The Counters to Domain Expansions, Explained

Key Takeaways

• Domain Clash involves a high-level push and pull between two domains, with the stronger user prevailing. (97 characters)
• Hollow Wicker Basket is an ancient defensive technique effective against certain domain expansions. (88 characters)
• Simple Domain is a reliable anti-domain technique that nullifies guarantee-hit effects. (83 characters)

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Domain Expansion is the pinnacle of cursed technique in Jujutsu Kaisen. After all, this technique practically combines the user’s innate domain and their innate cursed technique and condenses them into a barrier that is nearly impossible to break. While within this barrier, the user’s cursed technique will be enhanced exponentially, and it is guaranteed to hit the enemy who is unfortunate enough to be trapped within the user’s domain. A truly vicious technique!

That being said, it is not all-powerful. Jujutsu Sorcerers and Curse Spirits alike have been dealing with Domain Expansion for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. So, naturally, several techniques were created to counter the seemingly unbeatable domain expansion. These techniques are known as Anti-Domain Techniques.

Domain Clash

The first anti-domain technique is the most straightforward one yet it is also the hardest one to pull off. In the simplest terms, a Domain Clash is a counter technique where you unleash your own domain expansion the moment the enemy unleashes theirs. What happens next is basically a high-level push and pull between the two domains.

Push and Pull

When two domains collide, any of these three things will happen:

• If the user is stronger than the enemy, then the user’s domain expansion will engulf the enemy’s domain, effectively forcing its way through the enemy’s technique. This is what happens when Satoru Gojo activates his domain expansion when he fights against a cursed spirit named Jogo.
• If the user is as strong as the enemy, then the two domains will clash. At this moment, the domains’ guarantee-hit effect is nullified and it becomes a battle of endurance. The one who runs out of energy first will be enveloped by the other’s domain. This is what happens between Gojo and Sukuna.
• If the user is weaker than the enemy, then the enemy will overrun the user’s domain. Pretty much the reverse of the situation mentioned in the first point.

Pros and Cons of Domain Clash

The pros of domain clash are its simple and straightforward nature. After all, all you need to do is unleash your own domain expansion at the same time as the enemy. If all goes well, you will not only be able to defend against the enemy’s domain, but you can basically launch the perfect counterattack that can defeat them in one sweep.

However, this is also where the biggest cons of this technique lies. You have to be super confident that you are stronger than your opponent. If you are slightly weaker than your enemy, then a domain clash will be the last technique that you will ever use.

Hollow Wicker Basket

In a way, the Esoteric Technique: Hollow Wicker Basket was developed as the antithesis of Domain Clash. While domain clash is a high-risk high-reward technique, the hollow wicker basket is a low-risk, low-reward technique. That’s why every jujutsu sorcerer and curse spirit can, and often, use this technique when faced with a Domain Expansion.

Ancient Anti-Domain Technique

When a user activates the Hollow Wicker Basket, a spherical cage that looks like a woven basket appears with the user in the middle. As you can probably already guess from the name and the shape of this technique, the Hollow Wicker Basket is a defensive technique. Unlike the Domain Clash, it can’t be used as a means to counterattack.

The Hollow Wicker Basket was developed eons ago. That’s why the characters who used it in the series are those who come from the past, particularly Reggie Star and Ryomen Sukuna. There are hardly any sorcerers or cursed spirits who use this technique nowadays.

Pros and Cons of Hollow Wicker Basket

The biggest pro of using the Hollow Wicker Basket is its effectiveness despite its low energy consumption. After all, a Hollow Wicker Basket can basically nullify the guarantee-hit effect of a Domain Expansion, which pretty much ensures the safety of its users even if they are engulfed within the enemy’s domain.

However, this simplicity also has its cons. Hollow Wicker Basket only affects the sure-hit effect of an attack-based domain and a fully-formed domain. This means the user will still suffer from a sure-hit effect of an incomplete domain, which is exactly what happens to Reggie Star when Megumi Fushigoro unleashes his incomplete domain. Not only that, the user will also experience the effect of a non-lethal domain. That’s why Sukuna didn’t activate his Hollow Wicker Basket when he was within Hiromi Higuruma’s court-like domain expansion, it would be useless.

