Jujutsu Kaisen is a fan-favorite anime, and one of the reasons it sits among the best of the best is its spectacular fights. The series' cursed energy combat system is notorious for being complex, but it's much simpler than it lets on.

The combat system in Jujutsu Kaisen is centered on the power that drives it, cursed energy. Cursed energy is the power that comes from negative emotions and is channeled by sorcerers to fight each other, and the cursed spirits that are created from the cursed energy non-sorcerers seep out. Cursed energy begins to get complicated when the series reveals the multiple ways the power can be utilized. There are 16 applications in total in both the anime and the manga, and understanding each aspect makes it a lot easier to understand cursed energy on the whole.

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Cursed Tools

Jujutsu Kaisen's Unique Weapons Fused With Curse Energy

Cursed tools are weapons that are imbued with cursed energy. Cursed energy has to be infused into the cursed tool slowly over an extended period of time to prevent the weapon from shattering. Cursed tools can have a cursed technique, but ones without any special abilities are a lot more common. Kento Nanami, Maki Zenin, Toji Fushiguro, Mei Mei, and Atsuya Kusakabe are all notable users of cursed tools, but more people in the series use them less frequently, too.

Reverse Curse Technique

A Complex Technique That Can Heal the Human Body

The reverse cursed technique is when someone multiplies their cursed energy, which is negative, against itself to create positive energy. This positive energy is capable of healing the user or healing others. While it wastes more energy than regular cursed energy, it is an ability that can place a user among the elite of the elite of sorcerers because of its usefulness. In the manga, Satoru Gojo and Sukuna use it to replenish their cursed techniques, but this application is dangerous even for them.

Black Flash

A Difficult But Useful Technique

Black flash is perhaps one of the most difficult applications of cursed energy to pull off. A black flash is when the user's cursed energy hits within a trillionth of a second of the physical hit, creating a flash of black lightning upon impact. A black flash is equal to the force of the hit to the power of 2.5. Exponating the force of impact makes for an insanely powerful attack that causes significant damage to the unlucky person or curse on the receiving end of the blow.

It is an extraordinary and rare feat for anyone to accomplish, but doing so gives the user a deeper understanding of cursed energy than others who haven't been blessed by the flash of black.

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Binding Vow

An Unbreakable Vow Between Sorcerers

Binding vows are fundamental to the jujutsu world. A binding vow is an unbreakable pact between a sorcerer and a sorcerer or a sorcerer and themselves. Nanami's overtime binding vow is an excellent example of a binding vow between a sorcerer and themselves. Nanami's vow decreases his cursed energy throughout the day in exchange for access to a massive amount of cursed energy after business hours. An example of a binding vow between a sorcerer and a sorcerer would be Mahito's with Machamaru to break his heavenly restriction in exchange for being an information mole.

Cursed Energy Attributes

Unique Traits For Different Sorcerers

A less explored aspect of cursed energy even in the manga, cursed energy attributes are a potent application of cursed energy if it's available to the user. A cursed energy attribute is when a sorcerer's cursed energy has a unique trait about it that gives the sorcerer an edge. The only examples of sorcerers with cursed energy attributes are Kinji Hakari and Hajime Kashimo. Hakari's cursed energy is said to feel rough like sandpaper, making his punches feel like being hit with a barbed baseball bat. Kashimo's cursed energy is stated to be like electricity.

Cursed Energy Reinforcement

A Subconscious Application of Cursed Energy

Cursed energy reinforcement is a mostly subconscious application of cursed energy, but it can be manipulated knowingly by a sorcerer as well. Cursed energy reinforcement is when the user reinforces their body with cursed energy, boosting their defensive abilities. This is why sorcerers can be sent flying through buildings and take heavy blows with minimal damage.

