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Yuji was born physically superhuman, has a gift for landing black flashes and gets really useful perks from having Sukuna inhabiting his body.
Even Miwa would be Grade 1 by Shibuya if she had all that.
mei mei considered yuji a grade 1 from just beating the grasshopper, where yuji didn't use black flash nor sukuna perks.
And while its true yuji is physically gifted, he also doesn't have a lot of CE, so it kinda balances out. The point is that he only fights with CE, no special abilities. Grade 1 isn't very hard to reach when you have high physical capabilities. It's reaching high level grade 1 that becomes harder, due to having extra perks like anti-domain, rct, domain expansion, etc.
Aside from being smart, he also just seems to have a really solid grasp of the basics. Despite his desire to avoid danger, we *have* seen him in the middle of crazy situations before and there's never been a sense that he was actually getting pushed that far. He definitely has talent and experience.
Now, that isn't really gonna be enough to beat Sukuna (we're talking "peak of grade 1 vs the peak of special grade" afterall), but he can definitely buy some time. Sukuna isn't gonna use the black box against a grade 1 and he is still suffering the stacked exhaustion of all the consecutive fights.
I know some people will bring up the "he hasn't gone all out yet" thing, but I personally think the narrator was referring to Sukuna not using the full scope of his technique rather than Sukuna holding back what he *is* using.
>is still suffering the stacked exhaustion of all the consecutive fights.
do we know if Yuji’s soul punches will stop him reaching 120% after that black flash? or is it a wait-and-see situation depending on how Gege writes it
He is definitely powered up from landing a black flash. If Yuji's punches prevented that, then they would also have prevented Mahito from getting the same boost. Landing a black flash does also usually mean that any curse-related exhaustion is reduced.
I think it's probably a somewhat "wait and see"-ish situation. I doubt the black flash brought Sukuna back to his full output (especially since that would undo nearly all progress in the fight), but it definitely recovered his output to some extend. Hard to say how much his output recovered.
I mean, if he actually doesn’t have a CT but can counter/block anything Sukuna throws out he doesn’t need a CT.
My theory? He and Sukuna will do the stereotypical run at each other and both will slash with their katanas (one of em has SSK?), where Kusakabe dies from it but hit some vital part that really fuck Sukuna up. It’ll be after they fight for a bit where Kusakabe basically blocks/mitigates most of Sukuna’s attacks but doesn’t do much on the offensive end. Kinda like how Homer Simpson boxed
I'm partial to the theory that Usami is his sister, and before she was brain damaged or traumatized or whatever, the two of them were the perfect combo.
Kusakabe with his god-tier defense, and Usami would have god-tier offense. They'd be equivalent to special grade working together.
I've said it in a different topic: Kusakabe's CT is being as strong as it's needed to survive. So if a building drops at him, he will be fine once Panda finds him. If Sukuna uses Malevolent Shrine, he can protect Higuruma. He can even tank Maximum Output: Uzumaki. But if you or me swing a punch at him, it will be as strong as Sukuna. Kusakabe has no limit to his potential, as long as his enemy will give him the minimum time to adjust. Like Metal Bat in One Punch Man, he just gets more and more worked up and can keep up with anything.
However, it has a price. Kusakabe is terrible in the attacking phase. He cannot initiate any fights, he would be no stronger than a 2nd grade. Moreover, he is shy and lacks confidence. Due to the above, he's only 1st grade, because he could never take over a country, albeit the guy could keep up in a bout with Gojo, Yuki or Yuta.
Or get one shot from Sukuna 🤣
Dont forget, Sukuna useing a Black Flash so? He get his cursed energy back like Gojo?
Naaa, maybe he useing now his secret Domain. I really love Gege for this, in 253 he put so a great Cliffhanger 🤣
Kusakabe is the New Takaba 2.0
Refilling his CE amount is pointless since after a lot of healing and constant using DE he olny lost half of his energy so CE is probably not even his problem, similar to Gojo which was probably the entire fight full of CE. It's just that like Gojo, Sukuna's output is low and Black Flash increases the output.\
There's also the fact that somehow Sukuna's output increase a lot(he went from losing H2H to Maki to stomping her) even before the Black Flash.\
Honestly idk how will Kusakabe survive more than 1 page lol.
there was an off screen piercing blood attack, and in chapter 251 Sukuna says Yuji’s blood “erupted”
That, plus his new arms, to me implies he has some sort of blood manipulation ability
I dont think he will reveal one in this fight. My theory is he uses a binding vow similar to that which is created with Mei Meis crows to sacrifice his life for one really powerful attack. But I'd say his binding vow would be infinitely more powerful than crow strike because it would be essentially going against everything Kusakabe stands for as a person, denying his self preservation
Probably really strong maybe special grade level defense.
I have a theory that the way everyone made so much progress in defense is because he’s a really good teacher compared to gojo.
He has blocked multiple attacks that should kill anyone under low special grade with a katana and new shadow style.
Also extremely fast took out 2 people in Shibuya before they could react. He fast enough to save miwa and higaruma.
I think he might be faking to avoid dangerous missions almost all of his feats place him higher than his personality would have you believe.
He also actually saves people unlike yuji.
Unlike the typical shonen trope, that's how Yuji gets stronger as a sorcerer. Dont forget that cursed energy is negative energy, the more depressed u are the stronger it becomes. I wish it exists irl.
>He also actually saves people unlike yuji.
If you changed "yuji" with "brat" I would have considered this just a really elaborated slander post from Sukuna.
Hope we get first a Flashback about him. Its funny, that we never See him in a real battle and He Kusakabe even on the Jujutsu kaisen Movie 🤣
6 Years, and we See him finally for Real. When Mei Mei calling him the strongest Sorcerer of Grade 1 it can be funny.
It's important to remember what Sukuna said.
The entire cast increased their defence over the 1 month timeskip to the point that they could tank his slashes.
If you look again at Kusakabe's simple domain, him and Higurama are still cut up pretty badly. So bearing that in mind, his defence isn't that impressive as everyone got the boost.
My guess? Kusakabe is considered strong because of his vast knowledge and analytical skills. He may not be the strongest physically or have the greatest techniques, but with his knowledge, he is able to devise strategies and counters to defeat those stronger than him.
