This article contains spoilers from Jujutsu Kaisen’s Epilogue chapter.
Summary
- Yuji awakened Shrine in Shinjuku, showing immense power.
- Yuji’s Shrine technique is safer compared to Sukuna’s.
- Yuji’s Shrine can hit souls, dealing irreparable damage.
Yuji Itadori is the protagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen and a character that the fans were always interested in seeing the progression of. Just like the vast majority of the shonen protagonists, Yuji was bestowed with a power right at the beginning of the story, and in his case, it was Ryomen Sukuna. That said, Sukuna was more of a burden for Yuji than anything. Having his own goals to fulfill, Sukuna had no problems existing inside Yuji and biding his time, but doing so eventually bestowed Yuji with some great abilities as well, most of which bore fruits in the Shinjuku Showdown Arc of the story.
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Finally, here, Yuji awakened the power of Shrine, and fans were utterly mesmerized by the level of performance he displayed in this phenomenal climax of the story. That said, Yuji’s Shrine wasn’t fully developed at the end of the story, which means there is still potential for him to fulfill even after the end of JJK and that’s something fans are still curious to see.
How Yuji Itadori Awakened The Shrine
- Yuji’s Body Was Bathed In Sukuna’s Cursed Energy
- Yuji Awakened Shrine In The Shinjuku Showdown Arc
Yuji Itadori gained quite a lot of incredible powers in the Shinjuku Showdown Arc of Jujutsu Kaisen. However, it is quite apparent that in a world where techniques of all kinds exist, Yuji’s initial powers were rather boring. At the beginning of JJK, all Yuji could do was utilize cursed energy at a basic level and use Divergent Fist to deliver physical blows with a lag to his enemies, making it a double whammy. It wasn’t the prettiest technique to look at, and certainly not the flashiest either. But, it did get the job done, more often than not. Yuji Itadori continued to work upon the Divergent Fist as Jujutsu Kaisen continued and it is safe to say that this power did get stronger, but its lackluster nature remained. That’s why the author had to come up with better powers for the protagonist and he certainly did it in style.
Beneath the sparks of black, Yuji Itadori awakens! – Narrator
Ever since Yuji and Sukuna shared bodies, fans knew that it would benefit the former in some way or form. This idea was proven correct when Gojo Satoru, the strongest modern sorcerer, clearly stated that Yuji Itadori was actually bathed in Sukuna’s Cursed Energy. According to Gojo, Yuji would eventually go on to gain Sukuna’s technique. As such, the premise for Yuji gaining an incredibly powerful ability at some point later down the line in JJK was established by the author already. Shoko reaffirmed this idea at some point later down the line and this was the author’s way of telling the fans that this plot point exists.
While a lot of the readers were believers in the fact that Yuji would eventually go on to gain the power of Shrine, many still doubted this idea. Thankfully, Yuji did eventually go on to gain this power and this development came in the Shinjuku Showdown Arc of JJK, right at the very end. When Yuji fought Sukuna and contributed significantly to the raid being led against him, fans saw the likes of Yuta, Miguel, Larue, Maki, and others collaborate. It is here that Yuji managed to land his first Black Flash hit on the King of Curses, and this blow proved to be the turning point. Because of the Black Flash, Yuji Itadori underwent an awakening and this led to him being able to tap into the power of the cursed technique called Shrine, which was previously being utilized by none other than Sukuna himself.
The Differences Between Yuji and Sukuna’s Shrine
- Yuji Itadori’s Shrine is Safer
- Sukuna’s Shrine Is Destructive
Avid readers of Jujutsu Kaisen will know very well what the Shrine technique is. It allows Sukuna to utilize two types of cutting abilities, Cleave and Dismantle. The former is used by Sukuna to cut down an enemy in one fell swoop, and its strength can be adjusted based on the toughness of the enemy and the cursed energy utilized. It also usually activities upon contact.
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Dismantle is a projectile slash that cuts down anything and everything in its path, making it truly dangerous in combat. Sukuna also has access to the power of Furnace, which is a thermobaric combustion-type attack that he can only utilize after making use of both Cleave and Dismantle against his enemies. This technique can, simply put, incinerate the enemy completely, reducing them to ash. Sukuna’s technique is quite indiscriminate in what it does. For instance, in Shinjuku, the violent nature of his technique was quite evident. However, Yuji’s technique is quite different.
Does this mean this brat has the same level of potential as Sukuna-sama himself? – Uraume
Yuji Itadori is a user of the Shrine too and it is safe to say that his Shrine is just as overpowered, but the difference comes in the safety of the technique. Right from the first moment that Yuji utilized the Shrine, fans could see scissor marks being left on the area that he wanted to be chopped down. These scissor marks appear every time Yuji wants to cut down something, and it is only this particular part of his enemies that is damaged. According to Sukuna, this is likely due to the difference in personalities, and the technique existing in a completely different era. Regardless, Yuji’s technique doesn’t do harm beyond what’s needed. Yuji cuts what he wants, and doesn’t even scratch what doesn’t matter to him. Sukuna chops down everything, all at once.
How Yuji’s Shrine Can Surpass Sukuna’s Shrine
Yuji Itadori’s Shrine Can Hit Souls
On paper, Yuji Itadori and Sukuna’s Shrine should be similar in terms of power output. Both Yuji and Sukuna should be able to utilize Cleave and Dismantle on their enemies, with the only difference being the level of safety of the technique. While Yuji wasn’t seen using the Furnace technique, there is absolutely no reason to believe that he doesn’t have access to it, especially since they carry the same power. By adulthood, Yuji most likely would’ve gained control over this power as well.
What gives Yuji’s technique the edge is the power to hit souls. Yuji can damage the soul of his enemies with each blow, and when these soul-damaging blows are combined with Cleaves and Dismantles, it’s game over for even the strongest of enemies. Soul Damage hits harder than anything else in JJK, and the biggest plus point? This damage cannot be healed from even using Reverse Cursed Technique. The only way to heal soul damage is to know the outline of the soul, which hardly anyone can do and even Sukuna only managed because of having two souls in one body. Any other character would have fallen way quicker. As such, Yuji sacrifices the indiscriminate nature of the technique and takes a safer approach, but in exchange, gains the power to deal damage that negates durability, and cannot be healed from. Overall, if Yuji masters every technique that Sukuna has and combines it with Soul Damage as he does, his version of Shrine would easily be superior.
Jujutsu Kaisen’s last chapter, JJK 271, was finally released on September 29, 2024. Fans can read the series on the Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump apps.
Jujutsu Kaisen
- Release Date
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October 3, 2020
- Creator
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Gege Akutami
- Number of Episodes
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47