Jujutsu Kaisen continues the incredibly exciting raid on Sukuna in the Shinjuku Showdown Arc, and, of course, the protagonist of the series, Yuji Itadori was always going to be incredibly relevant in this section of the story. Yuji has been somewhat underwhelming in this arc so far, however, it was only a matter of time before the author started focusing on him and gave him more attention going forward.
Now, Yuji's certainly one of the most exciting aspects of the raid, and with each passing chapter, he keeps surprising fans by becoming stronger. In JJK chapter 256, fans finally got a glimpse of Yuji's true potential, as he unleashed his cursed technique properly for the first time.
Yuji's Hinted Cursed Technique
Yuji Finally Awakened Blood Manipulation
Yuji Itadori did not possess any cursed technique when the series began. Even after he consumed Sukuna's finger, Yuji was far from the strongest sorcerers who manifested their techniques when they were kids. Still, it was never mentioned in the series that Yuji would never get a cursed technique. Fans always knew that eventually, he would get some powers and that is exactly what happened as the story continued. While Yuji utilized cursed energy incredibly efficiently with the usage of Divergent Fist, that certainly was not enough for him to reach the top levels. As such, it was imperative for Yuji to gain abilities that would make him strong enough to hold his own against the likes of Sukuna in battle. During the timeskip that led to the Shinjuku Showdown, Yuji trained relentlessly and gained powerful abilities.
When Yuji returned to battle against Sukuna after the death of Gojo, he surprised the latter with quite a few interesting abilities. One ability that he utilized immediately after returning was Blood Manipulation. This is a cursed technique that fans have seen on many occasions in the story. It was first showcased by Noritoshi Kamo, and later, Choso showed incredible usage of this technique as well. It can be assumed that Yuji learned this technique from Choso during the timeskip, and now, he can utilize it efficiently.
He first manifested this technique off-screen as he hit Sukuna with Piercing Blood. At that time, Sukuna thought this technique was launched by Choso. However, that was never confirmed. As the story continued, Sukuna witnessed the usage of blood-manipulating powers from Yuji once again. This time around, Yuji spit blood on his face and made it explode from a distance, which told Sukuna that something was up with him. As such, the basis for this has been laid for quite a while and it is only coming to a head now, as the raid against the King of Curses intensifies.
Yuji's Usage Of Blood Manipulation
Yuji Can Use Some Derived Techniques Of Blood Manipulation
In JJK chapter 256, fans got to see quite a lot of exciting action as Sukuna continued to ramp up his power with his consecutive usage of Black Flashes. However, at the same time, a lot of focus was also thrown on other individuals in the chapter. For instance, the likes of Yuji also got a lot of attention, especially towards the end. Yuji charged up his fist and landed a powerful Black Flash on Sukuna, however, shortly before that, it was also confirmed to the fans that Yuji had now awakened a cursed technique. When Yuji was fighting Sukuna up and close, he made use of Piercing Blood, which is one of the strongest abilities of the Blood Manipulation Cursed Technique that fans have seen. By clasping one's hands together, the user can utilize a stream of blood that shoots out at the speed of sound, piercing through its targets and dealing tremendous amounts of damage.
This cursed technique is quite powerful and fans have seen it do tremendous damage whenever it is used. The fact that Yuji can utilize it just goes to show that he is one to be feared. He was able to hit Sukuna with this power from a very close range and slashed him across his face, which confirmed that he is a strong user of this ability now.
That said, it was also confirmed in the chapter that Yuji cannot use Supernova at the moment. That is not to say that he can never gain access to it. It simply means that Yuji will have to wait for a while to gain access to this ability as it is more complicated to perform and needs quite a lot of training, which Yuji has not had at the moment.
How Strong Is Yuji's Cursed Technique?
Yuji Still Hasn't Mastered Blood Manipulation
At the moment, Yuji's cursed technique is quite powerful. However, it cannot be said that it has reached its pinnacle. Yuji has only been a user of Blood Manipulation for about a month. He still has a long way to go, however, it is in the face of danger that his cursed technique will grow to the next level. Right now, Yuji is facing off against Sukuna, and fans know that in the past, sorcerers tested their skills against the King of Curses, and, as a result, sharpened their abilities even further. Yuji can do the same. He has been fighting against Sukuna consistently, and by doing so, he has been improving his reverse cursed technique.
Similarly, by excessively using his technique against Sukuna, he can hone his usage of Blood Manipulation as well. Fans will most definitely see Yuji utilize better Blood Manipulation techniques in the battle against Sukuna, and eventually, come up with stronger techniques. It wouldn't be a surprise for the fans to see Yuji utilize even Supernova later down the line.
Most importantly, the skill that Yuji could eventually gain from the Blood Manipulation cursed technique is a domain expansion. Of course, blood manipulation is sure to have a powerful domain expansion, however, no character in the series has made use of it so far. Yuji could be the very first person to do this, and that is exactly what fans are eagerly waiting to see. Yuji might not have hit that level just yet, however, in due time, he will become incredibly powerful and gain a Domain Expansion that will allow him to overwhelm even the King of Curses and, potentially even defeat him.
Fans simply need to wait for Yuji to reach the next level and improve his skills against Sukuna. Given that JJK is in its final phase at the moment, it should not take Yuji long to evolve to the next level and show everyone why he is a sorcerer worth betting on and how he will pick up from right where Gojo left off and define an entire new generation.
Jujutsu Kaisen is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of JJK, Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 257, is set to be April 21, 2024.