Jujutsu Kaisen's New Shadow Style and the lore behind it, fully explained

Modified Sep 16, 2024 08:30 GMT

Jujutsu Kaisen is known for a lot of things but its intricate battle system is something that has gained a lot of attention as well. That is because author Gege Akutami tends to a lot of details and rules to make it work, even going as far as adding new lore and details to the New Shadow Style subsection, as seen recently in the events of chapter 269 of the manga.

Indeed, even if Jujutsu Kaisen only has two more chapters left before ending the story, Akutami chose to add some extra lore to the New Shadow Style, giving a greater degree of depth to this fighting approach. While it was designed for weaker sorcerers to fight the strongest ones, some new details link it with Binding Vows and the nature of how some of the clans work in the series.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

Explaining the lore behind Jujutsu Kaisen's New Shadow Style

Mei Mei played a key role with the New Shadow Style recently (Image via MAPPA).

The New Shadow Style stems from the ability known as Simple Domain, which was created by the sorcerer known as Sadatsuna Ashiya. A Simple Domain was meant to be a tool that could allow weaker sorcerers to compete against the strongest while also working as a technique to neutralize the sure-hit effect of Domain Expansions, as has been shown throughout the story.

However, this technique was eventually leaked and spread across the Jujutsu world despite the fact there were Binding Vows that kept Ashiya and the people from his clan from teaching it. A lot of sorcerers managed to see the ability in action and learned to copy, which is something that a lot of people have seen in the story through characters such as Kasumi Miwa, Atsuya Kusakabe, and even the main character, Yuji Itadori.

It was revealed in chapter 269 of the manga that the head of the New Shadow Style School had a Binding Vow that could rob the students of its lifespan. However, thanks to shenanigans by Mei Mei and help from Tengen, she discovered who the current head was and managed to pass the title to Kusakabe since he is the strongest user at the moment.

More details

Kusakabe is the head of the New Shadow Style School (Image via MAPPA).

Now that Mei Mei has taken the life of the head of the New Shadow Style School in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 269, Kusakabe's leadership means that any sorcerer can have access to this fighting style. This means that this could shape future generations differently and can teach other people with greater ease, as shown by the way Yuji Itadori managed to learn Simple Domain.

From a writing perspective, it also adds extra lore to the way that Shadow Style was created and the role that it has in the Jujutsu world. Writer Gege Akutami has always been criticized for a lack of world-building in this series, although this moment added some much-needed context to this ability, which is something that is always welcomed.

Final thoughts

The New Shadow Style was perhaps one of the most underdeveloped concepts of the battle system in Jujutsu Kaisen but now Akutami has given it much-needed context. Furthermore, some of the established lore in chapter 269 has led to some people think that there could be a sequel, although this is mere fan speculation.

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Edited by Tiasha