Yuji Itadori's Powers From Jujutsu Kaisen Explained

Episode 1 of "Jujutsu Kaisen" introduces viewers to Yuji Itadori, an athletically gifted high schooler interested in the occult. Yuji decides to join his school's occult research club. Although technically registered to the track and field team, he chooses to attend the research club's meetings instead. What is initially an innocent interest in the spooky and unexplainable leads to legitimate danger when Yuji and the rest of the occult research club discover a Cursed Object which causes strange incidents at their school. Yuji's fellow club members remove the object, which turns out to be one of the fingers of Sukuna, the King of Curses, from a protective seal. Doing this allows Cursed Spirits — negative human emotions which manifest as dangerous monsters — to attack them in pursuit of it.

Jujutsu Sorcerer-in-training Megumi Fushiguro uses his considerable power to fight the Cursed Spirits, but he cannot overcome them. On something of a whim, Yuji swallows Sukuna's finger and hopes to absorb its energy so he can fight alongside Fushiguro. This event is the inciting incident for nearly all of the plot of "Jujutsu Kaisen." In short, the series chronicles Yuji's growth from an ambitious high schooler into a supernatural warrior. As he slowly transforms into a powerful fighter, Yuji acquires a variety of supernatural powers and skills.

Following his introduction to Megumi Fushiguro and his mentor, Satoru Gojo, Yuji Itadori enrolls in Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School. At this school, humans learn how to wield a natural resource called Cursed Energy in order to fight Cursed Spirits, becoming what are called Jujutsu Sorcerers. Yuji starts from ground zero, possessing virtually no ability to wield Cursed Energy, instead of approaching many of his early fights with little more than raw human strength.

Yuji first exhibits his considerable physicality in Episode 1 (via IMDb), when his track and field coach allows him to leave the team and officially join the occult research club if he wins a shot put competition. Not only does Yuji succeed, but he breaks a world record and demonstrates to viewers that he is supernaturally gifted even before discovering the world of Jujutsu Sorcery.

Furthermore, even when he does attain a certain level of familiarity with Cursed Energy, Yuji sticks to a hand-to-hand fight style. He fortifies his attacks with Cursed Energy rather than develop a more technical fighting style like Fushiguro's, which involves fighting alongside summoned creatures. His considerable strength remains the core of his approach to combat throughout the entirety of "Jujutsu Kaisen" Season 1.

After Yuji Itadori swallows his finger in Episode 1, Sukuna takes over Yuji's body and exorcises his Cursed Spirit foe with ease. Megumi Fushiguro, however, is about to attack Yuji/Sukuna when Yuji suddenly regains control of his body and represses all signs of Sukuna, including his tattoos and an extra pair of eyes.

Satoru Gojo ultimately tests whether or not Yuji can resist Sukuna once again taking control of his body. He confirms Yuji can, in fact, avoid succumbing completely to Sakuna's influence. As a result, Gojo allows Yuji to become a vessel for the rest of Sukuna's fingers. If Yuji had been unable to do so, he would have been killed in order to prevent Sukuna from manifesting anew.

This ability, which Yuji naturally possesses, not only saves his life but is key to his growth as a Jujutsu Sorcerer. Since Yuji, through happenstance, becomes a vessel for collecting and disposing of the Cursed Energy-laden fingers of Sukuna, he must likewise become a powerful warrior in order to competently shoulder that responsibility. His journey as a Jujutsu Sorcerer, then, is contingent entirely upon his supernatural ability to resist the influence of Sukuna's spirit, despite it living within him.

The final component of Yuji's base capabilities in combat, prior to becoming a Jujutsu Sorcerer, is his brave constitution. It's thanks to his considerable bravery that he jumps in to fight alongside Megumi Fushiguro in Episode 1, most likely saving Fushiguro's life despite a complete lack of experience with the supernatural.

That said, Yuji's bravery is sometimes to his detriment, like when he attempts to go toe-to-toe with a Special Grade (indicating the highest possible level of power) Cursed Spirit known as the Finger Bearer in Episode 4 (via IMDb). His attacks are not only ineffective, but he loses a hand seconds into their battle. Nevertheless, it's in this situation that Yuji first manifests Cursed Energy despite no formal training in doing so, further demonstrating how his courageousness can singlehandedly result in the discovery of new powers, even if that particular fight was one he would have lost without intervention from Sukuna.

After dying and coming back to life in the wake of his battle with the Finger Bearer, Satoru Gojo begins to formally teach Yuji Itadori how to manifest Cursed Energy at will. Gojo explains that Cursed Energy is akin to raw electricity, and Cursed Techniques — abilities fueled by Cursed Energy — are like home appliances in comparative complexity. Yuji, however, is unable to utilize Cursed Techniques given his introduction to the world of Jujutsu Sorcery as a teenager. Cursed Techniques, Gojo reveals, are based on inherited ability and generally cannot be developed.

Instead, Yuji learns to incorporate the manifestation of raw Cursed Energy into his existing fighting style. This culminates with Yuji's creation of the Divergent Fist attack, a punch that hits twice in short succession. First, he strikes with his natural physical strength before delivering a subsequent blow consisting of pure Cursed Energy. In Episode 12 (via IMDb), while fighting Mahito, a preternaturally gifted Cursed Spirit, Yuji's Divergent Fist proves especially useful because the second strike comes before Mahito uses his ability to regenerate after sustaining an injury. In doing this, Yuji makes direct contact with Mahito's soul.

Yuji Itadori's more recent and substantial development as a Jujutsu Sorcerer occurs during the Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event in the latter half of Season 1. At the beginning of the event, Yuji battles Aoi, a student at the Kyoto branch of Jujutsu High. When Aoi learns he and Yuji are attracted to the same type of woman, he begins to think of Yuji as an old friend and commits himself to better Yuji in battle.

Their strange friendship culminates with Yuji learning the Black Flash technique. Aoi is not a fan of the Divergent Fist, claiming that the Cursed Energy Yuji releases in the wake of his initial punch is wasted. Aoi prefers Yuji imbue his attack with Cursed Energy at the precise moment of impact and helps teach Yuji how to wield his Cursed Energy such that this becomes possible.

Then, in the battle against the Special Grade Cursed Spirit Hanami, Aoi refuses to aid Yuji until he can successfully deploy the Black Flash, as the ability is known. Not only is Yuji able to do so, but he then repeats the attack with ease throughout the ensuing fight. Given the importance of physical strength, his unique relationship to Cursed Energy, and the bravery he exhibits in figuring out how to use the Black Flash for the first time against a foe stronger than himself, this moment is something of a culmination of Yuji's overall combat proficiencies.