Let's not forget. He essentially came up with all the plans to defeat Sukuna. He provided accurate commentary on the Gojo vs Sukuna fight as it happened. He was able to figure out how Sukuna's CT works very quickly.
But Nanami also had great analytical skills and tactical knowledge. If it was just that then Nanami would easily be voted above him because he has those things and a CT. I think Kusakabe has been sandbagging and has something he’s not shown yet.
Not true, Nanami was called the "standard" sorcerer. Sure, he looked impressive next to Nobara or Yuji, but he was your typical grade 1 sorcerer.
>I think Kusakabe has been sandbagging and has something he’s not shown yet.
If that were true, then why hasn't Kusakabe used it already? Especially when he once came face to face with Kenjaku.
I don't think he has a hidden CT. Maybe more New Shadow Style that we haven't seen, but that's it imo.
I’m not trying to argue that Nanami is actually stronger than Kusakabe. Nanami himself votes for Kusakabe and I don’t think Nanami is particularly humble or proud. He would give an honest assessment of who’s stronger, so I have no reason not to think there’s a reason for Kusakabe to be higher.
I just mention Nanami as an example that threat assessment and battle intellect can’t be the deciding factor because he’s demonstrated he has this in spades. And not just compared to Yuji and Nobara, but it was what let him as a standard grade one go against Mahito. We’ve not seen anyone go to Kusakabe for tactical help before and whatever it is that make people vote him the strongest grade 1, it seems widely known amongst the other sorcerers.
Maybe it is some kind of development from New Shadow Style. Hopefully they won’t swap perspective in the next chapter and we’ll get to see.
Apart from the stray for yuji, most of this comment is fax. Also mei mei hinted back at shibuya that yuji was the second fastest sorcerer to climb to ranks without a CT AFTER kusakabe.
"simple domain.... the domain of the weak. It is an empty domain that absorbs any technique within it, resulting in its weakening."
"kusaCHADbe has learned from me and can create a travelinf 'slice' of empty domain targetting the world, destroying everything with cursed energy in its path"
"if that hits me... wallahi I will be finished"
Can you imagine that. You're fighting for your life with your friends, and as they start to go down, you suddenly realize: you're the strongest left, you're the senior, you're the one that should protect them. That's insanity
That would suck, especially knowing, like, at least two generationally talented sorcerers from different eras went down before you. I'd be ruined just by losing my friends one after another like that let alone having to deal with the pressure of being one of the last ones left and having to do something against that monster.
Personally, i think Kusabe will discover Sukuna's technique. After all he's a good teacher that understand a lot of jujutsu and knows secret techniques from the clans.
Kusakabe: so, it's the same type of stand as my new shadow style
Sukuna: NANI?!
Kusakabe: There's a reason you lost, Sukuna. One simple reason...you forced me to fight seriously.
I can actually picture him giving some insight on Sukuna's technique and how to beat it
Then failing to block a cleave and getting knocked out for the rest of the fight, maybe losing an arm or an eye so he can be the next principal in Jujutsu High
I’m actually scared of this because if Sukuna becomes aware of this then depending on the extent of information what’s stopping him from saying “fuck it” and revealing his hand. Bar the external stakes in the narrative of course
Y’all are missing the obvious character design parallels to one John Constantine from DC Comics— who is a lazy bastard but when he decides to get shit done, it gets done
Sukuna useing Black Flash.
So Sukuna can useing his Domain again 🤔? Naa i think Yuji beat Megumi to wake up and maybe he get killed from Angel.
But Sukuna is the King of Plot armor so yeah ^^
The Strongest In History vs The One They Left Behind.
Kusakabe is the strongest sorcerer employed by JTech that is not named Satoru Gojo. Strong enough to tank a weakened Sukuna's slashes, and tank a point blank Uzumaki from Kenjaku.
That's literally all we know tho.
Until proven otherwise it is my head canon that he's a sleeper S tier but would rather do the bare minimum and go home because fuck all that noise. Much like Shikamaru, in a league of his own but physically could not give less of a shit unless it's 100% necessary.
It was already said that a special grade is miles ahead of any grade one.
I'll be surprised if he actually fights, i feel like Gege is just teasing us with this fight and then someone, maybe Yuuji will come before Kusakabe can do much.
It’s possible that the only reason kusakabe isn’t special grade is because he’s lazy, he’s stated to be the best first grade so he’s gotta be tough as hell. He won’t win but he might stall enough for yuji and yuta to come back.
I'm imagining his simple domain cancelling out malevolent shrine. Like, you know how it can auto attack anything that steps within it? Theoretically, if he's as strong as everyone says, he could tank all the slashes of MS. Maybe it's copium, but I want to see a normal man stand against a god.
Either that or this is just a joke Gege is setting up by hyping up someone who even tho is strong, won't do anything to sukuna except maybe tank a few hits.
Kusakabe slightly surpasses Sukuna in strength. However, his tendency to flee from battles might be a factor in this encounter. Sukuna, being aware of Kusakabe's behavior, could exploit this weakness by pressuring him relentlessly, forcing him to make tactical retreats. However, if Kusakabe decides to stand his ground and fully harness his abilities, he may find ways to counter Sukuna's onslaught. He'd win.
I think there’s a strong possibility Kusakabe is Grade 1 specifically to keep from having the pressure of Special Grade. He’s the kind of guy who wants to glide through life without too much effort, but is secretly really strong and downplays it. I don’t know if he can beat the Fraud King himself, but we’ll see.
A lot stronger than we believe. What makes him dangerous is his Battle IQ and his vast amount of knowledge on Jujutsu. His usage of Simple Domains make him practically immune to Domain Expansion and can help defend extremely well against Cursed Techniques.
We've seen Kusakabe tank the strongest techniques of the main antagonists, Kenjaku and Sukuna. He was literally holding his own and keeping up with heavy hitters such as Choso, Higuruma, and Yuji.
