Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses himself, has been a looming threat since the first episode of Jujutsu Kaisen. We hear a lot about how terrifying and powerful he used to be, and we see what Yuji looks like when he’s possessed by Sukuna, but is that really Sukuna’s true form?
That’s not the case, but we’ve been shown Ryomen Sukuna’s original appearance, which is somewhat identical to Yuji’s. So, why does Sukuna’s original form look so much like Yuji Itadori?
Fans have speculated about this since the start of the series. Are the similarities between them even intentional, or just a quirk of the mangaka’s art style? Maybe there’s a secret connection between Yuji Itadori and Ryomen Sukuna that we don’t know about yet.
Sukuna’s form takes a bit after the host he’s possessing, but his true form is that of a four-eyed, four-armed demon.
In his original form, Sukuna is much taller and bulkier than Yuji. He has short spiky hair, black markings down his cheeks and chin, two fragmentary black lines running down his chest, uninterrupted black lines circling his biceps and wrists, and large black dots on his shoulders. If you look closely, you’ll also notice a faint line on his lower stomach!
Despite being one of the main focuses of Jujutsu Kaisen, Sukuna still remains a pretty mysterious figure. In this article, we will be extensively talking about Sukuna’s appearance, discussing various fan theories about it, and answering the questions posed at the beginning of the article.
What Was Ryomen Sukuna’s True Form?
Let’s talk about Ryomen Sukuna, the undisputed King of Curses, back in his heyday over a thousand years ago. He was a human living in a time when exorcism was at its peak, known as the Golden Age of Jujutsu. Many talented exorcists tried to defeat him but ultimately died at his hands.
There are still a couple of mysterious details about his past, like how he became a curse and how he died. In the Jujutsu Kaisen fandom, people theorize that the number of terrible acts and the sheer fear that he inspired was enough to transform him into a curse. His mummified body became a relic, and his soul lay dormant, divided into 20 fingers, taken from his four arms.
Fast forward to the present, the story begins when Sukuna gets incarnated into Yuji Itadori’s body after Yuji eats one of his cursed fingers.
As a special-grade curse and the strongest curse of all time, Sukuna can freeze his opponents with his sheer power. When he woke up in Shibuya, everyone felt his immense presence.
He easily defeated powerful curses like Jogo and even beat Mahoraga, the strongest familiar of the Ten Shadow Technique. Sukuna’s strength is so impressive that some believed his full resurrection could bring about the Age of Curses.
Personality-wise, Sukuna is quite cold and greedy. He likes to take control of Yuji’s body and enjoys seeing others, especially humans, suffer. He’s into combat and power, believing in a strength-based hierarchy.
His worldview is similar to that of young Gojo Satoru, believing that the strong can do whatever they want simply because they’re stronger. Despite his inflammatory and antagonizing demeanor, he’s actually very intelligent and calculating, making him a formidable adversary.
As for his appearance back then, he was a four-armed, four-eyed curse. On the right side of his face, he looks like he’s wearing one half of a mask, but it seems like that’s just his face. We don’t know the significance of this design detail yet.
Sukuna’s face and body are lined with black, line-like tattoos. Two lines circle each of his wrists and biceps, two lines running from his back, over his shoulders, and down his chest, and both his shoulders have big dots on them. When he takes partial form on his host, he manifests as just a mouth or an eye, which we’ve seen since the beginning of the series.
In What Chapter & Episode Was Sukuna’s True Form Revealed?
We first saw Sukuna’s original form on the cover page of manga chapter 117, and then it was later properly revealed in chapter 181. This chapter begins with a flashback to the Golden Age of Jujutsu. Although Sukuna isn’t the main focus, his appearance was all fans talked about on social media.
Chapter 219 of Jujutsu Kaisen takes us on a flashback journey to a thousand years ago, where we learn about Yorozu’s discovery of Sukuna and her infatuation with him. Yorozu, a talented Jujutsu sorcerer from the Heian era, was captivated by Sukuna’s presence and was determined to ease his loneliness with her love. However, Sukuna was already aware of the limitations of her “love” and was well aware that it was just an obsession.
Opinions among fans have been super divided ever since Sukuna’s appearance was revealed. Many are delighted to finally see Sukuna’s true face and have been happy to get a glimpse into his mysterious past. After all, in chapter 219, we found out that there used to be a festival that was once held to honor Sukuna.
However, some fans find Sukuna’s appearance repulsive, joking that Yorozu needs to raise her standards. When a character gets this popular, it’s almost an expectation that they should be conventionally attractive.
Take Satoru Gojo or Toji Fushiguro as examples; their power level and attractiveness skyrocketed their popularity to crazy heights! But Sukuna breaks that expectation. That’s not to say that there aren’t people who like how Sukuna looks because there are! But the fact that he’s not as attractive as fans imagined has caused some fandom debate.
Why Does Sukuna Look Like Yuji?
Things are a bit mysterious regarding Sukuna’s appearance and why he looks like Yuji Itadori. Before we got to see his original form, it kind of made sense that he would take after his host, Yuji, since he’s residing in Yuji’s body.
But now that his true form has been revealed, it’s got fans scratching their heads. Some think that Sukuna resembles Yuji to some extent, but others are not so sure and have different opinions.
The story hasn’t given us a clear explanation for why Sukuna looks so much like Yuji. It’s like a big question mark hanging over us. Some people even suggest that maybe he did resemble Yuji before, but we don’t know for sure whether that’s just a coincidence or if there’s something more to it.
When we saw Sukuna’s actual appearance, he did have similarities to Yuji, but he was much older and more demon-esque. So, it’s still a bit of a mystery why these two look alike, and fans are divided on whether it’s significant or just a coincidence.
But we know that Kenjaku was responsible for Yuji’s birth, there seems to be a growing mystery about Yuji’s relation with Sukuna, especially as far as appearances go! I mean, it’s quite clear that Sukuna’s true form looks strikingly close to what Yuji would look like if he were a bit older, more muscular, and more rugged!
Ultimately, we’ll have to keep reading and watching to see if the story will eventually reveal the reason behind Sukuna’s resemblance to Yuji Itadori. Until then, it remains an intriguing and open question for Jujutsu Kaisen fans.
Conclusion
Sukuna’s original appearance in Jujutsu Kaisen is a remarkable blend of mystery, power, and demonic allure. Sukuna’s appearance is both awe-inspiring and terrifying. He embodies the essence of a fearsome demon with his four arms, four eyes, and two faces. Moreover, the tribal tattoos that adorn his body further emphasize his ancient and otherworldly nature.
Although some might be upset that Sukuna’s original appearance isn’t as attractive as they imagined, his true form is much more fitting as he’s called the “King of Curses.”
The ambiguity surrounding Sukuna’s original form only serves to amplify the aura of power and unpredictability that surrounds him. As Jujutsu Kaisen’s story unfolds, we eagerly await any further revelations about Sukuna’s true form and its mysteries.
