Jujutsu Kaisen: Meet Garuda, Yuki’s Shikigami – The Flying Snake-Like Creature Following Her!

Yuki Tsukumo is a very interesting character from the Jujutsu Kaisen series, and her overall role in the series, despite her not having much screen time, is quite important. She is a maverick jujutsu sorcerer who is, incidentally, also a Special-grade sorceress (one of only four such characters), which means that she is exceptionally powerful. There are numerous aspects of her powers and abilities that we could discuss in this article, but we are going to focus on just one in this article – her Shikigami Garuda! In this article, you will find out everything you need to know about Garuda in Jujutsu Kaisen.

Garuda is a Shikigami connected to Yuki’s Innate Technique, Star Rage

In the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, the Shikigami are familiars of Jujutsu users who serve them and are summoned by them using some special objects in most cases. They are not actually cursed spirits but creatures similar to cursed spirits, which is why they are different from the curses summoned via curse manipulation techniques. Their appearance and strength vary, and the series has so far shown us several Shikigami and Shikigami users, with Yuki Tsukumo being the most recent one. She appeared with Garuda in Shibuya, and because of her explosive arrival, we have decided to tell you all you need to know about Garuda.

You’ve probably noticed the serpent-like creature following Yuki around. Well, that is Garuda, a powerful and somewhat specific Shikigami. Garuda takes its name from the Hindu deity of the same name, known also as the king of the birds and resembling a kite. And while Jujutsu Kaisen‘s Garuda doesn’t look like a bird, the name still stands, and as a companion of Yuki’s Garuda fulfills the original deity’s function of being the mount (vahana) of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda can fly and it has a serpent-like body, but it also consists of a series of bone-like columns that are interconnected; the bonds are flexible, which allows Garuda to increase its length and change its shape. It has eight wings that float around its body and enable it to fly. It also has blades on its body.

Garuda is a powerful Shikigami. Although it is tied to Yuki, it is also standalone, and when Yuki is fighting, Garuda can also fight simultaneously, which means that the two of them, indeed, have a special bond. We don’t really know what standalone powers Garuda has, but Yuki has often relied on its powers and when she fought Kenjaku, she was certain that having Garuda by her side would be enough to defeat Kenjaku.

Garuda is also tied to Yuki’s Innate Technique, Star Rage, which allows Yuki to add virtual mass to her, as well as Garuda. Using Garuda’s ability to change its shape and size, Yuki can add additional mass to her Shikigami, making it even more dangerous. This is why she feels safe around Garuda, as she can increase her abilities and the Shikigami’s. We’ve seen Garuda transformed into a ball and thrown at Kenjaku but also used as a whip, which shows just how versatile and practical it is.

But, aside from an offensive role, Garuda also has a defensive role. It boosts Yuki’s powers and abilities and can also be used to defend her when she is recovering or healing. This is due to the fact that Garuda is sentient, allowing it to help Yuki when needed, which – in turn – means that it can act as her defense as well. And that is pretty much it. Garud and Yuki really do have a special bond, and we are going to see more of them in action in the upcoming anime arcs.

And with this, we can actually conclude this article. The story of Yuki and Garuda came to an abrupt end when she was seemingly killed in her fight against Kenjaku, so we haven’t seen Garuda since then, but this won’t stop us from enjoying this character and its story later in the anime.

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