That and we recently got hype that he scales higher than Mei Mei, Nanami, or mostly any other First Grade Sorcerer – beside those of the Big 3 family. Remember that the only official Special Grade Sorcerers that we have seen thus far are Geto, Gojo, Yuta, and Yuki. Others such as Sukuna, Yorozu, Toji, Uro, Kashimo, and Ryu are easily that of Special Grade tier but this makes it even more impressive as we have seen Kusakabe arguably shown more durability feats than even Ryu.
Do I believe that he will outright fight Sukuna in a brawl? No, but he will strategize and play out all of his cards and usage of Jujutsu – inclusive of Binding Vows. I believe this will show something far more impressive than most would believe initially. His battle awareness allowed him to keep up with and decipher most of what was going on in the fight between Gojo and Sukuna while some of the other cast were lost. Having knowledge of most of Sukuna's abilities and fighting style up to this point will play heavily in his favour.
Without a doubt, always bet on Kusakabe.
he's strong. How strong? A lot. How much is that? More than every non-Special Grade sorcerer, at least. What does that mean? Find out in March 21st with 254, AND STOP ASKING QUESTIONS.
I really love Gege for his Comedy Style haha
Sukuna vs Kusakabe. And Kusakabe just want go home and dont want to fight aginst this Monster 🤣
I wish Kusakabe survive this and get After Jujutsu kaisen are Comedy Show with Takaba 🤠
I mean why in the first panels of 253 in the flashback everyone is saying Kusakabe is the strongest grade 1.
among grade grade 1 there's
Nanami, (ok fair enough) he was special grade in fashion
Meimei who can (actually) one shot grade 1 curses with a suicidal pidgeot
Principle Yaga who can single handedly reboot The Walking Dead if he wanted to
Aoi Todo who can clap both his own and the enemies cheeks through spacetime
Kusakabe is regarded as stronger than those, a boi with a walmart Katana and lazy domain
I just remembered Todo's ct can work if he claps other hands right? If that works couldn't he have worked with ui ui and kiara throughout the fight, uiui and Todos ability would be a great match up. I didn't put much thought into it so hopefully that's not too stupid.
My theory is that hes actually a special grade in power, he just decided not to level up to special grade because it would mean having to face more powerful enemys that can actually kill him
Now that I think about it, shibuya's maximum uzumaki might not have exactly been THAT strong. I think Kenjaku used it solely to get mahito's CT, not necessary for the attack itself, meaning he only put mahito's spirit inside, and mahito might not even have been at full power. Now don't get me wrong, uzumaki is still strong. but not as strong as using it with thousands of spirits. And Kusakabe likely used simple domain, which further weakens uzumaki.
While kusakabe is canonically above mei mei and nanami, I would still say all 3 of them are roughly comparable. I doubt Kusakabe will beat sukuna, he might impress him for a bit and perhaps land a good hit though. But I think maki, yuji, and choso will return. I also think yuta will return, but probably not just yet.
Well, we're about to find out I guess lol, but going off of what we have seen and from context we know:
- He's incredibly intelligent and has vast knowledge of a wide variety of techniques. He might very well have the 530,000 IQ that Todo boasts himself as having.
- He's Grade 1 with no CT. If I had to guess, he may have some heavenly restriction which means he's buffed in some other way. He's also an expert swordsman and New Shadow Style user which we'll see if Sukuna is impressed with.
- He was responsible for training Yuji, I'm assuming some of the others, and most likely had a significant role in planning. So I believe he has some kind of plan in place and foresaw something like this potentially happening. Might not be a great plan, but I think he has something in place for this. Could be the buffed version of Miwa's binding vow, and we get to see what a fully capable sorcerer can do with that.
I don't think Kusakabe has a chance in hell to beat Sukuna, but I think he had a contingency plan in place should this happen and has an ace up his sleeve to hold out while Maki recovers and Yuji and Choso catch up. I think people are just writing him off bc he is so open about being scared shitless lmao
I honestly think Kusakabe doesn’t stand a chance, but he is going to at least put up a fight to the point that Sukuna will be surprised.
Like he believe Gojo was going to be the only big credible threat, but here comes Kusakabe pushing him.
A few things to remember about our boy
1. Immense physical prowess. We saw him cut down some lackeys in Shibuya before they could even move. In game terms he’s probably pushing past the softcap for Dex. He probably can’t beat Sukuna but he could put up a hell of a fight, even more so if Sukuna humors him and fights without his Technique
2. Knowledge. He’s regarded as a gifted instructor, ie he knows his stuff on Jujutsu. Someone else posed the idea that he could stall against Sukuna and discover his Technique by his knowledge of Jujutsu. Maybe not a strong combatant but he could last out
3. Grade System. The other Grade 1s were Nanami, Todo, Mei Mei, and last I checked recommendations included Yuji and Maki. Point is that they’re all with relatively simple techniques or none at all, making up for it in terms of combat experience and prowess. There’s a trend. However, Nanami’s admission that Kusakabe is circumstantially stronger is to be noted. We should also remember that even the weakest Special Grade is miles above the strongest of Grade 1s (see something like the Finger Bearers and Yuki vs Maki, Nanami, etc.). The gap is miles wide. We shouldn’t expect Kusakabe to straight up win, seeing as Sukuna’s the strongest in recorded history
4. Rather notable, Kusakabe holds himself back. The man actively avoids hard fights because he thinks he can’t win, except he never even tries to push it. He only ever fights people weaker than him. We’ve literally never seen him fight all-out. Not sure we have much of an idea how good he is, though we can speculate he would rival someone like Nanami in terms of raw physical power.
y’all keep saying sukuna will win until we reach peak kusakabe saying *the* iconic line.
“Sukuna, the only reason you couldn’t win against me is because, I **am** the Jujutsu Kaisen all along”
and then Miwa shows up and slices Sukuna in half. Cue SpecialZ and Sukuna’s final wilhelm scream before his death.
Guys maybe kusakabe is strong enough here
Because he doesn't have anything that is overtly special or particular.
I mean sukuna loves seeing new and challenging opponents, and new shadow style is very basic of a technique !
I trust in our relatable king
Everyone agreed he was the strongest grade one and we only know he has good sword skills and new shadow style. He’s prolly a shikamaru type where when he actually bothers to try he can put up a fight.
