JJK concepts to know for scripting
Hi hiii jjk shifters or those who would like to shift there!! This is a post explaining some important or key concept and lore from Jujutsu Kaisen for shifters who want to script their jjk dr but don’t know much or don’t really understand everything going on in the story. So I thought it could help to make this post and I hope it does 😀 I feel like those are basic things to know about JJK. I tried my best explaining things in an understandable way without yapping too much (I’m not too good with words my bad gang). So long post ahead!
I’m only giving canon informations so they may contain some spoilers from the series. I will always recommend watching or reading jjk before shifting there since it’s a dangerous place to go to but everyone do their own thing lmao.
Anyways! Let’s start with the foundation of everything in jjk…
Cursed energy : So what is cursed energy? Cursed energy is what almost all humans produce and it’s born from negative emotions (like fear, anger, regret, etc) and most people don’t even know about it and can’t see it. Sorcerers learn to control it and with it they can fight curses, strengthen their body or power special abilities. But why does only “almost” all humans produce cursed energy? Well canonically, cursed energy is exclusive to Japan and Japanese people. Why? Because Master Tengen (will talk more about them) maintains a barrier that condenses and limits curse energy only to Japan and Japanese people. So it’s very rare for foreigners to have cursed energy. I’m not sure if it’s a 100% total Japanese thing since there’s one but unfortunately only canon mention of foreigners using cursed energy and it’s Miguel Oduol and the Black Rope made in his home country in Kenya (Africa), so probably meaning some foreigners can have cursed energy but it’s mainly a Japanese thing. But do we shifters care about that? Non! So we can be foreigners and be sorcerers 😼
Cursed spirits : They are spirits born from accumulated negative emotions, thus completely made of cursed energy. Most people can’t see them. They are harmful to humans, which is why sorcerers exist to exorcise them. Depending on how strong the negative emotions, they can be very weak or very threatening. They are graded from weakest to strongest, so from grade 4, grade 3, grade 2, grade 1, semi-grade 1 to special grade (most threatening). Also, a cursed spirit can only be exorcized with cursed energy, be it hitting one with your bare fists or stabbing it with a kitchen knife, in both case, you have to use cursed energy.
Sorcerers and curse users : First, a sorcerer is an “official” user of jujutsu, trained in jujutsu schools, works to exorcise curses under the laws of jujutsu society and protects civilians. Whereas a curse user is a rogue sorcerer who abuses of cursed energy. They are often criminals or extremists who use cursed techniques for personal gain, violence, chaos, killing or manipulating others, etc. Sorcerers and curse users are also graded from weakest to strongest.
Cursed techniques : They are unique abilities fueled by cursed energy. Most techniques are innate (meaning you’re born with them), which means each technique is unique to the individual and is etched into the individual’s body and soul. They usually manifest in childhood (usually at 4 or 5), and you typically can’t change or learn a different one. But there are also hereditary techniques, which are still innate, but they are the type of innate techniques that are passed down through family bloodlines and through generations. The most famous ones are the 3 big clans’ techniques (the Six eyes and Limitless techniques with the Gojo clan, Blood Manipulation with the Kamo clan, and the Ten Shadows technique with the Zenin clan). There is also the Projection Sorcery technique that seem to be hereditary since Naoya Zenin has it just like his father Naobito Zenin does, not sure if it’s a Zenin hereditary technique too. Do note that all hereditary techniques are innate, but not all innate techniques are hereditary. So when you want to script a technique, it can be as unique as you want it to be! It's your technique and no one else has the same. Your technique can also have shikigamis, they are creatures summoned using cursed techniques, they fight alongside the user and can have unique abilities (an example of a technique with shikigamis would be the Ten Shadows or Cursed spirits Manipulation). Also, cursed energy can feel different depending on the person or the majority of people. For example, Hakari’s cursed energy is said to be exceptionally rough, coarser, and described as feeling like sandpaper or getting hit with a baseball bat covered in razors, unlike the smooth energy of most sorcerers. And Yuji’s cursed energy that is described as electric, raw, and concussive, often leaving a delayed impact (called "Divergent Fist") rather than a smooth flow. I personally like this detail and scripted my cursed energy to have a specific feel too :D
Reverse cursed techniques : This is jujutsu’s society most sought technique as one of the most advanced but rare abilities. So, we know that cursed energy = negative energy, right? Reverse cursed technique is kind of the opposite of that. In jujutsu logic, if you multiply negative energy against itself, you create positive energy instead. Basically, negative × negative = positive (if you don’t get all the math here, it’s okay, me too). The main use of it is regeneration, so basically healing. But (really big BUT), using or even learning reverse curse is…not easy. Healing yourself with RCT is already very hard, and healing other people is much harder. So only a few can do it effectively, like Ieiri Shoko (who is a specialist healer, which makes her extremely valuable), Okkotsu Yuta, and Gojo Satoru (and even he struggled to learn it and still can’t heal others with it!). And fun fact, you can obliterate a cursed spirit with RCT, since RCT is the opposite of cursed energy which curses are totally made of, so the positive destroy the negative. Just like Yuta did by kissing the cockroach cursed spirit to infuse it with RCT (though I wouldn’t recommend kissing a cockroach- 💀). I think this is one thing everyone should script for themselves and script that you’re good at it, because if you’re going to fight curses, being able to heal yourself would be GREAT.