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Cursed Technique

A Special Ability That Varies From Sorcerer to Sorcerer

Cursed techniques are the crucial aspect of cursed energy that makes sorcerers unique from one another. A cursed technique is the ability that is ingrained into a sorcerer from birth. Sorcerers themselves have no say in their cursed technique, and there's nothing that can be done to change it. Some cursed techniques are insanely overpowered, like Gojo's limitless, and others are not very strong. Whether cursed techniques are powerful or weak, they are integral to the sorcerer's occupation.

There are innate techniques and inherited techniques. Innate techniques are ones that come about randomly in sorcerers and have nothing to do with their family or genetics. Inherited techniques are techniques that have been passed down through families through many generations, like the ones in the Big Three families.

Cursed Technique Reversal

Turning A Curse User's Usual Technique on its Head

When a sorcerer applies reverse curse energy to their cursed technique, it creates cursed technique reversal. Essentially, cursed technique reversal is the polar opposite of the user's regular cursed technique. For example, when Gojo uses his cursed technique with regular cursed energy, it creates blue, which is magnetic. However, when Gojo applies the reverse curse technique to his technique, the reversal creates red, which pushes things away.

Maximum Techniques

Cursed Techniques Pushed to Their Peaks

Maximum techniques are when a cursed technique is pushed to its peak power to unleash a powerful offensive attack. Maximum Uzumaki from Geto and Maximum Meteor from Jogo are excellent examples of this application.

Cursed Technique Strengthening

How Characters Improve Their Cursed Techniques

Cursed technique strengthening is a blanket term for the different things sorcerers can do to strengthen their cursed technique. While a binding vow like Nanami's can do the trick, a better example can be found in the manga. In the manga, characters are revealed to be able to strengthen the power in their techniques by chanting certain words and through special dances. These are usually never done since they take time, but in exchange, a sorcerer's cursed technique is weaker.

Heavenly Restrictions

A Costly Exchange

A heavenly restriction is similar to a cursed technique in that it has been a part of the user since birth. A heavenly restriction restricts something in exchange for exponential gains elsewhere. The best example of this is Toji Fushiguro, whose heavenly restriction doesn't allow him to have any cursed energy in exchange for mind-boggling physical prowess. Unlike a cursed technique, a heavenly restriction can be changed. This happened when Mahito gave Mechamaru a functioning body through idle transfiguration, despite the fact his restriction is to have a huge pool of cursed energy in exchange for a debilitated body.

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Barriers

The Walls That Keep Non-Sorcerers At Bay

Barriers are walls of cursed energy designed to keep people in or out of the barrier's area. Barriers are also used to conceal what is inside of them from non-sorcerers. There are also peg barriers, as seen in the Shibuya arc, which are shown to be specialized for keeping people in or out of them.

Domain Expansion

Changing the Nature of One's Cursed Technique

A domain is a sorcerer's mental perspective of the cursed technique they are born with. A domain expansion is when the user expands the mental landscape of their cursed technique outside their mind. Domain expansions give the user a sure hit on their opponent, making them extremely powerful. Usually, the domain expansion needs to be sealed with a barrier, but there are domain expansions, such as Sukuna's malevolent shrine, that are barrierless. Also, domain expansions require the user to do a specific hand sign to bring it out.

Anti-Domain Techniques

How Sorcerers Defend Themselves From Domains

Sorcerers use anti-domain techniques to defend themselves from domains when they either don't have a domain expansion themselves or need a quick solution to defend against the sure-hit effect of a domain expansion. Simple domains, falling blossom emotion, and domain amplification are all forms of anti-domain techniques.

Simple domains are used to buy time for anyone trapped in a domain, but they can also be used for an offense, like Miwa's new shadow style technique. Falling blossom emotion is only known to the Big Three families in Jujutsu Kaisen. Falling blossom emotion covers the user in cursed energy that counteracts a domain's sure-hit ability. Domain amplification is when users envelop themselves in their domain to neutralize an opponent's cursed technique or domain expansion's sure-hit effect.

Jujutsu Kaisen is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

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