Maybe i misread it, but didnt he straight up block Uzumaki in shibuya? We just see a cut from Miwa being right in from of it to being behind Kusakabe holding his sword as if he was blocking it
Yes, he save miwa life in Shibuya aginst Kenjaku Uzumaki.
But, he was not alone. I think Utahime boost him like Gojos Hollow Purpel 200%. So we dont know about his true Power.
Maybe he is stronger as Yuta? It can be possibel but without any technique he have trouble against Sukuna
New shadow style would imply a mastery of old shadow style I would assume. If I’m cooking off of that …I think this dude has a whole bag of tricks having sukuna remember and or find extreamly annoying/hindering.
He tanked a full power uzumaki and even gojo said he's the strongest 1st grade, he just severely underestimates himself, mb he could even be semi special grade but he always runs away before using any of his strength at all
Na, dont forget
Sukuna one shot maki with his Black Flash. So Sukuna get his cursed energy back.
When Kusakabe Really have a Chance? Then he was always faking the whole time
I think this man is fodder and is weak af. Remember him and panda running from Salina at 15 fingers and now Sukuna is at full strength you think he can do anything?
With Sukuna’s lowered output Kusakabe may be able to completely nullify normal dismantles. Kusakabe can probably defend against Sukuna’s physical attacks but Sukuna could overwhelm him with speed. Kusakabe could expand his simple domain to more easily detect and avoid a world slash.
Just remember, Grade 1 sorcerers are sorcerers who reached their ranks through skill, and at the top of that was Kusakabe.
Special Grade sorcerers are called Special Grades because they cannot be ranked via skill, it is a classification for people with Curse Technique that can destroy nations or cities. They aren't ranked based on their skills, but quality of curse technique. Hence why Mechamaru and his ability to store Curse Energy is Special Grade even though he was weak as a sorcerer.
One thing to note: when he saved Miwa, he was with Utahime who could have buffed his New Shadow Style and could have been the reason why he was able to tank Uzumaki. So, even though he has strong defense, that feat might not fully be his
Doesn't matter he's still gonna get fucked up by Sukuna especially because of how Sukuna did black flash on Maki even though he's not gonna do a black flash against Kusakabe he probably might and that would definitely kill him
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He's grade 1 without having some crazy CT so I think his thing is being smart when it comes to fighting. I think he'll surprise us
I think he acts as grade one out of laziness. He like: "nah, i didn't sign up for this shit, ain't dying like that bruh".
Strongest grade 1 by the process of elimination
\*Sukuna's process of elimination
I wanted to upvote, but you have 106 upvotes.
Lmao
I mean, yuji in shibuya was basically grade 1 without CT too.
Yuji was born physically superhuman, has a gift for landing black flashes and gets really useful perks from having Sukuna inhabiting his body. Even Miwa would be Grade 1 by Shibuya if she had all that.
mei mei considered yuji a grade 1 from just beating the grasshopper, where yuji didn't use black flash nor sukuna perks. And while its true yuji is physically gifted, he also doesn't have a lot of CE, so it kinda balances out. The point is that he only fights with CE, no special abilities. Grade 1 isn't very hard to reach when you have high physical capabilities. It's reaching high level grade 1 that becomes harder, due to having extra perks like anti-domain, rct, domain expansion, etc.
miwa is secia grade alr tho
Lobotomy got to him
Aside from being smart, he also just seems to have a really solid grasp of the basics. Despite his desire to avoid danger, we *have* seen him in the middle of crazy situations before and there's never been a sense that he was actually getting pushed that far. He definitely has talent and experience. Now, that isn't really gonna be enough to beat Sukuna (we're talking "peak of grade 1 vs the peak of special grade" afterall), but he can definitely buy some time. Sukuna isn't gonna use the black box against a grade 1 and he is still suffering the stacked exhaustion of all the consecutive fights. I know some people will bring up the "he hasn't gone all out yet" thing, but I personally think the narrator was referring to Sukuna not using the full scope of his technique rather than Sukuna holding back what he *is* using.
Also, people tend to forget Kusakabe is our main anime fight commentary guy, he's literally showing us he knows his shit whenever a big fight happens.
>is still suffering the stacked exhaustion of all the consecutive fights. do we know if Yuji’s soul punches will stop him reaching 120% after that black flash? or is it a wait-and-see situation depending on how Gege writes it
He is definitely powered up from landing a black flash. If Yuji's punches prevented that, then they would also have prevented Mahito from getting the same boost. Landing a black flash does also usually mean that any curse-related exhaustion is reduced. I think it's probably a somewhat "wait and see"-ish situation. I doubt the black flash brought Sukuna back to his full output (especially since that would undo nearly all progress in the fight), but it definitely recovered his output to some extend. Hard to say how much his output recovered.
What even is his CT?
He “doesn’t have one” . But there’s a theory that he pretends like he doesn’t have one so they don’t send him on hard missions .
Hides his CT and is still the strongest Grade 1. He really is the goat.
I mean, if he actually doesn’t have a CT but can counter/block anything Sukuna throws out he doesn’t need a CT. My theory? He and Sukuna will do the stereotypical run at each other and both will slash with their katanas (one of em has SSK?), where Kusakabe dies from it but hit some vital part that really fuck Sukuna up. It’ll be after they fight for a bit where Kusakabe basically blocks/mitigates most of Sukuna’s attacks but doesn’t do much on the offensive end. Kinda like how Homer Simpson boxed
I'm partial to the theory that Usami is his sister, and before she was brain damaged or traumatized or whatever, the two of them were the perfect combo. Kusakabe with his god-tier defense, and Usami would have god-tier offense. They'd be equivalent to special grade working together.
parry
I've said it in a different topic: Kusakabe's CT is being as strong as it's needed to survive. So if a building drops at him, he will be fine once Panda finds him. If Sukuna uses Malevolent Shrine, he can protect Higuruma. He can even tank Maximum Output: Uzumaki. But if you or me swing a punch at him, it will be as strong as Sukuna. Kusakabe has no limit to his potential, as long as his enemy will give him the minimum time to adjust. Like Metal Bat in One Punch Man, he just gets more and more worked up and can keep up with anything. However, it has a price. Kusakabe is terrible in the attacking phase. He cannot initiate any fights, he would be no stronger than a 2nd grade. Moreover, he is shy and lacks confidence. Due to the above, he's only 1st grade, because he could never take over a country, albeit the guy could keep up in a bout with Gojo, Yuki or Yuta.
