Jujutsu Kaisen's Sukuna may be more similar to Shiva, not Buddha, in his final form

Modified Jul 27, 2024 01:13 GMT

In Jujutsu Kaisen, Ryomen Sukuna (the King of Curses) exhibits striking parallels not just with Buddha but more intriguingly with Shiva, the Dancer of Destruction from Indian mythology. Sukuna's final form and Shiva share notable traits such as their four arms and their associations with destruction.

Sukuna's cursed tool Hiten resembles Shiva's trident, and his fire attack echoes Shiva's cosmic dance and divine flames. The similarities listed in this article suggest that Sukuna's final form draws more inspiration from Shiva, rather than Buddha.

Jujutsu Kaisen: Ryomen Sukuna's similarities with Shiva

Ryomen Sukuna's Hiten as shown (Image via Shueisha)

There are multiple theories about the similarities between Sukuna and Buddha. While these comparisons make sense, another entity from mythology seems to share more similarities with Sukuna: Shiva from Indian mythology.

Firstly, Sukuna has four hands, akin to the Devas, Asuras, and Gods of Indian mythology. This physical trait is a notable parallel. Moreover, Sukuna is associated with chaos, much like Shiva, who is literally known as the God of Destruction. Sukuna wields a cursed tool resembling a trident known as Hiten. This tool mirrors Shiva's weapon, the Trishul.

Ryomen Sukuna uses Divine Flame during the Shibuya Incident arc (Image via MAPPA)

Additionally, Sukuna's Divine Flame, which is a powerful fire attack that annihilates everything within its range, bears a striking resemblance to Shiva's fierce power using his flames. Shiva is known to cause absolute destruction with his divine flames when he opens his third eye or performs his cosmic dance.

While it is true that characters in the series may draw inspiration from multiple sources, the parallels between Sukuna and Shiva are significant. Despite Shiva being a force of good and Sukuna embodying evil, the inspiration appears clear.

Moreover, Sukuna uses a bow and arrow to invoke divine flames from the furnace, leading to widespread devastation. This detail is reminiscent of an episode from Shiva's lore, where he destroyed "Tripura," which consisted of three cities existing in three realms: Swargalok (Heaven), Martayalok (Earthly plane), and Patalalok (Underworld).

Shiva reduced these cities to ashes with his divine bow and arrow, a feat that aligns with Sukuna's destructive capabilities.

Jujutsu Kaisen: Gege Akutami's other inspiration Ryomen Sukuna

Ryomen Sukuna as shown in the anime series (Image via MAPPA)

Gege Akutami also draws inspiration from Japanese Mythology. Ryomen Sukuna was a historical figure in Japan, who later became a legend. Sukuna was a renowned leader in Japan. He was overthrown by the Yamato family through a hostile takeover.

The s͏tories about ͏Su͏kuna are ͏r͏ec͏or͏ded in th͏e ͏ancien͏t book ͏of ͏class͏i͏cal Japanese histor͏y͏, Nihon Sh͏ok͏i, trans͏late͏d as͏ The Ch͏roni͏cles of͏ ͏Japan. In thes͏e sto͏ries, Ryomen S͏ukuna was ͏depic͏t͏ed as a m͏ighty being͏ wit͏h two pairs ͏of arms and two͏ pa͏irs ͏of͏ legs, each͏ ͏one si͏tua͏ted on ͏the fr͏ont ͏a͏nd back of his ͏body, ͏muc͏h like his cou͏nt͏erpart i͏n Jujuts͏u͏ Kaisen͏.͏

Ryomen Sukuna is the King of Curses (Image via MAPPA)

I͏n͏ the world of Jujutsu ͏Kaise͏n, S͏ukuna is known as t͏he ͏Ki͏ng of Cur͏ses ͏due to h͏i͏s unparallel͏ed stren͏gth and͏ catastrophic ͏capabilit͏ies.͏ T͏hough͏ conside͏re͏d͏ an imaginary dem͏on in ͏the legends, Sukuna was ͏o͏n͏ce a ͏hu͏man Juj͏utsu͏ sorcerer wh͏o ͏liv͏ed during Japan͏'s Heian E͏ra, over a thousan͏d years ago. Geg͏e͏ ͏Akutami ͏descr͏ibed͏ Suku͏na as less of a sor͏cerer and ͏mo͏re ͏of a walking ͏dis͏aste͏r.

According to Satoru Gojo, Sukuna was so powerful that during the golden age of Jujutsu sorcery, sorcerers had to combine their powers to defeat him. Even then, they could not completely destroy him, and fragments of Sukuna's power remain intact to this day. After defeating Sukuna, the sorcerers from that era had to cut off all his fingers and seal them away as cursed objects.

Sukuna's fingers were sealed for over a millennium before Yuji Itadori ate it (Image via MAPPA)

Over a millennium later, the 20 fingers are now scattered across Japan. These fingers are listed as special-grade cursed objects, strong enough to remain unscathed even after a direct hit from Gojo. Ordinary curses consuming just one of Sukuna's fingers gain access to a massive boost in power.

Final thoughts

Jujutsu Kaisen's Sukuna, with his four arms, destructive power, trident-like weapon, and final attack involving divine flames, shares remarkable similarities with Shiva, rather than Buddha. These parallels highlight Sukuna's embodiment of chaos and formidable strength in the series.