Classifying Demon "Blood Demon Art" Using the Dictionary of Magic! The Secrets of the Deceptively Similar "Techniques" in Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer

Hello! I'm Osamu, the manga blogger.

Man, lately I've been completely hooked on Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) and Jujutsu Kaisen—two of Japan's proud, top-tier "curse and supernatural" battle manga.

It's fascinating how these two series seem similar, yet their portrayal of "techniques" (Jutsu) is completely different, isn't it?

While Jujutsu Kaisen features highly "systematized" battles with Domain Expansions and Cursed Technique Reversals, the "Blood Demon Arts" (Kekkijutsu) used by the demons in Demon Slayer are far more chaotic and carry an unpredictable horror.

It got me thinking: What exactly are these Blood Demon Arts?

So today, I'm going to (arbitrarily) categorize and analyze these Blood Demon Arts using the classifications from my favorite book, the Dictionary of Magic (Mahō Jiten)! I'll also compare them to the "Cursed Techniques" (Jujutsu) from Jujutsu Kaisen to dig deep into the secrets of their "similar yet different" powers!

Blood Demon Arts vs. Cursed Techniques: What is the Source of Their Power?

First, let's look at the fundamental difference in where their "techniques" come from.

• Cursed Techniques (Jujutsu) in Jujutsu Kaisen

  • The power source is "Cursed Energy," born from negative human emotions.

  • The techniques themselves are "Innate Techniques," a "talent" engraved upon the user's body from birth. Many are passed down through families (like the Gojo or Zenin families) and are highly "systematized and theorized."

• Blood Demon Arts in Demon Slayer

  • The power source is Muzan Kibutsuji's "blood."

  • The demon's own body mutates into a supernatural ability based on their "intense attachments" or "mentality" from their human life. It is extremely "personal and mutagenic."

So, you could say Jujutsu Kaisen is about "using Cursed Energy to operate innate talent (techniques)," whereas Demon Slayer is "using Muzan's blood as a base, allowing one's own karma (Gō) to run rampant as a supernatural power."

Classifying Blood Demon Arts with the Dictionary of Magic

These "chaotic" Blood Demon Arts... their characteristics become clearer when we apply the classifications of magic from history and folklore found in the Dictionary of Magic.

1. Elemental Magic (Four Elementals) Type The Dictionary of Magic mentions the concept of the "Four Elementals"—manipulating fire, water, wind, and earth, which constitute the world. This is the foundation of magic, right?

• Applicable Demon: Hantengu (Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Pleasure)

• Sekido's "lightning," Karaku's "wind (fan)," Urogi's "sound waves (wind)," Aizetsu's "spear (water?)," and Zohakuten's "wooden dragons."

• This can be called the most "magician-like" Blood Demon Art, manipulating natural phenomena itself.

2. Curse (Contagious Magic) Type The Dictionary of Magic has an entry for "Contagious Magic." This is a fundamental law of sorcery stating, "things that were once in contact continue to influence each other even when separated."

• Applicable Demons: Doma, Gyokko

• Doma's "Frozen Powder" scatters a "poison (curse)" that freezes the lungs of those who inhale it.

• Gyokko's pots can turn any human who touches them into a fish.

• These are triggered by "contact/infection," making them "curses" in the truest sense.

3. Sorcery / Spatial Manipulation Type In the Dictionary of Magic, the entry for "Sorcery" includes techniques that bend physical laws and manipulate illusions or different dimensions.

• Applicable Demons: Nakime, Enmu

• Nakime's "Infinity Castle" is the pinnacle of "sorcery," freely reshaping space itself.

• Enmu's "Dream Manipulation" drags his opponents into the "otherworld" of their own minds.

• This aspect feels somewhat close to Jujutsu Kaisen's "Domain Expansion," doesn't it!

4. Summoning (Demon) Type The Dictionary of Magic also describes summoning techniques for calling forth "Demons."

• Applicable Demons: Gyokko, Hantengu

• The countless fish and octopuses Gyokko creates from his pots.

• Hantengu's ability to create his "Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Pleasure" clones.

• These can be described as techniques that "summon" bizarre entities using their own power.

Conclusion: The Secret to Their "Similar yet Different" Techniques is "Attachment"

Looking at this classification, we can see that the "Blood Demon Arts" in Demon Slayer are a chaotic power, a "mishmash" of all magical concepts like elemental magic, curses, sorcery, and summoning.

Here lies the decisive difference from Jujutsu Kaisen.

The techniques in Jujutsu Kaisen are a "technical system," inherited through generations, refined, and theorized. That's why common ultimate techniques like "Domain Expansion" can exist.

On the other hand, the Blood Demon Arts in Demon Slayer are "manifestations of karma (Gō)," triggered by Muzan's blood, where the demon's "intense attachments" or "traumas" from their human life run rampant without any coherent system.

(E.g., Rui was obsessed with "family bonds" and created "threads"; Akaza was obsessed with "strength" and mastered "martial arts (Destructive Death).")

This is precisely why Blood Demon Arts lack a "system" and present themselves as completely different forms of "magic" for each demon.

If Jujutsu Kaisen is a battle of sophisticated "techniques," then wouldn't you say Demon Slayer is a battle of raw "curses," a clash of exposed "soul's karma"?

Man, both types of "techniques" are incredibly deep when you consider their backgrounds! This is why I just can't stop analyzing manga!

This was Osamu.