Highlights
- In Jujutsu Kaisen, cursed energy is essential for determining power, but there are exceptions like Maki and Toji who possess superhuman strength without it.
- Heavenly Pacts, limitations placed on sorcerers at birth, can trade off physical capability for cursed energy potential or vice versa.
- Characters like Kokichi and Yuji showcase the dark and complex sides of Heavenly Pacts, but with determination, those with limitations can overcome obstacles.
In Jujutsu Kaisen, cursed energy is everything when determining a character's power - at least until it isn't, as evidenced by those with no cursed energy yet who possess superhuman strength. While some characters' abilities remain a mystery, others like Maki Zenin or Toji Fushiguro are easily explained by the Heavenly Pact (or "Heavenly Restriction," depending on the translation).
Jujutsu Kaisen depicts a modern fantasy in which special individuals are capable of perceiving cursed spirits - amalgams of negative emotion radiated by humans - and who can harness cursed energy to fight curses. However, while cursed energy and cursed techniques are the basis of being a jujutsu sorcerer, there have been numerous characters who are exceptions to the rule, capable of being great sorcerers without cursed energy.
A Forced Pact
Despite what the name would imply, a Heavenly Pact isn't so much a deal consciously made, but rather a limitation upon a sorcerer, put in place at the moment of their birth. When fans think of characters to whom this applies, most often characters like Maki or Toji come to mind, as they have similar pacts. In their case, they are unable to wield cursed energy.
What's important to note about these pacts is that they often come with trade-offs between physical capability and cursed energy potential. Neither Maki nor Toji can use cursed energy, but in exchange, they are physically gifted to the point that they can still be extremely effective sorcerers, albeit with the aid of tools to compensate.
However, it's important not to forget that Heavenly Pacts can work in reverse as well. Someone can be born with extraordinary potential with cursed energy at the cost of physical capability. The first time that these pacts were mentioned in the anime, it was centered around Kokichi Muta, the sorcerer in control of the robot puppet Mechamaru.
Playing With The Hand You're Dealt
Kokichi was born with serious physical handicaps, including the lack of several limbs, and his real body is shown in an isolated environment for his protection. In exchange - though it's hardly a comfort - he is capable of harnessing cursed techniques over long distances, which has allowed him to control Mechamaru as a proxy to engage in combat and learn alongside his classmates.
Perhaps it's just because Maki and Toji are such popular characters, but Kokichi seems underappreciated as far as an example of the dark side of Heavenly Pacts. He has been dealt a royally bad hand, yet his ability to withstand so much pain and channel it into such a powerful body is commendable, to say the very least.
This isn't to say that the opposite doesn't come with its share of downsides, but life in isolation, being unable to walk, and being covered in bandages definitely sounds like the worst deal. Maki and Toji might not be able to weaponize cursed energy, but they can use cursed tools - weapons and items imbued with specific curses - as substitutes for fighting with cursed energy.
Maki's weapon of choice is typically a spear or polearm, but she is versatile in many weapon types, from the katana she steals from Kasumi Miwa to the three-section-staff, "Playful Cloud." Unlike Toji, she has the added handicap of being unable to see cursed spirits, which requires her to wear special glasses.
Speaking of Toji, his arsenal is similarly versatile - a pre-requisite of a sorcerer in their position no doubt - but his most iconic weapon is by far the "Inverted Spear of Heaven." As the name suggests, it looks more like a spearhead that has been converted into a knife. It can nullify cursed techniques upon contact, and by connecting the blade to the "Chain of a Thousand Miles," this weapon has a terrifying range.
The Curious Case of Yuji Itadori
Ever since the series began, the physical strength of the protagonist, Yuji Itadori, has been an oddity. In the first episode, he was breaking world records with less discretion than a young Clark Kent learning he has super strength. It's not surprising that fans have wondered whether Yuji himself is the recipient of a Heavenly Pact.
He wasn't able to harness cursed energy until he consumed Sukuna's first finger in Episode 1, but since then, he's learned several powerful applications of cursed energy in conjunction with his strength. It's possible that his strength is the result of a pact and that the cursed energy is just the result of Sukuna's spirit residing in his body, but it feels just as likely that there's a more complicated explanation.
Jujutsu Kaisen's Heavenly Pacts are not ideal nor are they particularly damning. They are like any handicap; they may limit a person's ability to perform specific tasks with the same anticipated ease as others, but with enough determination, those with limitations can find ways to overcome obstacles. Besides, everyone loves an underdog.
Jujutsu Kaisen is available to stream on Crunchyroll & Funimation.