Every Cursed Technique in JJK Explained — Beginner to Advanced
Cursed techniques are the heart of Jujutsu Kaisen's power system. Each technique is a personalized expression of a sorcerer's cursed energy, shaped by their innate talent, family lineage, or external conditions. Gege Akutami designed these abilities with careful mechanical rules, making combat in JJK feel tactical rather than arbitrary. This guide breaks down every major cursed technique introduced in the series, explaining how each one works and how it is used in battle.
Limitless
User: Satoru Gojo, the Gojo Clan
The Limitless is an inherited technique of the Gojo family, passed down through generations. At its core, Limitless allows the user to manipulate space at the atomic level. The technique has three direct applications: Blue, which creates an attractive force pulling everything toward a focal point; Red, which repels with equal force; and Purple, which combines both to erase matter entirely. What makes Gojo so exceptional is the combination of Limitless with the Six Eyes, which reduces cursed energy consumption to near zero. Without the Six Eyes, the Limitless technique is nearly impossible to control, which is why no other Gojo clan member has ever wielded it at this level. The automatic defense of Infinity, which slows approaching objects to a halt, is a passive application of Limitless that makes Gojo untouchable under normal circumstances.
Ten Shadows
User: Megumi Fushiguro, the Zenin Clan, Ryomen Sukuna
The Ten Shadows technique allows the user to summon shikigami using shadow puppetry. There are ten designated shadow creatures, each with a unique form and ability. The first eight — Divine Dogs, Nue, Toad, Great Serpent, Max Elephant, Rabbit Escape, Round Deer, and Piercing Ox — can be summoned individually or combined to create new forms. The two most powerful shadows, Mahoraga and Agito, require ritual exorcism before they can be controlled. Mahoraga's key feature is adaptation: it analyzes any attack and develops immunity to it over repeated exposures. Sukuna weaponized this ability during his fight against Gojo, using Mahoraga to develop the World Cutting Slash that bypasses Infinity. Ten Shadows is versatile, allowing for scouting, area control, and direct combat, but its full potential requires years of training and the successful exorcism of all ten shadows.
Shrine
User: Ryomen Sukuna, Yuji Itadori
Shrine is Sukuna's innate technique, centered on cutting and slashing. Its basic forms, Cleave and Dismantle, are deceptively simple. Cleave automatically adjusts its cutting power based on the target's cursed energy level and toughness, while Dismantle is a standard slash used against non-cursed objects or weaker opponents. The technique can be deployed at range, allowing Sukuna to shred entire city blocks with hand gestures. The Fire Arrow is an extension of Shrine that unleashes a massive explosive attack. The World Cutting Slash, developed during the Shinjuku battle, represents the technique's ultimate form — a slash that targets the space the opponent occupies rather than the opponent directly, making it impossible to block with conventional cursed energy defenses. Shrine's simplicity is deceptive; its versatility and raw power make it one of the most dangerous techniques in the series.
Blood Manipulation
User: Choso, Noritoshi Kamo, the Kamo Clan
Blood Manipulation is the inherited technique of the Kamo clan. As the name suggests, the user controls their own blood as a weapon. Flowing Red Scale increases the user's physical abilities by thickening their blood and improving circulation. Piercing Blood compresses blood into a high-pressure projectile that can punch through solid concrete. Supernova turns droplets of blood into exploding mines. Convergence is the base skill that allows the user to gather blood at a single point for concentrated attacks. The major limitation is blood loss — using the technique draws from the user's own blood supply, making prolonged fights dangerous. Choso overcomes this by using cursed energy to create pseudo-blood, effectively giving him unlimited ammunition. Blood Manipulation excels at mid-range combat, offering both speed and pressure that is difficult to dodge in enclosed spaces.
Boogie Woogie
User: Aoi Todo
Boogie Woogie is a simple but devastatingly effective technique. It allows the user to swap the positions of any two objects or people imbued with cursed energy by clapping their hands. This includes the user themselves, their allies, their enemies, and inanimate objects. Todo's mastery of this technique turns every fight into a chaotic chess match where he controls the positioning. Against Hanami during the Kyoto Goodwill Event, Todo used Boogie Woogie to constantly reposition Yuji Itadori for attacks, creating combos that the cursed spirit could not predict. The technique's only weakness is its activation requirement — if Todo cannot clap (for example, if his hands are restrained or missing), the ability is neutralized. Despite this limitations, Boogie Woogie is widely considered one of the most creative cursed techniques in the series, described by fans as the ultimate support ability that makes any partner significantly more dangerous.
