Highlights
- Domain Amplification is an anti-domain technique that can counter an opponent’s Domain Expansion and neutralize cursed techniques.
- When using Domain Amplification, a user cannot use their innate technique simultaneously, which can disadvantage those reliant on long-range attacks.
- Domain Amplification can be used in conjunction with Domain Expansion and provides an advantage in battles between refined domains, allowing for strategic maneuvers and escaping opponents’ domains.
The build up of the Shibuya Incident Arc in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 saw Satoru Gojo, the world’s strongest sorcerer enter the crowded Tokyo Metro BF5 on the Fukutoshin Platform, where he ran into three Special Grade cursed spirits. Jogo, Hanami, and Choso attempt to ambush him amid the bustling hordes of passengers taking the train on the night of Halloween. When their initial flurry of cursed techniques failed, Jogo and Hanami both charged at Gojo and delivered punches while activating their Domain Amplificiation, making a dent in the barrier of Satoru Gojo’s fabled Limitless technique.
So far in the Jujutsu Kaisen anime, the only known means of bypassing the Infinity of the Limitless cursed technique used by Satoru Gojo, is with the Inverted Spear of Heaven that was formerly in the possession of Toji Fushiguro. However, with the introduction of Domain Amplification, the series has introduced an avenue to get past the slowing effect of the Gojo Family’s coveted inherited technique, resulting in a situation where Satoru Gojo was forced to dodge their attacks, due to the likelihood that they would eventually connect with him.
What Is Domain Amplification?
Falling under the umbrella of anti-domain techniques, specially devised to circumvent the sure hit effect of an opponent’s Domain Expansion. Besides this purpose, Domain Amplification also has a secondary usage in neutralizing cursed techniques when it interacts with them. In its simplest form, a user will expand their innate domain as a thin layer over their entire body, coating it in manner where any cursed technique it comes into contact with will no longer be effective.
When Jogo and Nanami used it, they were forced to rely primarily on hand-to-hand combat, as Domain Amplification cannot be used simultaneously with an innate technique. This is a major drawback for Jujutsu Sorcerers, Curse Users, and cursed spirits who are not very adept at close combat, and instead rely on their innate technique to do most of the heavy lifting in a fight. Additionally, while it is possible to include a sure hit factor as part of the technique, doing so would hinder its ability to neutralize other cursed techniques. This was what Jogo and Hanami did in Shibuya, as their main focus was neutralizing Gojo’s Limitless.
That being said, Domain Amplification can be used in tandem with Domain Expansion. This is possible because the user has already imbued their innate domain with their cursed technique and is not making use of it on a target directly. In battles between domains that are refined to a similar degree, possessing the ability to use Domain Amplification could be a valuable skill to turn the tide of the fight, by buying time for one domain to overwhelm the other, or to find routes to escape from an opponent’s domain.
How Can It Be Applied Against Cursed Techniques?
So far, Domain Amplification has only been used at two instances against Satoru Gojo. The first time was during Hanami and Jogo’s assault on the world’s strongest sorcerer, on the Fukutoshin Line Platform at the start of the Shibuya Incident, as the two were attempting to stall for time before the main stage of the group’s plan for the Shibuya Incident would come into play. In the words of Satoru Gojo, Domain Amplification essentially surrounds an obstacle or barrier — in this case a cursed technique — with water to create a feeling that resembles pushing back against a domain.
When confronted by the pair of cursed spirits as they used Domain Amplification, Gojo deactivated his Limitless as a means of forcing Jogo and Hanami to use their innate techniques. As a consequence, when Hanami used his innate technique, he was unable to use Domain Amplification simultaneously, which left him open to attack from Gojo himself. Subsequently, Gojo made short work of him and exorcised the Special Grade cursed spirit. Hence, even with its effectiveness when pitted against the likes of the Limitless, there are still risks to using Domain Amplification which can sometimes outweigh its benefits.
The only other time Domain Amplification has been used is during Gojo’s battle against the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna. During this confrontation, Sukuna made use of the technique to physically attack Gojo and neutralize his Limitless, but was restrained from using his innate techniques while it was active. Even despite this, he was more than a match for the world’s strongest sorcerer due to his immense skill in hand-to-hand combat, as well as his ability to switch between his innate technique and Domain Amplification when the situation demanded it.
This was only possible due to Sukuna’s incredible mastery of cursed energy, which allowed this switch to occur seamlessly in the heat of battle, to keep Gojo on his toes at all times. Lastly, Sukuna was also able to use Domain Amplification in tandem with his Domain Expansion when engaged in a battle of domains with Satoru Gojo. This was a measure he adopted to negate the sure hit effect of Unlimited Void, while simultaneously giving him the time he needed for his own Domain Expansion, Malevolent Shrine to overcome Gojo’s.
Jujutsu Kaisen is available to stream on Crunchyroll & Funimation.