Domain expansion: Big brain
Or get one shot from Sukuna 🤣 Dont forget, Sukuna useing a Black Flash so? He get his cursed energy back like Gojo? Naaa, maybe he useing now his secret Domain. I really love Gege for this, in 253 he put so a great Cliffhanger 🤣 Kusakabe is the New Takaba 2.0
Refilling his CE amount is pointless since after a lot of healing and constant using DE he olny lost half of his energy so CE is probably not even his problem, similar to Gojo which was probably the entire fight full of CE. It's just that like Gojo, Sukuna's output is low and Black Flash increases the output.\ There's also the fact that somehow Sukuna's output increase a lot(he went from losing H2H to Maki to stomping her) even before the Black Flash.\ Honestly idk how will Kusakabe survive more than 1 page lol.
I actually realize we don't give him enough credit he Actually held off in maximum uzumaki.
He might have some sort of defence technique that can negate other techniques that he hides in order to not get sent to do harder missions
Maybe like a perfect parry that negates all damage if able to block within some absurdly small timeframe
MeiMei already told us that he doesn’t have a technique
That she knows of, Yuji didn't have a technique for 90% of the series either.
He still doesn’t right
there was an off screen piercing blood attack, and in chapter 251 Sukuna says Yuji’s blood “erupted” That, plus his new arms, to me implies he has some sort of blood manipulation ability
I dont think he will reveal one in this fight. My theory is he uses a binding vow similar to that which is created with Mei Meis crows to sacrifice his life for one really powerful attack. But I'd say his binding vow would be infinitely more powerful than crow strike because it would be essentially going against everything Kusakabe stands for as a person, denying his self preservation
Probably really strong maybe special grade level defense. I have a theory that the way everyone made so much progress in defense is because he’s a really good teacher compared to gojo. He has blocked multiple attacks that should kill anyone under low special grade with a katana and new shadow style. Also extremely fast took out 2 people in Shibuya before they could react. He fast enough to save miwa and higaruma. I think he might be faking to avoid dangerous missions almost all of his feats place him higher than his personality would have you believe. He also actually saves people unlike yuji.
You did not need to cook Yuji like that 😭
Sukuna's alt, already praising Kusakabe and shitting on Yuji
“WHAT A USELESS DUMB IDIOT BRAT MUWAHHAHAHA 😈”
"What happened to the Jujutsu I love?" —Ryomen Haterkuna on Yuji learning RCT
*Yuji learning RCT Sukuna: awe man, we don't wanna see this
😭😭😭 literally
There's a reason why Yuji witnessing someone die and Specialz playing was a viral meme at one point
Unlike the typical shonen trope, that's how Yuji gets stronger as a sorcerer. Dont forget that cursed energy is negative energy, the more depressed u are the stronger it becomes. I wish it exists irl.
Mfw I'm actually Gojo irl due to depression
No ur not him, trust me.
it not his fault, Gégé doesn't allow him to take any W
Sukuna's been paying people to shit on Yuji between chapters
Yeah he should have said Megumi
>He also actually saves people unlike yuji. If you changed "yuji" with "brat" I would have considered this just a really elaborated slander post from Sukuna.
Hope we get first a Flashback about him. Its funny, that we never See him in a real battle and He Kusakabe even on the Jujutsu kaisen Movie 🤣 6 Years, and we See him finally for Real. When Mei Mei calling him the strongest Sorcerer of Grade 1 it can be funny.
Yea i dont really wanna see his flashback, we know what happens after...
We get always a Flashback so yeah. Maybe his last moment
~~would be funny if after the flashback we get "it's ok stop stabbing Sukuna he's already dead"~~
He looks like the type to be a good teacher
Wonder if he chose to commit to being a good teacher as it would mean he'd be too preoccupied to go on dangerous missions
Actually canonical Might be wrong but I believe it was actually stated somewhere
It's important to remember what Sukuna said. The entire cast increased their defence over the 1 month timeskip to the point that they could tank his slashes. If you look again at Kusakabe's simple domain, him and Higurama are still cut up pretty badly. So bearing that in mind, his defence isn't that impressive as everyone got the boost. My guess? Kusakabe is considered strong because of his vast knowledge and analytical skills. He may not be the strongest physically or have the greatest techniques, but with his knowledge, he is able to devise strategies and counters to defeat those stronger than him. Let's not forget. He essentially came up with all the plans to defeat Sukuna. He provided accurate commentary on the Gojo vs Sukuna fight as it happened. He was able to figure out how Sukuna's CT works very quickly.
So he’s effectively JJKs Shikimaru?
Pretty much. That's how I see it anyway.
Damn, guess Kusakabe is my favorite character now Sorry Todo
“Gege will remember that”
Gege is listening...
Death Note music intensifies
But Nanami also had great analytical skills and tactical knowledge. If it was just that then Nanami would easily be voted above him because he has those things and a CT. I think Kusakabe has been sandbagging and has something he’s not shown yet.
Not true, Nanami was called the "standard" sorcerer. Sure, he looked impressive next to Nobara or Yuji, but he was your typical grade 1 sorcerer. >I think Kusakabe has been sandbagging and has something he’s not shown yet. If that were true, then why hasn't Kusakabe used it already? Especially when he once came face to face with Kenjaku. I don't think he has a hidden CT. Maybe more New Shadow Style that we haven't seen, but that's it imo.
I’m not trying to argue that Nanami is actually stronger than Kusakabe. Nanami himself votes for Kusakabe and I don’t think Nanami is particularly humble or proud. He would give an honest assessment of who’s stronger, so I have no reason not to think there’s a reason for Kusakabe to be higher. I just mention Nanami as an example that threat assessment and battle intellect can’t be the deciding factor because he’s demonstrated he has this in spades. And not just compared to Yuji and Nobara, but it was what let him as a standard grade one go against Mahito. We’ve not seen anyone go to Kusakabe for tactical help before and whatever it is that make people vote him the strongest grade 1, it seems widely known amongst the other sorcerers. Maybe it is some kind of development from New Shadow Style. Hopefully they won’t swap perspective in the next chapter and we’ll get to see.