Cursed objects : They are physical items infused with cursed energy. They can be weapons infused with cursed energy that you can use to fight, objects used to contain or seal off something (probably dangerous), objects created from the condensation of a strong curse or sorcerer (like Sukuna’s fingers), objects that can develop into curses (cursed wombs). Actually, anything can become a cursed object when you imbue cursed energy into it.
Heavenly restriction : It’s a condition placed on someone at birth. In which you lose something…but gain something else in return. Usually, it’s between cursed energy and physical abilities. An example of someone born with heavenly restriction is Toji Fushiguro, who was born with 0 cursed energy while being granted immense physical power, or Kokichi Muta also known as Mechamaru, who was granted immense cursed energy but has a defective/fragile body.
Binding vows : Simply put, a Binding Vow is a self-imposed rule that increases power. For example, if you said “I can only use this at night and then it becomes stronger” it's a Binding vow. It’s common in the jujutsu society to use it as some sort of pact or contract, and it’s more sure/secure/trustworthy because breaking a vow has serious consequences that is better to avoid.
The 3 big clans : I don’t think there is a single sorcerer or curse user who hasn’t at least heard of them in JJK. They are the most powerful and influential sorcerer families in Japan. They basically shaped jujutsu society for generations through power, tradition, and politics. The 3 big clans, the Gojo clan, the Zenin clan and the Kamo clan. They are also big because each of them are the descendants of the 3 most powerful sorcerers of the Heian Era or either called the “Three Great Vengeful Spirits/apparitions”, with their hereditary powerful techniques. I’m not sure about the other clans, but for the Gojo clan, one of them is mentioned to be Sugawara no Michizane, and his descendants formed the Gojo clan. Being a descendant of them would give you natural talent in jujutsu, and an example is Okkotsu Yuta, who shares the same Gojo ancestor, which explains why he is so powerful. And fun fact! At least for the Six Eyes and Limitless technique (and most probably the Ten Shadow too), there can only be one person born with it in a lifetime. Meaning if there is already a person who has those techniques, no one else can be born with the same techniques until the person dies. It's too powerful for multiple persons to be born with it, I mean, it said that just the birth of Gojo Satoru tipped the balance of world? 💀 Another fun fact is that, many people in the Gojo clan have actually been born with the Limitless technique but not the Six Eyes, which made them unable to use it since you can’t use Limitless without the Six Eyes. And Gojo Satoru is the first in 400 years to have been born with both at the same time 😀
Master Tengen : I’m going to use they/them for Tengen since their gender is ambiguous, though it’s shown that Tengen was originally a woman. So Tengen is an immortal jujutsu sorcerer who has lived for over 1,000 years and ever since the Heian era, possibly more. Unlike other sorcerers, Tengen’s ability is said to be true immortality. However, over time, Tengen evolves beyond humanity, losing their human form and individuality, which is why Tengen now appears more like a spirit or entity than a person. To prevent losing control of their evolution, Tengen must periodically merge with a compatible human called a Star Plasma Vessel. It resets Tengen’s form and keeps their mind stable and closer to human. If the merge fails or they don’t merge, they continue evolving but it risks becoming something uncontrollable and dangerous for everyone. Tengen is also a master in barrier techniques. They maintain massive, complex barriers across Japan, which can hide jujutsu locations (like the schools), control and stabilize cursed energy flow, keep the jujutsu world organized and protected, and like I’ve said before, keep cursed energy concentrated in Japan. Without them, the balance between humans and curses would collapse. So they basically carry the whole jujutsu world (possibly even the whole world) on their shoulders. So they’re an important figure to know.
Barrier techniques : Alright, this is something that I don’t really get (it’s so complicated bro) so I can’t explain that… But there’s one type of barrier that we see often used in the story, the curtains or veils, common barriers used in missions and they are used to mostly seal off an area before a fight so civilians don’t see anything and don’t get involved, but they can also trap targets inside or restrict targets from entering or leaving (like in the Shibuya arc).
The Heian era of jujutsu : the Heian era in Japan is set from year 794 to 1185, and is said to be the golden age of jujutsu, a time when sorcerers, curses and techniques were stronger than in modern times. Basically a terrifying era when people were constantly in life-or-death situations which made negative energy stronger and also because it was free real estate back then, no rules and no balance so everyone did pretty much whatever they wanted (be it good or evil). It's also the time when a lot of the most powerful sorcerers, curse users or curses were born (Sukuna for example).
And that’s all for this post! I think I’ve pretty much written everything I could think of, things you should know or keep in mind about JJK. Thank you for reading!!