Simple Domain

New Shadow Style: Simple Domain is the perfected version of Hollow Wicker Basket. It has all of Hollow Wicker Basket’s benefits, without none of its downsides. That’s why this is the most reliable anti-domain technique that many sorcerers use in this modern age.

The Simplest and Most Cost-effective Technique

As the story goes, during the Heian Era, Sadatsuna Ashiya created a technique that allowed his followers to defend against Domain Expansion. A technique against Domain Expansion that is not only effective but also easy enough for anybody to execute. In his words, this is “a domain for the weak”.

Sadatsuna ordered his followers to keep the Simple Domain as a technique that is strictly passed down among the members of his school. He even went as far as forcing a binding vow on them. Unfortunately for him, this technique is simple enough that it’s not difficult for high-level jujutsu sorcerers to mimic.

“Hollow Wicker Basket and Simple Domain have weaker outputs than domains that manifest mental images. Buying time until the domain’s can’t-miss attack hits would be possible, but at some point, getting overpowered is inevitable.”

Pros and Cons of Simple Domain

As mentioned before, Simple Domain is basically the perfect version of the Hollow Wicker Basket. This means this technique can fully nullify the guarantee-hit effect of a domain expansion. Since a simple domain is pretty much a mini domain expansion, it also works against all types of domain expansion, unlike Hollow Wicker Basket.

The cons are actually quite similar to domain clashes. Its performance depends highly on the user and the enemy. A simple domain was indeed created so that regular sorcerers could stand a chance against strong opponents. But if the difference in strength is too large—think of an average Jujutsu Sorcerers vs Ryomen Sukuna—then Simple Domain will only buy its user a few minutes before they will eventually be consumed by the opponents’ superior domain.

Obscure Anti-Domain Technique

Domain Clash, Hollow Wicker Basket, and Simple Domain are the three most common anti-domain techniques that you can find in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen. However, there are also some obscure techniques out there that can only be used by certain people, either due to the secrecy behind the technique or the fact that the technique is so complex that only a handful of people can pull it off. These two esoteric anti-domain techniques are called the Falling Blossom Emotion and Domain Amplification.

Falling Blossom Emotion

Falling Blossom Emotion is a secret technique that is only passed down to the members of the Big Three Families in the Jujutsu world—Zenin Clan, the Gojo Clan, and the Kamo Clan. Unlike the other anti-domain techniques that focus mainly on defense, Falling Blossom Emotion focuses more on counterattack.

When activated, the user’s body will be enveloped by thick cursed energy that will automatically attack any cursed techniques that come near the user’s body, effectively negating the guarantee-hit effect of a domain expansion. That being said, while it’s great against cursed techniques, Falling Blossom Emotion provides no protection at all against physical attack. The Zen’in family often uses this technique.

Domain Amplification

Domain Amplification is an anti-domain technique that can be said to be the combination of several anti-domain techniques. When activated, domain amplification surrounds its user with a tiny domain, similar to the simple domain. However, unlike a simple domain that covers a certain distance, domain amplification is closer to the body, just like Falling Blossom Emotion.

Unlike Falling Blossom Emotion which will automatically counterattack incoming cursed technique while leaving the users vulnerable to physical attack, domain amplification allows its user to land a critical physical attack on the enemy by fully negating their domain expansion. Thanks to domain amplification, Jogo managed to negate Satoru Gojo’s infinity barrier and land a clean punch on him. The only cons of domain amplification is the fact that the user cannot use their innate technique when they use domain amplification, which forces them to stick to hand-to-hand combat.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, Domain Expansion is the pinnacle of cursed technique. There’s no question about that. However, the fact that there are techniques that can be used to defend, or even launch a counterattack, against a domain expansion is a prove that Jujutsu Kaisen has a fairly balanced power system. No technique is absolutely superior to the rest. This means no matter how strong the enemy might be, there’s always a way to survive or even win the fight. And that is a recipe for interesting and engaging storytelling.

Jujutsu Kaisen is available to stream on Crunchyroll.