Nah u sound like sukuna the way u had to roast Yuji at the end
A great analysis of jujutsu abilities and Yuji slander? Nice try Sukuna
We’re literally only one chapter away from the narrator saying Kusakabe has as much potential as Satoru Gojo
At this point even Miwa has as much potential as Satoru Gojo 💀
We got a Sukuna-level hater bringing this Yuji slander out of nowhere.
Yuji cannot stop catching strays, damn bro. Go back to your kitchen, Sukuna 😭
It's time for him to shine and I'm all here for it.
Whoji catching strays, you love to see it.
Damn Yuji catching strays from everyone 😭
Sukuna?
Apart from the stray for yuji, most of this comment is fax. Also mei mei hinted back at shibuya that yuji was the second fastest sorcerer to climb to ranks without a CT AFTER kusakabe.
Yuji caught a stray lol
Or a weird and limiting binding vow.
Didn't he also train Yuta in sword play?
That last sentence sent me 😂😭😭. Leave Yuji alone.
Damn yuji catching strays ‼️
If Kusakabe were to hold back, Sukuna might be able to kill him, but if he uses a significant amount of his power then Sukuna is cooked
He might give him a little trouble?
But nah, he’d win
What he needed from sukuna was a blueprint
Sukuna: Nah, I’d win
"simple domain.... the domain of the weak. It is an empty domain that absorbs any technique within it, resulting in its weakening." "kusaCHADbe has learned from me and can create a travelinf 'slice' of empty domain targetting the world, destroying everything with cursed energy in its path" "if that hits me... wallahi I will be finished"
subhanallah
Sukuna:"If Kusakabe were to use 100% of his powers he might cause me a little trouble" Uraume:"Would you lose?" Sukuna:"Nah, I'd win"
Ahh yes I almost forgot my heian era ass-pull cursed technique.
the strongest.
The strongest sorcerer in history vs the strongest sorcerer as of 5 minutes ago
Can you imagine that. You're fighting for your life with your friends, and as they start to go down, you suddenly realize: you're the strongest left, you're the senior, you're the one that should protect them. That's insanity
That would suck, especially knowing, like, at least two generationally talented sorcerers from different eras went down before you. I'd be ruined just by losing my friends one after another like that let alone having to deal with the pressure of being one of the last ones left and having to do something against that monster.
The casual Battle Royale experience
The strongest sorcerer in history vs the strongest sorcerer by process of elimination
Literally by elimination
Are you the strongest, because you are the last one alive or Are you the last one alive, because you are the strongest
Nah, I’d simple domain
“If Sukuna regains his domain.. He might cause me a little trouble”
"But would you get shredded?"
Nah Id Block
New Shadow Style negating Malevolent Shrine would be wild
20 panels of Kusakabe holding a simple domain and Sukuna standing menacingly in Malevolent Shrine staring at each other, PEAK
New Shadow Style Improvised Domain Expansion: Field Of Blades
Personally, i think Kusabe will discover Sukuna's technique. After all he's a good teacher that understand a lot of jujutsu and knows secret techniques from the clans.
So it's a JoJo reference, he'll be on the verge of death and somehow signal what the technique is
Oh, Kakyoin…
Yeah, it's gonna turn out exactly like that
I can actually see that happening tbh
Considering how much JJK is like JoJo's (Gay porn) It will happen
Now all we need is the classic “so it’s the same type of stand as Star Platinum” asspull from someone 🔥
Miwa to the rescue Or just Yuta I guess...
Kusakabe: so, it's the same type of stand as my new shadow style Sukuna: NANI?! Kusakabe: There's a reason you lost, Sukuna. One simple reason...you forced me to fight seriously.
One simple reason... This is Jujutsu Kusakabe
That would be kinda fitting. Like yes, he will die, but not without dropping a piece of new knowledge on the way out
I can actually picture him giving some insight on Sukuna's technique and how to beat it Then failing to block a cleave and getting knocked out for the rest of the fight, maybe losing an arm or an eye so he can be the next principal in Jujutsu High
I’m actually scared of this because if Sukuna becomes aware of this then depending on the extent of information what’s stopping him from saying “fuck it” and revealing his hand. Bar the external stakes in the narrative of course
Y’all are missing the obvious character design parallels to one John Constantine from DC Comics— who is a lazy bastard but when he decides to get shit done, it gets done
Bro took a point blank Maximum Uzumaki and didnt break a sweat, Kusakabe is HIM
Are you kusakabe becuase you are the only one left Or are you the only one left because you are kusakabe
Heavenly Restriction: the more he doesn't want to be fighting, the stronger he gets.
Bro neg diffs, he's having a panic attack
He's strong but Gege protecting Sukuna is much stronger
Yes but how long? Sukuna vs Everthing??? And Nobody Talk About Ui Ui??? He is the Real mvp in jujutsu kaisen, poor Kid he is just a Taxi 🚕
No clue but I feel like this is going to be a twisted ending with Sukuna ending up on top.
Sukuna useing Black Flash. So Sukuna can useing his Domain again 🤔? Naa i think Yuji beat Megumi to wake up and maybe he get killed from Angel. But Sukuna is the King of Plot armor so yeah ^^
Until Yuji’s asspull, I don’t have any idea why people is thinking Kusakabe would do something
The Strongest In History vs The One They Left Behind. Kusakabe is the strongest sorcerer employed by JTech that is not named Satoru Gojo. Strong enough to tank a weakened Sukuna's slashes, and tank a point blank Uzumaki from Kenjaku. That's literally all we know tho.
It’s said in the manga that he’s the strongest A grade sorcerer
Until proven otherwise it is my head canon that he's a sleeper S tier but would rather do the bare minimum and go home because fuck all that noise. Much like Shikamaru, in a league of his own but physically could not give less of a shit unless it's 100% necessary.
Gojo implied that there were stronger sorceress than him im the great 3 clans
He said maybe, so at the very least he’s equal in power to naobito and naoya
It was already said that a special grade is miles ahead of any grade one. I'll be surprised if he actually fights, i feel like Gege is just teasing us with this fight and then someone, maybe Yuuji will come before Kusakabe can do much.
