“Equal to Sukuna”: Jujutsu Kaisen Finally Revealed Yuji AND Sukuna’s Cursed Technique

Warning: Contains spoilers for chapter #257 of Jujutsu Kaisen.

Jujutsu Kaisen has finally revealed both Yuji and Sukuna’s Cursed Techniques, and it all but confirms Yuji is fated to defeat Sukuna. The latest chapter reveals the surprising family connection between Sukuna and Yuji and with it the revelation of not only Yuji’s Cursed Technique but also the name of Sukuna’s Cursed Technique, which has been the topic of many fan theories for years.

Chapter #257 of Jujutsu Kaisen reveals Yuji currently possesses not one but two Cursed Techniques, including Blood Manipulation and Sukuna’s Cursed Technique, whose name is revealed to be either Shrine or Malevolent Shrine, according to different translations. The chapter reveals Yuji actually gained Blood Manipulation not through his maternal ties with Kenjaku but rather through consuming the remaining six Cursed Womb Death Paintings.

As for Sukuna’s Cursed Technique, the chapter explains that Yuji has managed to manifest the Cursed Technique due to being in an awakened state from performing consecutive Black Flashes, suggesting that it may have been lying dormant inside him for quite some time. The latest chapter also reveals that Sukuna’s Cursed Technique was engraved on Yuji due to him being Sukuna’s vessel, just as Gojo had speculated in the early days of the series.

Yuji Awakens Sukuna’s Cursed Technique At Last

Jujutsu Kaisen created by Gege Akutami, chapter #257, “Inhuman Makyo Shinjuku Showdown, Part 29”

While Sukuna’s Cursed Technique name is a currently debated topic, it clearly has to do with the power of cutting. Moreover, Yuji has manifested a slightly different version of the Cursed Technique, wherein his slashes first take the form of a visualized dotted line with tiny scissor symbols which Yuji then snips along, giving Sukuna’s age-old technique a rather modern twist that better fits Yuji’s character.

As Sukuna notes in the latest chapter, since Yuji has only just manifested the technique, his output isn’t very high but is being compensated for by his accuracy. As such, while he has access to all the same slicing attacks as Sukuna, such as Cleave and Dismantle, his attacks aren’t nearly as effective or powerful as Sukuna’s just yet, though there is a possibility he could reach the same level with time.

Most interestingly, this development was predicted by Gojo as early as chapter #12 when he speculated that Yuji would eventually gain access to Sukuna’s Cursed Technique after spending enough time as his vessel. However, as time passed and Yuji showed no signs of manifesting Sukuna’s Cursed Technique, despite the latter growing incredibly strong, fans had all but dismissed the possibility or assumed that Gojo had been wrong.

That said, the concept was actually subtly explored through Mahito, whose character and abilities brought up the connection between the body and the soul which would later be expanded on by Kenjaku as well. At Shibuya, Kenjaku proposed that “the body is the soul and the soul is the body”, implying that both can modify each other to some extent. This might explain how Sukuna’s Cursed technique was engraved on Yuji who according to Kenjaku in chapter #203, was intended to be the perfect vessel for Sukuna from the very start.

Yuji’s Second Cursed Technique Was Also Foreshadowed Many Times

Though Yuji has been using Blood Manipulation for quite some time, chapter #257 finally explains how he gained the technique, which may have actually been foreshadowed many chapters prior. Due to Kenjaku’s involvement in Yuji’s birth, many fans had assumed that Yuji was also a Death Painting like Choso and had possibly inherited the technique from Kenjaku, who likely held on to it since possessing Noritoshi Kamo.

However, the latest chapter explains that Yuji has absorbed the rest of the Death Paintings, namely four through nine, which were revealed to be stored at Jujutsu High’s Cursed Warehouse in chapter #144. Chapter #220 also provided another major hint that Yuji had consumed the six remaining Cursed Wombs through a curious exchange between Choso and Yuji where Choso claimed his brothers would live on inside Yuji. This would mean that Yuji has had Blood Manipulation for less than a month, which could explain why Yuji cannot use Convergence very well just yet, as Choso explains in chapter #256.

It is possible that the Blood Manipulation technique was engraved on Yuji’s body similar to how Malevolent Shrine was from hosting Sukuna. Choso and Noritoshi also likely played a part in helping Yuji manifest and control the technique, as they were teased to have been teaching Yuji during the month-long preparation before the battle against Sukuna.

Yuji’s New Powers Make Him Sukuna’s Only Remaining Equal in Jujutsu Kaisen

Yuji Will Be the Key to Finally Defeating Sukuna

Though Sukuna has always underestimated Yuji, often to the point of insulting him, Yuji has finally managed to prove himself in the latest chapter, forcing Sukuna to acknowledge his existence and the threat he poses, much to Sukuna’s annoyance. Yuji’s new powers cement him as Sukuna’s only potential equal left in the series and the sorcerer with the highest chance of actually defeating Sukuna.

As of chapter #257, Yuji has managed to land a total of eight Black Flashes against Sukuna, breaking even his own record in doing so. Though Sukuna has managed to maintain his usual smug facade thus far, Yuji has finally succeeded in getting under his skin, even evoking pure rage in Sukuna for what seems to be the first time ever in the series.

As such, if there is anybody left on the battlefield who can rival Sukuna, it is undoubtedly Yuji. Despite his loose grip on his newly awakened powers, Yuji’s perseverance and freakishly high aptitude suggest it may not be long before he grasps how to better use his new Cursed Techniques just enough to bring Sukuna to the brink of defeat. Moreover, Yuji’s character and ideals directly oppose Sukuna’s lack thereof, which only makes the possibility of Sukuna’s defeat at Yuji’s hands all the more satisfying and thematically fitting.

Overall, although Sukuna has seemingly possessed the upper hand for the majority of the battle at Shinjuku, the sorcerers’ efforts have gradually managed to chip away at his strength, taking away his advantage one ability at a time. These battles and sacrifices have paved the way for Yuji and his newly manifested Cursed Techniques to finally turn the tide against Sukuna for good. ​​​​​​Yuji’s new power up has also silenced any doubts about his being the protagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen as he finally steals the spotlight that was rightly his all along.

Jujutsu Kaisen is available from Manga Plus and Viz Media.

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