Summary
Mahito is not only one of the best villains inJujutsu Kaisen, he is one of the best villains in all of modern anime. Aside from his incredible design and the deep, introspective reasons for his creation, he signifies a lot of themes in the series and is the perfect antithesis of the main character, Yuji, as the two of them share very similar philosophies and parallels.
Along with this, Mahito is also one of the strongest characters in the series, categorized in the Special Grade of Cursed Spirits, as well as being theleader of the powerful Disaster Curses. His potential was staggering and many fans believe that if he was given a little more time inJujutsu Kaisen, he would have been as strong as the likes of Gojo and Sukuna, so let’s see if this claim is true or not!
Debut Arc
Fearsome Womb Arc
Being a Disaster Curse born from humanity’s fear and hatred for other humans, Mahito was an exceptionally powerful curse born with extremely high levels of Cursed Energy. This led to him beingcategorized as a Special Grade Curseand being chosen to be the leader of the Disaster Curses, which already consisted of some of the strongest villains in the series.
This fear and hatred of other humans accumulated and gave birth to a Curse that is highly sadistic and one whose entire nature is to distort and kill people. Part of the reason why he’s such an engaging villain is how he directly contrasts Yuji as a character, as they both couldn’t be further apart in terms of ideals, but also be incredibly similar at the same time.
Why Mahito is So Powerful
On top of being cruel and evil, Mahito also has some of the most dangerous abilities in the entire series.His Cursed Technique is called Idle Transfiguration, and it is one of the most dangerous techniques in all ofJujutsu Kaisendue to its ability to change the shape of someone’s soul. This allows Mahito to kill someone or change them into a mindless monster called a ‘Transfigured Human’ from just a touch of his hands.
He can use this ability in several ways, which greatly adds to his overall strength. On top of this, Mahito also has the ability to use a Domain Expansion, which is the most difficult and impressive feat of Jujutsu sorcery for anyone to do, so much so that only the strongest and most gifted sorcerers in the entire setting can pull them off.
What Sets Mahito Apart?
All of the Disaster Curses introduced inJujutsu Kaisenwere incredibly powerful due to the reasons for their existence being incredibly ubiquitous, therefore making theCursed Energy used to create themabundant. A group consisting of the Curses for volcanoes, nature, and the sea, shows how powerful Mahito must have been to be considered their leader.
However, despite his already incredible strength, Mahito sets himself apart from his contemporaries for one reason above all others; his ability and willingness to learn. In his many appearances, Mahito has shown an uncanny ability to learn from every one of his fights, making him an even stronger and smarter fighter than he was before. His first fight against Yuji and Nanami was instrumental in how he eventually adapted to Yuji’s fighting style, where he learned the best way to break his opponent in order to beat him.
It’s a clash of what we believe is right!
The best example of his learning ability came during his fight against Yuji and Todo in the Shibuya Incident, where hemanaged to activate his Domain Expansion, Self-Embodiment of Perfection, for only 0.2 seconds. The reason this is so impressive is because he was able to do this by seeing Gojo perform the same feat only once, which not only shows his ability to learn, but also his masterful control over his powers.
He knew that this was the only way to sufficiently damage Todo without getting his Domain to touch Sukuna’s soul, an action that would have instantly killed him. This level of adaptability and learning is very seldom seen inJujutsu Kaisenand even when it is, it’s only the best sorcerers who can do it. Moreover, he used his Idle Transfiguration ability on himself to transfigure his own soul to a much more powerful form.
How he Could Rival the Strongest in the Series
Now, many fans tend to argue that if Mahito had not died towards the end of the Shibuya Incident arc and had stayed alive to where the story is at now, he would have gotten even stronger over time. The claim stems from the fact thatMahito’s intelligence and willingness to evolvehimself and his powers into a more powerful state is something that not many characters could compete against.
Just by seeing Gojo perform a Domain Expansion for 0.2 seconds, he was able to replicate this ability, which makes the prospect of him potentially seeing other attacks and replicating them perfectly a real possibility. If Mahito came across a simple domain-type technique that let him withstand the effects of a Domain Expansion, he would become an even bigger threat.
Though Mahito probably would not be a match for the power that Sukuna has right now, he would have learned much more from seeing Kenjaku and Sukuna operate. By ushering their powers into his own and expanding upon the limits of his techniques, Mahito would have turned into a far greater threat that could rivalthe strongest characters in the entire franchise. By perfecting his true form, the Instant Spirit-Body of Distorted Killing, Mahito would possibly become a Curse that exceeds the confines of the Special Grade!
Jujutsu Kaisencan be streamed onAmazon PrimeandNetflix.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Based on Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen manga, Mappa’s battle shonen anime envisions a world where Jujutsu Sorcerers battle against entities born out of Cursed Energy. One day, a teenager named Yuji Itadori is dragged into this conflict when he eats a possessed finger.