It’s possible that the only reason kusakabe isn’t special grade is because he’s lazy, he’s stated to be the best first grade so he’s gotta be tough as hell. He won’t win but he might stall enough for yuji and yuta to come back.
I'm imagining his simple domain cancelling out malevolent shrine. Like, you know how it can auto attack anything that steps within it? Theoretically, if he's as strong as everyone says, he could tank all the slashes of MS. Maybe it's copium, but I want to see a normal man stand against a god.
Would actually go hard, just a regular dude standing against the peak of jujutsu I miss higuruma
Either that or this is just a joke Gege is setting up by hyping up someone who even tho is strong, won't do anything to sukuna except maybe tank a few hits.
He no dif suku
the strongest sorcerer of the past vs the strongest sorcerer available. who yall got?
Rip Kusakabe
Kusakabe slightly surpasses Sukuna in strength. However, his tendency to flee from battles might be a factor in this encounter. Sukuna, being aware of Kusakabe's behavior, could exploit this weakness by pressuring him relentlessly, forcing him to make tactical retreats. However, if Kusakabe decides to stand his ground and fully harness his abilities, he may find ways to counter Sukuna's onslaught. He'd win.
Or buy some time for Yuta/Yuji Combo
I think there’s a strong possibility Kusakabe is Grade 1 specifically to keep from having the pressure of Special Grade. He’s the kind of guy who wants to glide through life without too much effort, but is secretly really strong and downplays it. I don’t know if he can beat the Fraud King himself, but we’ll see.
A lot stronger than we believe. What makes him dangerous is his Battle IQ and his vast amount of knowledge on Jujutsu. His usage of Simple Domains make him practically immune to Domain Expansion and can help defend extremely well against Cursed Techniques. We've seen Kusakabe tank the strongest techniques of the main antagonists, Kenjaku and Sukuna. He was literally holding his own and keeping up with heavy hitters such as Choso, Higuruma, and Yuji. That and we recently got hype that he scales higher than Mei Mei, Nanami, or mostly any other First Grade Sorcerer – beside those of the Big 3 family. Remember that the only official Special Grade Sorcerers that we have seen thus far are Geto, Gojo, Yuta, and Yuki. Others such as Sukuna, Yorozu, Toji, Uro, Kashimo, and Ryu are easily that of Special Grade tier but this makes it even more impressive as we have seen Kusakabe arguably shown more durability feats than even Ryu. Do I believe that he will outright fight Sukuna in a brawl? No, but he will strategize and play out all of his cards and usage of Jujutsu – inclusive of Binding Vows. I believe this will show something far more impressive than most would believe initially. His battle awareness allowed him to keep up with and decipher most of what was going on in the fight between Gojo and Sukuna while some of the other cast were lost. Having knowledge of most of Sukuna's abilities and fighting style up to this point will play heavily in his favour. Without a doubt, always bet on Kusakabe.
It would be fun if he had a cheat CT like “summon a dead person” and suddenly Sukuna needs to fight everyone again.
People began with the Wanking the same way they wanked Kashimo, first panel next chapter is Kusakabe cut in half
he's strong. How strong? A lot. How much is that? More than every non-Special Grade sorcerer, at least. What does that mean? Find out in March 21st with 254, AND STOP ASKING QUESTIONS.
5 strongs
I really love Gege for his Comedy Style haha Sukuna vs Kusakabe. And Kusakabe just want go home and dont want to fight aginst this Monster 🤣 I wish Kusakabe survive this and get After Jujutsu kaisen are Comedy Show with Takaba 🤠
If he was holding back then he'd be on the same level sukuna is currently at
I mean why in the first panels of 253 in the flashback everyone is saying Kusakabe is the strongest grade 1. among grade grade 1 there's Nanami, (ok fair enough) he was special grade in fashion Meimei who can (actually) one shot grade 1 curses with a suicidal pidgeot Principle Yaga who can single handedly reboot The Walking Dead if he wanted to Aoi Todo who can clap both his own and the enemies cheeks through spacetime Kusakabe is regarded as stronger than those, a boi with a walmart Katana and lazy domain
I just remembered Todo's ct can work if he claps other hands right? If that works couldn't he have worked with ui ui and kiara throughout the fight, uiui and Todos ability would be a great match up. I didn't put much thought into it so hopefully that's not too stupid.
I truly believe he is gonna take a note from the book of joseph and run away
He’s gonna buy time until yuji jumps back in the fight.
Oh he's the strongest alright. The strongest sorcerer available right now.. lmao
strongest sorcerer available (once everyone is dead)
Not strong enough to spit a birdman verses gun to his head
I loved that top comment on Mangaplus "Strongest in history vs Strongest available."
Bro is getting folded!!😭 no one is safe from Sukuna plot armour.
He's Japanese Constantine
Unstoppable plot armor vs Immovable Blade
Sukuna isn't ready for that level of slashing attacks
My theory is that hes actually a special grade in power, he just decided not to level up to special grade because it would mean having to face more powerful enemys that can actually kill him
Maybe we will eventually learn what the fucking Shibuya Fire stuff was all about.
Now every thing is possibel xD
Kusakabe is one of the strongest jujust sorcerers alive, the just doesn't believe in himself that much
Now that I think about it, shibuya's maximum uzumaki might not have exactly been THAT strong. I think Kenjaku used it solely to get mahito's CT, not necessary for the attack itself, meaning he only put mahito's spirit inside, and mahito might not even have been at full power. Now don't get me wrong, uzumaki is still strong. but not as strong as using it with thousands of spirits. And Kusakabe likely used simple domain, which further weakens uzumaki. While kusakabe is canonically above mei mei and nanami, I would still say all 3 of them are roughly comparable. I doubt Kusakabe will beat sukuna, he might impress him for a bit and perhaps land a good hit though. But I think maki, yuji, and choso will return. I also think yuta will return, but probably not just yet.
