Jujutsu Kaisen: Yuji’s 5 Greatest Strengths (& His 5 Worst Weaknesses)

As the main protagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuji Itadori is given the task of being the vessel for the King of Curses, Ryōmen Sukuna, knowing that he will be killed once all of Sukuna’s fingers have been collected. Rather than falling into despair, Yuji dedicates himself to helping his fellow sorcerers to find the fingers and defeat any Curses along the way.

Yuji may be strong, but he also has a number of weaknesses that stop him from reaching his full potential. Together, his strengths and weaknesses make him a complex leading protagonist for one of the best shonen anime on the scene today.

10 Strength: He Possesses Natural Superhuman Strength

Even before Yuji ate Sukuna’s finger and became his vessel, he already possessed nearly superhuman strength. In episode 1, Yuji demonstrates his natural power by casually shot-putting more than 30 meters, easily smashing the world record of 23 meters without even trying.

Later, several characters remark on Yuji’s power, admiring his natural strength. The greatest praise comes from Aoi Todo, arguably the physically strongest character in the series. During the Goodwill Event, Todo compliments Yuji on his power, as Yuji is able to rock the massive Todo with some heavy punches.

9 Weakness: He Is Hopelessly Naive

Due to his kind and affable nature, Yuji believes that people are inherently good, and is hesitant to kill even possessed humans. This naivety of his endangers not only his own life but the lives of his friends and fellow sorcerers as well.

During his fight with Junpei, Yuji allows his friend to attack him and refuses to kill Junpei because he believes he can reason with him, not realizing that Junpei was too firmly ensnared by Mahito to be able to simply walk away. Additionally, during his fight with Eso, he expresses remorse for killing a person and struggles to comprehend that Eso’s humanity was irreparably corrupted.

8 Strength: He Is Able To Make Friends Easily

The greatest strength of nearly every shonen hero is their ability to make friends wherever they go, and Yuji is no exception. He’s able to sympathize with almost anyone and his sincere nature enables him to win over even naturally cantankerous characters like Megumi.

Yuji is also able to befriend characters that start out as enemies. Yuji easily connects with Junpei over their love of movies, despite his fellow sorcerers merely viewing the troubled young man as a threat. Most impressive of all, he bonds with Aoi mid-fight after honestly answering Aoi’s questions about what sort of girls are his type, further demonstrating his likability and charm.

7 Weakness: He Has A Hard Time Controlling His Feelings

While Yuji is a very open and honest person, his tendency to wear his emotions on his sleeve can also get him in trouble. Cursed energy requires concentration to channel properly, and Yuji’s tendency to get emotionally invested during fights has hampered him at times.

During his fight with Hanami, he is initially unable to use Black Flash because he is angry at the Curse for hurting his friends. It takes a quick slap from Aoi to snap Yuji to enable him to focus and eventually release his technique. Yuji’s sincerity and love of his friends are admirable traits, but there may come a time when his feelings endanger those around him.

6 Strength: He’s A Quick Learner

Unlike some shonen heroes, Yuji is not all brawn and no brains. In truth, he is actually an excellent student and a very quick learner who learns from his mistakes and is able to adapt on the fly.

Under Satoru’s guidance, Yuji learns how to channel cursed energy within the space of a few weeks, something that normally takes months or years. Additionally, he learns to use Black Flash after spending just a few minutes training with Aoi, putting him in a class that very few sorcerers have been able to achieve.

5 Weaknesses: All Of His Attacks Are Close Range

Yuji’s Divergent Fist is a solid attack, and Black Flash is capable of hurting even the most durable Curses. However, Yuji does have limitations in combat, namely that all of his attacks are close-range.

In his fight against Eso and Kechizu, Yuji has no counter for Eso’s Maximum: Wing King Technique and constantly has to dodge in order to avoid being speared by the sharp tendrils of animated blood. Additionally, in the fight with Hanami, Yuji relies on Aoi’s Boogie Woogie Technique in order to increase his dexterity and avoid the Curse’s plant-based projectiles. His lack of long-range leaves him at the mercy of long-range attacks, something that may become problematic in future fights.

4 Strength: He’s Absolutely Fearless

In addition to being freakishly strong and talented, Yuji is also completely fearless in battle. The first time he encounters a Curse, he acts completely unfazed and does not hesitate to fight the strange spirit in order to save his friends.

He barely flinches when chowing down on Sukuna’s fingers, and appears at peace with the prospect of being killed once he has outlived his usefulness. Yuji is unafraid of dying, as seen by his willingness to stay behind and fight the Finger Bearer at the juvenile detention center so that Megumi and Nobara can escape. His ability to face his fear head-on is one of his greatest strengths and means he never backs down from a challenge.

3 Weakness: He Lacks An Internal Goal

Most shonen heroes have an internal goal that motivates them to better themselves. Naruto wants to become Hokage so he can gain acceptance, while Luffy wants to find One Piece and become the greatest pirate in the world.

Yuji’s primary motivation in the series is to ensure that people have the chance to die a good death. While noble, it is also an external motivation inspired by his grandfather’s passing. As such, the goal is simply not personal enough to be a primary motivation to improve himself. Although he is certainly motivated to stay alive as long as he can, this is true of everyone in general and is not unique to Yuji.

2 Strength: He Has Access To Sukuna’s Cursed Energy And Resistances

Prior to eating Sukuna’s finger, Yuji did not have any cursed energy. That completely changes after becoming Sukuna’s vessel, which grants him access to Sukuna’s immense reserves of cursed energy. Cursed techniques require energy to unleash, so the more cursed energy you have, the longer you can last in a fight.

Additionally, as Sukuna’s vessel, Yuji also gains certain resistances, namely poison resistance. In his battle with Kechizu and Eso, Yuji is able to resist their Rot Technique: Decay, which should prevent him from even being able to move let alone fight. While Sukuna is not a reliable ally, his power has proven useful to Yuji and his friends in dangerous situations.

1 Weakness: He’s At The Mercy Of Sukuna

It’s true that Sukuna’s power grants Yuji access to cursed energy and improved resistance. However, it’s also true that Sukuna is not Yuji’s ally, and is merely waiting for the perfect opportunity to take over his host’s body and the day when he is reborn at his full power.

While Yuji is able to control Sukuna most of the time, there are moments when his grip weakens. For example, after surrendering his body so that Sukuna could defeat the Finger Bearer in the juvenile detention center, Yuji could not regain control of his body. Sukuna has yet to do any serious harm during the moments where he fully possesses Yuji’s body, but it remains to be seen if that trend will continue.

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