Jujutsu Kaisen has some of the best fights in the world of modern anime. The powers of the characters really come to the forefront and with such great animation, we can only marvel at what Jujutsu Kaisen has to offer. Now, among the moves seen in the series, the Domain Expansion is certainly the strongest and one of the best ones we’ve seen so far. This special move absolutely deserves our attention and in this article, we are going to explain what exactly is this Domain Expansion.
Domain Expansion is an advanced barrier technique in which occult energy is used to materialize one’s living space, the space with which one associates one’s fate. As far as it is known, it is the most powerful technique in the whole Jujutsu Kaisen series and it is a special move of both Jujutsu Sorcerers and Curses as well.
In the rest of this article, we are going to tell you all the details about the Domain Expansion technique. You’re going to find out all the necessary details about the technique, how it manifests and what it can do. We’re also going to answer some additional, yet related questions about the technique that will help you understand it better.
What is Domain Expansion in Jujutsu Kaisen?
A Domain Expansion allows them to realize their innate domain by casting a barrier to create a separate space and use cursed energy to construct an environment within it. Only high-level Jujutsu Sorceres and Curses can claim to use this technique. Materializing a Domain requires a huge amount of Cursed Energy, but it offers many advantages when used against opponents.
Moreover, a Domain to which no spell is associated is considered incomplete. To perform this technique, the use of a hand sign or a symbol specific to the holder of the Domain seems essential. When a Domain Expansion is activated, a sphere of energy rapidly expands to encompass the user and their opponent(s), trapping them inside.
It is said that it is almost impossible to escape from the walls of the Domain by ordinary means; although nothing is gained by entering an enemy’s Domain, entering it from the outside is relatively easy. In a Domain, the owner’s strengths are enhanced due to the environment, giving them access to additional spells or enhanced versions of old ones.
In addition, all spells used by the owner are guaranteed to hit their opponent, as well as all spells of the opponent will be unusable in the Domain, although it is said that the opponent can always parry or take the hit using dark energy. This is surely one of the reasons why this technique is considered the pinnacle of Sorcery.
Moreover, it would seem that there are several “types” of Domains. To be more precise, there would be differences on the basis of the magic barriers, namely the mortality and the non-mortality of the Domains. In the past, Sorcerer Domains contained much more basic spells than they currently do. Today, Domains very often contain the particularity of casting unstoppable fatal spells (such as the Sphere of Infinite Space or the Orb of Isolation), whereas in the past it was not lethal.
In order for the spells to be lethal, you have to impose even greater constraints. The Domain Expansions have therefore become more and more sophisticated and deadly but in return, fewer people are able to use them. Regarding the whole process of the first activation of the Domain Expansion, very little is known.
However, many users of this technique were able to materialize their Domain for the first time when they were near death, fatality itself being a determining factor in understanding the very essence of Cursed Energy. We can therefore assume that death is one of the most effective ways to unlock this technique.
When two Domains are brought to meet and mutually reject each other, several irregularities can be observed. The main one is the unstoppable effect of spells that are canceled, engaging the Domains in a merciless struggle where the most refined will win. This is how a fight between two Domains normally takes place.
There are also situations where three or more Domains may have to push each other to survive, the irregularities being generally the same. However, in cases where the outcome of the fight is uncertain, maintaining a balance between three Domains (and more) is a feat in itself since, in fact, the entry and exit conditions applied to the magic barriers are not the same.
With such a broken balance, the mobilized Domain Barriers will soon give way. Although considered the ultimate technique, Domain Expansion has its share of disadvantages. The first is that mobilizing an Extension requires and consumes a tremendous amount of Cursed Energy, depleting the user’s energy reserves. Thus, it becomes almost impossible for the user to effectively use his spell immediately after deactivating the Domain.
Moreover, with his energy reserves depleted, it is unlikely for the user to relaunch a second Domain Expansion (Satoru Gojo being the only exception to the rule due to his infinite amount of dark energy). This is why this technique is an ultimate weapon that is used as a last resort, because it consumes too much energy.
Moreover, after having carried out the Domain Expansion by associating one’s spell with it, it can happen that the Domain is still incomplete if the user is not able to completely form the necessary barrier. The technique then does not provide guaranteed success, but unlike the territories to which no spell is associated, the forces of the user are still greatly increased, being able to increase to 120% of the potential capacities as observed with Megumi Fushiguro.
What does Gojo’s Domain Expansion do?
The Unlimited Void creates a literal void of space that seems to hit the target at the very center of “Infinity”. The Domain imposes on the brain of the target all the stimuli resulting from the simple fact of being alive. This makes the target feel like they see and feel everything while not seeing and feeling anything at the same time.
This phenomenon paralyzes the target due to an incessant flow of information, causing it to die slowly without it being able to do anything. Only the caster and anyone they physically touch are free from the effects of the sphere. It would seem that Curses can last a while in the Domain, much like humans can’t because they couldn’t handle the incessant influx of information without being harmed or experiencing trauma.
Just 0.2 seconds in the Domain is the equivalent of 6 months of information and it would take an average human about 2 months to return to normal life once free of the effects of the Domain. It was in his teens that Satoru really became aware of his abilities, and as a result, it was during this period that he successfully developed his Domain Expansion.
How can one counter Domain Expansion?
Although the owner’s spells still “hit” their opponent in a Domain, the opponent can still take the brunt of an attack by applying Cursed Energy as a countermeasure. There are also several other methods of dealing with Domain Expansion.
When a person is imprisoned in a Domain, he has the possibility of trying to escape from inside. However, this is not recommended and is impossible since, once inside, it is difficult to determine the wall of the magic barrier to break it, the distances not being the same from outside to more time consuming. However, the more the barrier is reinforced from the inside, the more vulnerable it is to penetration from the outside.
In specific situations, an ally of the Domain target can break in to save it. However, the most effective way to counter a Domain Extension is to extend one’s own Domain in return because when Domain territories are extended simultaneously, it is the most successful which will take precedence. If one Domain is simply stronger than another then the first will very easily repel the second.
Apart from these options, the trapped person has the possibility of protecting himself from a Domain by using techniques that could be described as Anti-Domain. This is the case of the Simple Domain of the New Shadow Style or the Hollow Wicker Basket, which both allow you to be able to neutralize a Domain Expansion and remove the unstoppable dimension of the spells associated with the Domain.
It is also important to mention the Domain Expansion, which allows the trapped person to protect himself by directly neutralizing his opponent’s spells. Although the difference with the Simple Domain and the Hollow Wicker basket is slight, the truth is that these last two techniques do not neutralize the spells strictly speaking, which is the case of the Domain Expansion, but rather neutralizes the barrier magic to which the spells are linked.
Thus, in the case of an incomplete territory to which no spell is associated, the Simple Domain and the Hollow Wicker Basket will be useless unlike the Domain Expansion (however, do not forget that a person cannot use his spells at the same time as the Domain Expansion).
There is also the Falling Blossom Emotion which is an anti-Domain technique that works in the same way as the Simple Domain. This spell allows the user to protect themselves from spells granted by the Domain. However, unlike the previous techniques, the Falling Blossom Emotion is a secret technique passed down in the Big Three Sorcerer Families.
Who has the strongest Domain Expansion?
As far as it is known at this moment, the strongest Domain Expansion is the one used by Gojo, called Unlimited Void. The series is not yet over so we’ll have to wait and see if something changes, but so far, the strongest Domain Expansion is Gojo’s.