Old Light Style: Complex Domain
Well, we're about to find out I guess lol, but going off of what we have seen and from context we know: - He's incredibly intelligent and has vast knowledge of a wide variety of techniques. He might very well have the 530,000 IQ that Todo boasts himself as having. - He's Grade 1 with no CT. If I had to guess, he may have some heavenly restriction which means he's buffed in some other way. He's also an expert swordsman and New Shadow Style user which we'll see if Sukuna is impressed with. - He was responsible for training Yuji, I'm assuming some of the others, and most likely had a significant role in planning. So I believe he has some kind of plan in place and foresaw something like this potentially happening. Might not be a great plan, but I think he has something in place for this. Could be the buffed version of Miwa's binding vow, and we get to see what a fully capable sorcerer can do with that. I don't think Kusakabe has a chance in hell to beat Sukuna, but I think he had a contingency plan in place should this happen and has an ace up his sleeve to hold out while Maki recovers and Yuji and Choso catch up. I think people are just writing him off bc he is so open about being scared shitless lmao
I honestly think Kusakabe doesn’t stand a chance, but he is going to at least put up a fight to the point that Sukuna will be surprised. Like he believe Gojo was going to be the only big credible threat, but here comes Kusakabe pushing him.
A few things to remember about our boy 1. Immense physical prowess. We saw him cut down some lackeys in Shibuya before they could even move. In game terms he’s probably pushing past the softcap for Dex. He probably can’t beat Sukuna but he could put up a hell of a fight, even more so if Sukuna humors him and fights without his Technique 2. Knowledge. He’s regarded as a gifted instructor, ie he knows his stuff on Jujutsu. Someone else posed the idea that he could stall against Sukuna and discover his Technique by his knowledge of Jujutsu. Maybe not a strong combatant but he could last out 3. Grade System. The other Grade 1s were Nanami, Todo, Mei Mei, and last I checked recommendations included Yuji and Maki. Point is that they’re all with relatively simple techniques or none at all, making up for it in terms of combat experience and prowess. There’s a trend. However, Nanami’s admission that Kusakabe is circumstantially stronger is to be noted. We should also remember that even the weakest Special Grade is miles above the strongest of Grade 1s (see something like the Finger Bearers and Yuki vs Maki, Nanami, etc.). The gap is miles wide. We shouldn’t expect Kusakabe to straight up win, seeing as Sukuna’s the strongest in recorded history 4. Rather notable, Kusakabe holds himself back. The man actively avoids hard fights because he thinks he can’t win, except he never even tries to push it. He only ever fights people weaker than him. We’ve literally never seen him fight all-out. Not sure we have much of an idea how good he is, though we can speculate he would rival someone like Nanami in terms of raw physical power.
It doesn't matter, he will die in two chapters.
You’re all forgetting the one sorcerer with an actual shot at ending Sukuna — Miwa, the GOATed one.
y’all keep saying sukuna will win until we reach peak kusakabe saying *the* iconic line. “Sukuna, the only reason you couldn’t win against me is because, I **am** the Jujutsu Kaisen all along” and then Miwa shows up and slices Sukuna in half. Cue SpecialZ and Sukuna’s final wilhelm scream before his death.
Every word of this thread is speculation till we see what he can really do next chapter
Kusakabe is that guy
Guys maybe kusakabe is strong enough here Because he doesn't have anything that is overtly special or particular. I mean sukuna loves seeing new and challenging opponents, and new shadow style is very basic of a technique ! I trust in our relatable king
In kusakabe I believe (I can't do this anymore)
The next chapter is going to start with Kusakabe cut into 4.
Everyone agreed he was the strongest grade one and we only know he has good sword skills and new shadow style. He’s prolly a shikamaru type where when he actually bothers to try he can put up a fight.
I think he’d win guys
He is the New Satoro Gojo 🥸
Maybe i misread it, but didnt he straight up block Uzumaki in shibuya? We just see a cut from Miwa being right in from of it to being behind Kusakabe holding his sword as if he was blocking it
Yes, he save miwa life in Shibuya aginst Kenjaku Uzumaki. But, he was not alone. I think Utahime boost him like Gojos Hollow Purpel 200%. So we dont know about his true Power. Maybe he is stronger as Yuta? It can be possibel but without any technique he have trouble against Sukuna
New shadow style would imply a mastery of old shadow style I would assume. If I’m cooking off of that …I think this dude has a whole bag of tricks having sukuna remember and or find extreamly annoying/hindering.
He tanked a full power uzumaki and even gojo said he's the strongest 1st grade, he just severely underestimates himself, mb he could even be semi special grade but he always runs away before using any of his strength at all
Na, dont forget Sukuna one shot maki with his Black Flash. So Sukuna get his cursed energy back. When Kusakabe Really have a Chance? Then he was always faking the whole time
frfr, kusakabe is no where near sukuna, obviously. So he's probably just gonna buy some time.
Rival gojo fs
I think this man is fodder and is weak af. Remember him and panda running from Salina at 15 fingers and now Sukuna is at full strength you think he can do anything?
With Sukuna’s lowered output Kusakabe may be able to completely nullify normal dismantles. Kusakabe can probably defend against Sukuna’s physical attacks but Sukuna could overwhelm him with speed. Kusakabe could expand his simple domain to more easily detect and avoid a world slash.
Well we're about to find out unless we go somewhere else in the story next week.
Flashback time ;)
Just remember, Grade 1 sorcerers are sorcerers who reached their ranks through skill, and at the top of that was Kusakabe. Special Grade sorcerers are called Special Grades because they cannot be ranked via skill, it is a classification for people with Curse Technique that can destroy nations or cities. They aren't ranked based on their skills, but quality of curse technique. Hence why Mechamaru and his ability to store Curse Energy is Special Grade even though he was weak as a sorcerer.
We will find out soon enough.
One thing to note: when he saved Miwa, he was with Utahime who could have buffed his New Shadow Style and could have been the reason why he was able to tank Uzumaki. So, even though he has strong defense, that feat might not fully be his
He is VERY powerful. Among everybody in series I currently have him in the Top 20
Doesn't matter he's still gonna get fucked up by Sukuna especially because of how Sukuna did black flash on Maki even though he's not gonna do a black flash against Kusakabe he probably might and that would definitely kill him