Since its debut in 2018, Jujutsu Kaisen has quickly become one of the biggest names in modern anime world. Its exciting fights, and emotionally strong characters have helped it become a top-selling manga and gain fans all over the world.
One of the main reasons for its success is Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses, whose powerful presence plays a big role in the story. His most famous and frightening move is his Domain Expansion, called Malevolent Shrine, which breaks the usual rules of jujutsu sorcery.
Now that the manga has ended and fans are waiting for the anime versions of the Culling Game and Shinjuku Showdown arcs to come out, it’s a great time to explore how Sukuna’s strongest ability/his domain expansion, works, a technique that shows why he’s the most powerful cursed energy user in the series.
How Sukuna Became the King of Curses
Ryomen Sukuna isn’t just a villain, he’s like a natural disaster. A thousand years before the events of Jujutsu Kaisen, Sukuna ruled the world of sorcerers with his terrifying power and strange appearance.
Sukuna’s original form was, He was born with four arms, four eyes, and a sharp mind, making him the most feared and strongest sorcerer of his time. Instead of dying, he split his soul into 20 cursed fingers, powerful cursed objects that later allowed him to come back to life through Yuji Itadori.
Now that Sukuna is back in the modern world, he is a serious danger to both sorcerers and regular people. With his deep knowledge of cursed energy and ancient techniques, he brings back powerful skills that were thought to be lost, especially his Domain Expansion.
What Makes Domain Expansions So Devastating?
In Jujutsu Kaisen, Domain Expansions are the highest level of sorcery, a powerful move where sorcerers create a space that reflects their inner world. It’s not just a strong attack, it changes reality around them. Inside this space, their attacks always hit the opponent, and the setting often shows what the sorcerer is like inside.
Using a Domain Expansion isn’t easy. It needs perfect control over cursed energy and can only be done by the most skilled sorcerers. As the story goes on, fights using Domains become more common and often decide who wins. Sorcerers like Gojo, Mahito, and Megumi each have their own versions, but none are as strange or terrifying as Sukuna’s Domain Expansion.
Why Sukuna’s Malevolent Shrine Is So Powerful
Sukuna’s Domain Expansion, called Malevolent Shrine, works differently from most of the others Domain Expansion. Usually, a Domain traps the enemy inside a sealed space, but Sukuna’s doesn’t need walls or a barrier. Instead of trapping people, his Domain spreads out all around him. It’s like he paints his power directly into the air, covering a huge area with deadly accuracy.
The shrine that appears looks like a twisted, cursed version of a Buddhist temple, filled with creepy decorations that show Sukuna’s evil nature. When it’s active, Sukuna uses his two main attacks, Cleave and Dismantle, to cut through everything nearby, whether it’s people or objects.
What’s even scarier is that he can make it cover an even bigger area by making a special promise (a Binding Vow), which makes his attacks even more powerful.
Sukuna vs. Gojo in a Battle of Domains
The full power of Malevolent Shrine is shown during Sukuna’s big fight with Satoru Gojo in the Shinjuku Showdown arc. These two top-level sorcerers clash with their strongest moves, Gojo uses Unlimited Void, and Sukuna uses Malevolent Shrine.
Gojo’s Domain is known for overloading the brain with endless information, but Sukuna manages to break through it for a short time by thinking quickly and using Mahoraga, a powerful spirit.
In this huge fight, the destruction is massive. Sukuna shows that his Domain isn’t just cool-looking, it’s smart, planned out, and very adaptable. Even when his Domain starts to fail, Sukuna uses Mahoraga to turn things around, proving how clever and dangerous he really is in a critical battle.
Yuji’s Awakening: The Remnants of a Cursed King
At the climax of the story, Yuji shows an unexpected twist. After taking back control of his body and confronting Sukuna, Yuji surprises everyone by mastering Sukuna’s own cursed techniques. Through his deep connection with Sukuna, Yuji learns powerful moves like Dismantle and Cleave and uses them in battle against him.
But Yuji’s Domain Expansion is very different from Sukuna’s dark and monstrous Malevolent Shrine. Yuji’s Domain looks like his peaceful childhood neighborhood, a symbol of inner peace that clashes with the pain he’s experienced throughout his journey.
Fans call it “Benevolent Shrine,” and it reveals a lot about Yuji’s character. He carries pain but refuses to become a monster. While his Domain isn’t as brutal as Sukuna’s, Yuji’s heart and growth make him a powerful force.
Why Malevolent Shrine Stands Above the Rest
In the end, Sukuna’s Malevolent Shrine is more than just a powerful attack, it’s a key part of the story. It changes the usual rules of Domain Expansion, shows how ancient sorcery is stronger than modern techniques, and represents Sukuna as a cursed god.
Its vast, limitless nature makes it nearly impossible to defend against, with only the most powerful characters, like Gojo or Yuji, having even a small chance of surviving.
From the destruction of ancient temples to the chaos in Shinjuku, Sukuna’s Domain reminds us that Jujutsu Kaisen isn’t just about good versus evil. It’s about different power, and who gets to control the reality. When Sukuna enters the fight, the very fabric of reality is on the line.