Jujutsu Kaisen's modern sorcerers are superior to the Heian Era in one key area, and it seems intentional by Akutami

In Jujutsu Kaisen, modern sorcerers exhibit a distinct advantage over their Heian Era counterparts: efficiency and mastery of cursed techniques. Gege Akutami’s intentional focus on refining and evolving jujutsu sorcery emphasizes not only raw power but also precision and sustainability.

While Heian Era sorcerers like Sukuna and Kashimo perfected relatively basic techniques, modern special grades such as Gojo, Yuta, and Hakari display more complex, versatile abilities.

By leveraging the Reverse Cursed Technique and honing advanced cursed techniques, today's sorcerers maximize their power with minimal energy expenditure, marking a deliberate shift in how strength is defined in the jujutsu world.

Jujutsu Kaisen: Heian era Jujutsu Sorcerers perfected simple techniques

Jujutsu Kaisen’s modern sorcerers are superior to those of the Heian Era primarily in the efficiency and refinement of their techniques. This evolution seems intentional by Gege Akutami. While the sorcerers of the past, such as Dhruv, Ishigori, Uraume, and even Sukuna, were incredibly powerful, their Cursed Techniques were generally straightforward.

They relied on basic abilities like wide-area shikigami, energy blasts, elemental manipulation, or simple destructive forces like cutting and burning. However, what set these sorcerers apart was not the inherent complexity of their techniques, but their mastery of them under the duress of constant battles with cursed spirits or fellow sorcerers. In the Heian era, survival required perfecting these techniques to their maximum potential, and the pressure led to their exceptional skill.

For instance, Kashimo’s powerful cursed aura and complex manipulations of it show how past sorcerers relied on honing basic abilities. Similarly, Yorozu had a creation technique similar to Mai’s, but through rigorous training and application, she advanced it to a highly sophisticated level.

Even Reggie Star, with a weaker-than-average technique, was able to outmaneuver Megumi because of his superior mastery and tactical use of his abilities. The key difference between these ancient sorcerers and modern ones, however, lies in how the latter have benefited from technological advancement and a better understanding of cursed energy and technique theory over time.

Jujutsu Kaisen: Complex and versatile techniques of the modern era Jujutsu Sorcerers

In contrast, modern special grades like Gojo, Yuki, Geto, and Yuta have far more versatile and complex cursed techniques that can scale indefinitely in power. Gojo’s Limitless and Six Eyes grant him virtually untouchable status, able to generate endless cursed energy.

His mastery of the Reverse Cursed Technique further enhances his abilities, making him the first in his clan to fully master Limitless. Yuki’s potential to scale to black hole levels, and Geto’s ability to endlessly absorb cursed spirits, demonstrate how modern sorcerers can build on past techniques to achieve unprecedented power.

Yuta, with his ability to copy cursed techniques, has limitations compared to Geto but still represents a massive advancement in Cursed Technique versatility.

This shift can be seen in newer-generation sorcerers like Hakari, Maki, Yuji, and Takaba, who possess abilities that blend raw power with energy efficiency and precision. Maki’s Heavenly Restriction is not powered by negative emotions like traditional cursed energy, allowing her strength to grow as she purifies herself.

Hakari’s Cursed Technique, despite its relatively simple gambling basis, has become highly energy efficient, creating unlimited cursed energy for short periods. Yuji’s ability to manipulate his cursed energy surgically, without causing massive collateral damage, mirrors this trend toward refinement.

Jujutsu Kaisen: Efficiency as the new standard of power

Gojo’s comment about Hakari and Yuta potentially catching up to him hints at a new standard for modern sorcerers. The destructive power of past sorcerers, like the raw strength of the Heian Era, is being replaced by a focus on efficiency, sustainability, and precision.

This is what makes modern sorcerers superior. They can achieve similar, if not greater, results while using fewer resources, minimizing harm, and refining techniques to adapt to diverse combat scenarios. In Gojo’s case, his unmatched control over his cursed technique and Reverse Cursed Technique allowed him to take on Mahoraga, an opponent that had previously defeated his ancestors.

Final thoughts

Modern sorcerers like Gojo, Yuta, and Hakari represent a refined evolution of jujutsu techniques, focusing on mastery and efficiency rather than pure destructive power. This trend marks a deliberate shift by Akutami toward a more advanced form of jujutsu sorcery that values control, versatility, and sustainability.