex and unique when compared to Divergent Fist or Black Lightning.
5 NOT ALIKE: Anyone Can Tap Into Their Aura And Manipulate Nen, But Only A Select Few Can Manipulate Cursed Energy Like A Jujutsu Sorcerer
The Gojo, Kamo, and Zenin families have such a strong hold over the world of jujutsu sorcery because there are so few others that have the power to stand up and pull the power away from them. Unlike Hunter X Hunter, Jujutsu Kaisen limits the number of people that can use Cursed Energy by presenting it as a rare ability that cannot be easily learned.
Manipulating Nen is not an easy skill to learn either, but it is much more accessible to the average citizen than Cursed Energy is. Even Maki Zenin, who was born into one of the three big sorcerer families, is unable to see Cursed Energy with her own eyes.
4 ALIKE: Nen And Cursed Energy Both Push A Combatant's Stamina To It's Limits To Balance The Sheer Power These Energy Sources Possess
The Chimera Ant arc introduced Knuckle and his Nen debt technique that forces his opponents into a battle of Nen attrition. Even as the protagonist of Hunter X Hunter and the heir to Ging Freecss's Nen-powered legacy, Knuckle's technique proves that Gon's Nen is still limited.
Similarly, Cursed Energy use is limited based on a jujutsu sorcerer's stamina. Satoru Gojo continues to break the limits of Cursed Energy manipulation, but even he can only open his Infinite Void domain a few times before needing to rest. Megumi is another good example, having passed out from exhaustion after using his Domain Expansion technique for the first time near the tail end of Jujutsu Kaisen's first season.
3 NOT ALIKE: The Negativity That Powers Cursed Energy Can Be Reversed Into A Positive Energy Source
While there are a number of complicated subcategories of Nen that make it difficult to understand for even dedicated fans of Hunter X Hunter, nothing exists that is quite like reverse Cursed Energy.
By reversing the flow of the negative energy that comprises Cursed Energy, a well-trained jujutsu sorcerer can create positive energy through a reverse cursed technique. It seems that curses have a natural affinity toward performing reverse cursed techniques, but powerful jujutsu sorcerers like Satoru Gojo are also capable of reversing the flow of Cursed Energy.
2 ALIKE: Greed Island Shares A Number Of Similarities With The Advanced Barrier Cursed Technique Domain Expansion
Domain expansion is a unique ability that can only be seen in the hit new anime series Jujutsu Kaisen. Still, fans of Hunter X Hunter may be able to find similarities between this technique and the Greed Island game that Ging Freecss and his friends created in Hunter X Hunter.
The ability to pull a foe into an infinite void is different than Greed Island, but they both use Cursed Energy and Nen respectively, to create a small world inside the larger anime setting. Perhaps Nen can be used to create a smaller-scale version of Greed Island that functions a bit more like a Domain in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.
1 NOT ALIKE: Shikigami And Barrier Techniques Add Variety To Cursed Energy, But Not Quite Like The Way Nen Types Guarantee Diversity
A few categories of Cursed Energy do exist, but it doesn't seem like the jujutsu world has done much to quantify their power source other than creating a scale to explain just how powerful their attacks can be. Despite qualifying sorcerers, curses, and weapons under a complicated ranking system, Cursed Energy, and cursed techniques seem to exist outside of the need for classification.
Nen is different in that every attack can be classified under 1 of 6 categories. Every Nen user and Nen technique falls under one of the following categories: transmutation, enhancement, emission, manipulation, conjuration, and specialization.