Highlights
- Yuji’s arms have transformed into a monstrous form, giving him a significant power boost in his battle against Sukuna.
- The source of Yuji’s new power is still a mystery, but theories suggest it could be related to the Cursed Womb Death Paintings or his connection with Sukuna.
- If Yuji’s body has adapted to Sukuna’s Cursed Energy and technique, he may gain the ability to use Sukuna’s own Cursed Technique against him, potentially turning the tide in the heroes’ favor.
Ever since Kashimo’s death in Chapter 238 of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, the reserves of the remainder of Jujutsu High have finally begun their battle against Sukuna. Included within this group is the protagonist of the series, Yuji Itadori. However, his entrance into the fight comes as a surprise for the readers, as he is seen to have undergone a massive change from how he used to be before the fight between Gojo and Sukuna started.
This change is a glaring one, as Yuji’s arms have completely transformed into a monster-like, almost demonic, form. These arms seem to give a significant power boost to Yuji, as his physical prowess was great enough to leave even Sukuna surprised in their clash. So, let’s try to unravel the secret behind Yuji’s new power-up and what it could mean for the future of Jujutsu Kaisen.
What is This New Power and How Did Yuji Get It?
Yuji’s demon arms really came out of nowhere when he and Higuruma jumped into the fight against the King of Curses. Within the fight, the arms themselves don’t seem to have that much of an influence on how Yuji fights, as he is still shown to fight Sukuna with his fists and general physical prowess, just as he did before. Though this isn’t something Sukuna hasn’t seen before, his reaction to blocking Yuji’s first punch hints at something more.
In a brief panel, Yuji manages to surprise Sukuna by closing the distance very quickly and delivering a punch that is blocked by the Cursed Spirit. However, despite blocking it, Sukuna’s expression betrays a feeling of shock and surprise, as the chapter shows him being caught off guard by the strength of Yuji’s punch, which also somehow makes him vibrate or shake as Kamutoke is caught by Higuruma before it can deal its Cursed Technique to Yuji.
Did Yuji Inherit his Brother’s Powers?
Though these moments showing off Yuji’s new powers are quite fleeting, they still do enough to show fans that Yuji has undergone some sort of power-up. But where exactly did this power come from? Despite the series not revealing that information yet, many fans have already begun their theory-crafting. One of these leading theories, and one that is quite likely to be the reason for this strength, has to do with the Cursed Womb Death Paintings.
Kenjaku, in the body of Noritoshi Kamo, created the accursed Death Paintings 150 years before the start of the main story. There were a total of nine of these Paintings, which are all essentially the offspring born from the mixture of the blood of a Cursed Spirit with that of a human, resulting in an abomination that is completely enveloped in Cursed Energy. Yuji is such a Death Painting.
At some point before the start of Sukuna and Gojo’s fight, a short dialogue between Choso and Yuji hinted at what may have happened to the remaining 6 Death Paintings, considering Choso was there and Kechizu and Eso had been killed much earlier on. It is theorized that Yuji had ingested the remaining Paintings, because Yuji thanks Choso for the help, who then goes on to say how the rest of his brothers will live on within Yuji.
Though it initially seems a little far-fetched, this idea does have merit. This is because Yuji has been known to be willing to ingest Cursed Objects in order to fulfill his goals, as is also seen in Chapter 212, when he states that he will “eat anything to kill that creep (Sukuna)”. This theory makes sense in that fans could be seeing Yuji’s body adapt to the Death Paintings, giving him the distinctive demon arms, as his body changes to something more like his brothers, which haven’t been mentioned since, and getting some amalgamation of their blood-related abilities.
A Mirror to Sukuna
The other prevailing theory, and the far more likely one, has to do with the relationship that Yuji has with the King of Curses. Ever since Yuji ingested Sukuna’s finger in the very first episode/chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen, his body began to change and get stronger, adapting to the huge influx of Cursed Energy and the incredibly powerful Cursed Spirit housed within it.
Moreover, even after “coming back to life” and training in private with Gojo after the Juvenile Detention Centre arc, Yuji was told that the relationship that he has with Sukuna may also prove to be beneficial to him down the line. This is due to the fact that Sukuna’s Cursed Energy will eventually influence Yuji’s own, and Gojo even said that, given time, Yuji’s body may adapt to Sukuna’s Cursed Technique, allowing him to eventually use that as well.
This also explains Yuji’s demon arms, because when Yuji ate Sukuna’s finger, Sukuna was officially known as a Curse at that time. Now, if Yuji’s body truly is adapting to Sukuna’s Cursed Energy and technique, then that may also come with some physiological changes that make Yuji seem more like a Curse himself in some regards. Perhaps, the ability to use Cleave and Dismantle may come as part and parcel of Yuji’s arms, as his body has now potentially adapted to Sukuna.
If this truly is the case, then this would be an ability that could completely turn the tide in the favor of the heroes, who have only really been suffering loss after loss at this point to Sukuna. Narratively, this would also be a great way to cap off the story and Sukuna’s arc as well, with him meeting his end at the hands of the person he thought the least of, who was also the one to use his own Cursed Technique against him!
Jujutsu Kaisen can be streamed on Amazon Prime and Netflix.
Leave a Reply