Jujutsu Kaisen’s Ten Shadows Technique: Unveiling the Misleading Truth Behind Its Nature

Jujutsu Kaisen has captivated audiences with its rich universe encompassing cursed techniques and sorcery, each crafted with its own unique lore and depth. Among the most enigmatic abilities featured is the Ten Shadows Technique, primarily utilized by Megumi Fushiguro.

At first glance, the Ten Shadows Technique seems to function as a shadow manipulation skill, enabling its user to summon Shikigami—powerful, semi-autonomous beings formed from shadows. Nonetheless, a deeper examination of the technique’s mechanics indicates that the Ten Shadows Technique may be significantly more complex than it first appears. It’s possible that Jujutsu Kaisen has misled fans regarding the genuine nature of this ancient ability.

Exploring the Depths of the Ten Shadows Technique in Jujutsu Kaisen

The hand-sign for Max Elephant (Image via MAPPA)

Fundamentally, the Ten Shadows Technique is described as a power that manipulates shadows. As showcased in the series, this cursed technique enables users to conceal objects or themselves within shadows while summoning various Shikigami to assist in combat.

These Shikigami are not merely puppets controlled by the user; they must first be exorcised and captured before the user can fully command them, a distinctive trait of the Ten Shadows. In contrast to other cursed techniques, which are immediately accessible when a sorcerer inherits them, the Ten Shadows requires the user to perform exorcism rituals to achieve mastery over its Shikigami.

Megumi summons the Divine Dogs (Image via MAPPA)

This leads to a thought-provoking question: If Ten Shadows is simply a shadow manipulation technique, why does it necessitate the exorcism of Shikigami? What are these creatures, and why aren’t they automatically summoned with the technique like the cursed energy manifestations of other abilities?

Some fans speculate that these Shikigami may not belong to the Ten Shadows Technique itself but are instead existing entities confined within shadows, summoned via the cursed technique as an intermediary.

This theory suggests that the Ten Shadows user does not create Shikigami; instead, they bind already existing cursed spirits to their technique. This process resembles that of an exorcist capturing and repurposing cursed entities, thus elucidating the need for rituals and the associated risks of controlling these beings.

This perspective implies that the technique’s complexity lies in utilizing shadows as a medium for summoning, rather than merely generating these creatures from nothing.

Investigating the Unique Case of Mahoraga in Jujutsu Kaisen

One of the most intriguing anomalies supporting this theory is Mahoraga, the most formidable Shikigami of the Ten Shadows Technique. Unlike the others, Mahoraga does not dissipate when the cursed technique is nullified by Domain Amplification, an ability designed specifically to erase cursed techniques.

Instead, Mahoraga’s wheel turns black, indicating a loss of his adaptive abilities but not his existence. This suggests that Mahoraga may possess a presence independent of the Ten Shadows Technique—acting as a cursed spirit, or possibly something even more, summoned merely through the shadows. Additionally, Sukuna’s inability to utilize Ten Shadows after Mahoraga’s demise hints that Mahoraga’s death severed Sukuna’s connection to the full power of the technique.

Moreover, the unusual behavior of the Divine Dog during Megumi’s cursed technique burnouts adds further complexity to the conventional understanding of Ten Shadows as a technique that depends on continuous energy flow. Despite Megumi’s loss of cursed energy, the Divine Dog still managed to engage Reggie, suggesting that the Shikigami are self-sustained entities once summoned, rather than being solely dependent on the user’s power.

Understanding the Evolution of Cursed Techniques in Jujutsu Kaisen

Choso is a Blood Manipulation Cursed Technique user (Image via MAPPA)

A prevalent theory regarding cursed techniques in Jujutsu Kaisen suggests that they evolve over time. Unlike other supernatural abilities depicted in fiction, cursed techniques do not appear to merge or fuse when passed down through family lines.

Instead, they evolve much like traits, with slight variations resulting in entirely new abilities over generations. It’s plausible that Ten Shadows originated as a more straightforward shadow manipulation technique, with subsequent generations realizing how to trap cursed spirits within the shadows and summon them as Shikigami.

Gojo Satoru is the sorcerer who has Limitless and Six Eyes (Image via MAPPA)

This evolution theory aligns with the development of other cursed techniques in the series. Techniques like Blood Manipulation or Limitless may have evolved from more basic abilities like Construction or Sky Manipulation, gradually obtaining more complex functionalities as time progressed.

Could it be that Ten Shadows has similarly evolved, gradually transforming into a technique centered around summoning pre-existing cursed entities via shadow manipulation?

Exploring the Similarities Between Orimoto Rika and Mahoraga in Jujutsu Kaisen

Orimoto Rika and Okkotsu Yuta as shown in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

Finally, drawing parallels with Orimoto Rika, Yuta Okkotsu’s companion, provides an interesting dimension. Like Mahoraga, Rika is a cursed spirit bound to a sorcerer, imbued with powers via a cursed technique.

Over time, she expands her abilities, gaining new powers such as the Reverse Cursed Technique. This development could further support the idea that Mahoraga once served as a cursed spirit connected to the original Ten Shadows user, potentially making him the Rika of the technique’s originator.

Concluding Thoughts on Jujutsu Kaisen’s Ten Shadows Technique

Jujutsu Kaisen may have subtly conveyed that the Ten Shadows Technique is not merely a cursed technique of shadow manipulation, but a sophisticated ability that enables the summoning of pre-existing cursed entities.

The hints and inconsistencies presented in the series imply that the true essence of Ten Shadows is much richer than initially perceived, paving the way for even more mysteries surrounding the origin and evolution of cursed techniques in the realm of jujutsu sorcery.

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