Idle Transfiguration
User: Mahito
Idle Transfiguration allows Mahito to reshape the soul of any living being he touches. Since the shape of the soul determines the shape of the body, this effectively gives him complete biological control over his targets. He can morph humans into monstrous transfigures, heal his own body by reforming his soul, and create clones of himself using transfigured humans as raw material. The technique is closely tied to Mahito's nature as a cursed spirit born from human fear. His Domain Expansion, Self-Embodiment of Perfection, guarantees a touch on anyone inside the barrier, making Idle Transfiguration unavoidable. The technique's philosophical horror lies in its implication: if the soul can be reshaped, what does it mean to be human? This question drives Mahito's conflict with Yuji Itadori throughout the series.
Straw Doll Technique
User: Suguru Geto, Kenjaku (via Geto's body), Mai Zenin, Momo Nishimiya
The Straw Doll technique, also called the Tool Operation technique, allows the user to manipulate targets from a distance using a medium. Geto's version manifests as Cursed Spirit Manipulation, where he stores and controls cursed spirits that he has exorcised and compressed into orbs. This gives him access to a vast arsenal of cursed spirit abilities, effectively making him an army of one. Kenjaku inherits this same ability when he takes over Geto's body, using it to orchestrate the Culling Games. Mai Zenin uses a crafting variant that allows her to create objects from cursed energy, though at a severe cost to her own vitality. The technique's strength is proportional to the user's cursed energy reserves, with Geto and Kenjaku representing its peak potential.
Construction
User: Yorozu
Construction allows the user to create matter out of nothing using cursed energy. The created objects can be anything the user can imagine, from simple tools to complex mechanical structures and armor. The limitation is proportional to complexity — creating a simple object costs relatively little cursed energy, but constructing something detailed or large-scale drains reserves rapidly. Yorozu, a sorcerer from the Heian Era who reappears during the Culling Games, demonstrates the technique's peak potential by creating liquid metal armor that can change shape and properties mid-combat. The liquid metal can harden into defensive barriers, form blades for attack, or surround opponents for capture. Construction is often described as a high-risk, high-reward technique because the user's imagination and cursed energy output must both be exceptional to make it combat-effective.
Cursed Speech
User: Toge Inumaki, the Inumaki Clan
Cursed Speech imbues the user's spoken words with cursed energy, forcing whatever is commanded to happen. When Inumaki says "explode," objects burst. When he says "sleep," targets lose consciousness. When he says "don't move," opponents are frozen in place. The technique has two major drawbacks. First, the effect scales with the amount of cursed energy poured into the command, but overloading can cause severe recoil damage to the user's throat. Second, commands that contradict the target's own cursed energy resistance may fail or backfire. Inumaki mitigates these risks by using rice ball ingredients as coded commands ("salmon" for yes, "tuna" for no, "mustard leaf" for danger), conserving his vocal cords for critical moments. The technique is most effective as a surprise tool — one well-timed command can end a fight instantly, but opponents who know about Cursed Speech can prepare countermeasures.
Puppet Manipulation
User: Mechamaru (Kokichi Muta)
Puppet Manipulation allows the user to control mechanical puppets and constructs from a distance. Mechamaru uses this technique to operate multiple remote-controlled bodies simultaneously, each one rigged with weapons, sensors, and stored cursed energy. His main body is hidden in a sealed location, protected from harm while his puppets fight on his behalf. The technique's greatest advantage is safety — the user can engage in combat without ever being physically present. Mechamaru pushes this to its limits by creating the Ultimate Mechamaru, a colossal puppet loaded with 17 years of stored cursed energy. The puppet's beam attack nearly kills Mahito and forces the disaster curse to use his Domain Expansion in response. Puppet Manipulation's effectiveness depends entirely on preparation time and resource investment, making it a technique that rewards long-term planning over improvisation.
Honorable Mentions
Several other cursed techniques deserve recognition. Comedian (Takaba's technique) turns jokes into reality, making it potentially the most powerful ability in the series, limited only by the user's sense of humor. Judgment (Hiromi Higuruma's Domain-based technique) creates a courtroom where violations of binding vows are punished with confiscation. Ice Formation (Uraume) manipulates ice and frost in combat. Ratio Technique (Nanami Kento) creates a critical hit point on any target. Projection Sorcery (Naobito and Naoya Zenin) allows the user to move at film-framerate speeds by pre-programming 24 movements per second.
