Jujutsu Kaisen features some of the most complex and well-researched universes among recent shonen anime series, and the various abilities that the characters possess are equally intriguing.
Innate cursed techniques are unique abilities that some jujutsu sorcerers are born with, these allow them to handle cursed energy more effectively. But other than just original innate cursed techniques, there are some which are passed down through the generations in clans.
Usually, most members extending to even branches of the same family, specialize in these unique jujutsu.
The three most powerful and influential clans in the Jujutsu Kaisen world are the Zenin clan, Gojo clan and the Kamo clan. Each has their own inherited innate cursed techniques awakening in their members every generation.
Some reckon this to be the case because of the clans' connections to the three extremely powerful sorcerers. The latter are duly nicknamed, “The Big Three Vengeful Spirits” during the Heian era.
Exploring all of the inherited innate cursed techniques in Jujutsu Kaisen season 1
1) Ten Shadows technique (Zenin clan)
The Zenin clan are especially ruthless when it comes to inherited cursed techniques passed down in their clan. Fushiguro Megumi inherited the coveted Ten Shadows Technique of the Zenin clan, due to his father's bloodline.
The Ten Shadows technique begins with the holder of the ability receiving two Divine Dogs, and other shikigami, which are familiar curses. The shikigami can then be summoned by an exorcism ritual where they need to be defeated to be dominated by the user.
They remain until they are dispelled or the sorcerer’s cursed energy runs out. In Jujutsu Kaisen season 1, Megumi is able to summon not only the Divine Dogs, but also Nue, Toad, Great Serpent, and Max Elephant.
One of the Divine Dogs is, however, destroyed by the special-grade curse bearing Sukuna’s finger at the juvenile detention center, while his Great Serpent is wrecked by Sukuna soon after.
Once destroyed, a shikigami cannot be summoned again, but their power is inherited by other shikigami, as is seen when Megumi calls upon his remaining Divine Dog during the Jujutsu Kaisen Kyoto Goodwill Event Arc.
2) Limitless and Six Eyes (Gojo clan)
Gojo Satoru is the sole surviving member of the Gojo clan and the holder of both the Limitless and the Six Eyes techniques. Limitless is the Gojo clan’s inherited cursed technique, which allows the user to manifest the concept of ‘infinity’ into reality and manipulate space at will.
In the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, Akutami explains Gojo’s technique using the analogy of Achilles and the tortoise. Akutami explains that any two points on a plane are separated by a finite distance, but to travel from one point to the other, a person has to reach the middle.
However, if the traveler reaches the midway point and divides the remaining distance into two equal halves, there appears an infinite number of midway segments. So, theoretically, the traveler will never reach his destination, due to an infinite number of segments separating them.
Limitless, however, can only be utilized to its maximum potential in combination with Six Eyes. While the latter technique has appeared strictly in members of the Gojo clan, Gojo Satoru is the only one to inherit both the Limitless cursed technique and the Six Eyes in the last 400 years.
Six Eyes allows Gojo to not only have enhanced brain functions and extremely precise control over cursed energy, it also gives him enhanced vision.
A Six-Eyes user’s vision extends up till several kilometers, allowing them to clearly read the flow of cursed energy and even distinguish between people with the same metric.
Moreover, the ocular ability minimizes the loss of cursed power to such an extent that a Limitless user blessed with Six Eyes will never run out of cursed energy.
Gojo takes the application of his ability a step further, as he uses Six Eyes to simultaneously execute reversed cursed technique to keep his brain fresh. This is extremely helpful as he's virtually unfazed despite using a steady stream of cursed energy to make Limitless’ “Infinity” ability automatic.
Satoru’s vast arsenal of offensive jujutsu techniques also include Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue, which reinforces Limitless with “negative energy.” This creates a vacuum which forces space around to rush in and fill the empty void, almost like a magnetic force.
Cursed Technique Reversal: Red simply reverses the Blue technique, creating a powerful repulsive force that expels everything in Satoru’s general vicinity.
Finally, we have the Hollow Purple technique, a culmination of both the Red and Blue techniques, both destructive and extremely powerful. Fusing the attractive and repulsive forces, Satoru creates a singularity that completely annihilates anything in its path.
3) Cursed Speech (Inumaki clan)
Cursed speech is a hereditary cursed technique belonging to the Inumaki clan. The ability is an auditory one and requires certain seals to be drawn on the source of the sound.
In the Jujutsu Kaisen anime, we see seals drawn on Inumaki Toge’s cheeks and tongue, making his words itself the source of the technique. In the prequel movie, Okkotsu Yuuta is able to execute a similar cursed technique using a cursed weapon marked with the Inumaki clan seals.
The cursed technique uses language and sound as its carrier. The user can imbue their words with cursed energy, compelling the listener to follow their uttered commands.
From there on, one can make their opponent immobilized, fall asleep or even blast them away. The command's potency depends on the sorcerer's skill.
However, the cursed speech technique has several drawbacks as well. Inumaki clan members who inherit this technique resort to speaking in certain codes to prevent unintentional damage. Inumaki Toge is seen speaking only through onigiri ingredients.
The other major weakness of the cursed speech technique are its adverse side effects. Overuse of this technique takes a toll on the user’s body, depending on the complexity or the amount of the cursed energy imbued into the command.
In the Jujutsu Kaisen anime, we see Toge start coughing up blood while trying to subdue an opponent as powerful as Hanami.
4) Blood Manipulation (Kamo clan)
The third of the Big Three in Jujutsu Kaisen along with the Zenin and Gojo clans, the Kamo clan is the least explored in the anime. The Kyoto Goodwill Event introduces the next-in-line successor, Kamo Noritoshi, and the Kamo clan’s inherited cursed technique, Blood Manipulation.
As the name suggests, the technique allows the sorcerer to manipulate their own blood in a variety of ways. During his fight against Megumi in Jujutsu Kaisen, we see Noritoshi manipulating the blood even inside his body.
He was able to manipulate his pulse rate, temperature and the density of red blood cells to enhance his own abilities. This usage of the Kamo Blood Manipulation technique is called Flowing Red Scale.
In the Jujutsu Kaisen anime, Noritoshi also uses blood-dipped arrows and condenses his blood directly into bullet-like projectiles, called Piercing Blood.
The efficiency of the attacks depend on how much cursed energy the sorcerer can imbue into their blood. In Noritoshi’s case, Hanami was a cursed spirit who far exceeded him in terms of power. This meant that the former's Piercing Blood was almost useless against this new foe.
Blood Manipulation can also also be used as means for capture rather than simple offense, as Noritoshi uses blood as a net to subdue Megumi’s shikigami, Nue.
Though a versatile technique in Jujutsu Kaisen, Blood Manipulation also has its weaknesses. The most obvious one is being limited to a practical amount of blood to avoid harming one's body.
Most blood manipulation users have multiple weapons and reserved bags ready in advance to get around these problems.
The Death Painting arc of the Jujutsu Kaisen series brings about an interesting development in the form of Eso and Ekizu, both of whom have variations of techniques which can be classified as some sort of blood manipulation.
Coupled with that, their older brother, Choso, is yet to reveal his nefarious abilities in the anime.
Jujutsu Kaisen creator Akutami had however released new illustrations for Jump Festa 2022 featuring Choso, suggesting that he would play an important role in the narrative.
The next major Jujutsu Kaisen arcs would also reveal other inherited cursed techniques of the Zenin clan, along with more information about Megumi's Ten Shadows technique.