Jujutsu Kaisen presents a hidden society that operates in the shadows, ridding the world of deadly curses. It’s a cutthroat world with its own laws and is ruled by elite clans. It’s a world that respects powerful cursed techniques and cursed energy above all else.
But in the give-and-take nature of the jujutsu world, there’s always a price to pay to obtain more power—one shining example of this is Heavenly Restriction. Although binding vows aren’t uncommon in Jujutsu Kaisen, this type of binding vow is one that’s out of the user’s control. So, what is Heavenly Restriction, and how does it work?
What Is Heavenly Restriction?
According to the anime (and manga), Heavenly Restriction is a variant of cursed restriction that a user automatically has upon birth, which limits one aspect of the body while boosting another. In short, it is a rare type of binding vow imposed on the human body that either restricts cursed energy and enhances one’s physical limitations, or vice versa.
For example, a Heavenly Restriction could result in someone being blessed with immense cursed energy reserves but born with severe physical deficiencies, as seen in Kokichi Muta. The reverse could also happen: limited or even no cursed energy in return for what is essentially a superhuman body.
What Is The Cause Of Heavenly Restriction?
It’s established that Heavenly Restriction is something you are born with, but what exactly causes someone to be born with this restriction? Unlike the binding vows that you impose purposely on others or yourself, it appears that Heavenly Restriction is a phenomenon that occurs naturally, with no particular rhyme or reason.
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Based on the name ‘Heavenly Restriction’, it suggests that, since it’s not done to you by another person, it is a binding vow passed down by a god or another unnamed higher power. Despite its seemingly random occurrence, in the canon timeline of the show, two of the characters known to be afflicted with Heavenly Restriction came from the same family.
This may imply that Heavenly Restriction may run more prominently in some families than others, though neither the anime nor manga has ever confirmed what the cause of Heavenly Restriction is, and it is instead, left deliberately vague. However, Heavenly Restriction is largely perceived as a curse rather than a blessing, not only by its users, but especially by the Big Three clans.
Beware of some spoilers below!
Characters With Heavenly Restriction
Toji Fushiguro
Toji Fushiguro, a character we meet in the first half of Season 2, is the first recorded case of someone being born with zero cursed energy. Born into the Zenin Clan, Toji’s Heavenly Restriction made him the black sheep of the family, an outcast who was treated poorly time and again.
However, Toji is one of the strongest characters in the show, an expert at using cursed tools and capable of taking down Special Grade cursed spirits like Dagon and Special Grade sorcerers like Geto and Gojo (before awakening his reverse cursed technique). His lack of cursed energy was traded for a superhuman physique, gifted with extreme strength, speed, reflexes and senses, to the point he is able to see cursed spirits.
Although he was killed by Gojo, Toji’s actions were massively influential down the line, and he was even brought back by Granny Ogami during the Shibuya Incident.
Maki Zenin
Unlike her cousin Toji, Maki’s case started out differently, since she was born a twin. Maki had Heavenly Restriction, and so her cursed energy levels were lower than her sister Mai’s, who had enough to have her own cursed technique. In jujutsu society, twins are seen as a single individual, and so long as the other is alive, it would stop them from developing their full potential.
Treated as poorly as Toji was, Maki eventually leaves the Zenin Clan to enrol at Tokyo Jujutsu High, training to become a jujutsu sorcerer to prove her family wrong. Although she was a formidable combatant, Maki wasn’t as powerful as Toji, having been defeated by Geto and her father in the course of her storyline.
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Not long after the Shibuya Incident, Mai sacrifices her life to allow Maki to not only reach her full potential, but get revenge against the Zenins (which she did, annihilating the clan to the point of extinction). Maki finally reaches Toji’s level after getting over her mental block during a fight with Curse Naoya, and has even surpassed Toji.
In the epilogue, it’s hinted that Maki ended up with Okkotsu Yuta and had children with him.
Kokichi Muta/Mechamaru
A case where Heavenly Restriction is truly a curse, Kokichi Muta’s situation sees him born without one of his forearms and with overly sensitive skin that causes him extreme pain when exposed to sunlight. As a result, we see Kokichi wrapped in bandages from head to toe and submerged in a bathtub.
Although he has a vast pool of cursed energy, Kokichi lives a cursed existence and is a prisoner in his own body. Due to being immobile, he uses his cursed energy to manipulate a puppet called Mechamaru, using it to participate in classes at Kyoto Jujutsu High and fight in battle.
Wanting nothing more than to be free of his Heavenly Restriction, Kokichi made the fateful decision to spy for Kenjaku, entering into a binding vow in return for using Mahito’s cursed technique to give him a healthy, functioning body. Although Kokichi was given what he desired, he wasn’t able to enjoy it for long as he was killed by Mahito for choosing to turn against Kenjaku.
- Release Date
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October 3, 2020
- Directors
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Sunghoo Park, Shōta Goshozono
- Writers
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Hiroshi Seko
