Domain Expansions may be Jujutsu Kaisen's downfall

One aspect of the Jujutsu Kaisen series that sets it apart from others is its unique Cursed Energy power system. Such an archetype of system has rarely, if ever, been used prior to author and illustrator Gege Akutami’s series, further helping Jujutsu Kaisen to stand out from the crowd of new-gen series.

As the Cursed Energy power system evolved and new abilities were introduced, Domain Expansions became one of the system's most popular abilities among fans. They found them even more fascinating as the early stages of the story progressed and more were introduced.

However, as the story has moved forward, the Domain Expansions have become more complicated overall. Follow along as this article explains why Domain Expansions, as they’ve been progressing, may end up being Jujutsu Kaisen’s downfall.

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Underexplained and overly complicated Domain Expansions may bring Jujutsu Kaisen to ruin

A Domain Expansion serves as a metaphysical manifestation of a Cursed Technique user’s Innate Domain which is constructed via Cursed Energy. A barrier wall is used to trap whomever a user wants to target inside, with the wall being extremely difficult to break from the inside out. Conversely, since barriers are meant to keep people in, they can be easily broken into from the outside.

Domain Expansions serve as the supreme ability of any sorcerer, being something that can fully embed a user's Cursed Technique. When successfully done, this gives the domain a can’t-miss clause for the user’s Cursed Technique, meaning that everything within a Domain Expansion not only can but will be hit by the user’s Technique.

As more and more Domain Expansions have been introduced, their power has only increased. Kinji Hakari's Domain Expansion is a perfect example, as he can infinitely recast his Expansion when he gets the slot rolls he requires. Like real-life gambling, his Domain Expansion also has plenty of modifiers and special rules to help boost his odds.

While fans love Hakari’s Domain Expansion, many believe that the addition of so many Expansions has ruined its novelty. Domain Expansions were initially reserved for the strongest characters in the series, such as Sukuna, Satoru Gojo, and Jogo the Cursed Spirit.

Characters such as Suguru Geto and Kento Nanami's lack of a Domain Expansion also helped to demonstrate that even without one of their own, they could still fight many on equal ground. Simultaneously, Megumi Fushiguro’s achieving a Domain Expansion (though an incomplete one) emphasized how much of an achievement this is for his young age.

Since then, however, it seems as if nearly every character in the series is being given a Domain Expansion of their own. Hiromi Higuruma, Takako Uro, Ryu Ishigori, Yuta Okkotsu, Hajime Kashimo, Naoya Zenin, and Rokujushi Miyo have all been shown or said to have one since Megumi’s was introduced.

In the cases of Uro, Ishigori, and Okkotsu, all three were shown to be capable of activating Domain Expansions, but this was quickly interrupted before any of the three were explained. While Okkotsu’s will likely be expanded on in the future, it appears that Uro and Ishigori's events of activating their Domain Expansions have since been left out of the story permanently.

Fans are currently informed about two Domain Expansions, but no further information is available. Everything from their appearances to the conditions implemented in them will likely never be expanded upon in the canonical, mainline Jujutsu Kaisen series.

Higuruma is also an exceptional case, being able to learn how to use his non-lethal Domain Expansion in just one week. This was achieved thanks to leaving out the can’t-miss attack factor, emphasizing just how powerful Satoru Gojo is and how much potential Megumi Fushiguro has.

However, it also brings up an issue that anyone can technically achieve a Domain Expansion in a short time frame if they leave out the sure-hit technique. While many of Jujutsu Kaisen’s Expansions would likely be crippled without this key support system, there exists the possibility of some that can function well without it.

Thus, the issue becomes how to scale these rushed Domain Expansions against the more polished ones seen throughout Jujutsu Kaisen. Furthermore, with how simple a basic Domain Expansion seems to be able to achieve, it seems Akutami will have to come up with a way to prevent characters from having one rather than justify the user’s strength.

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