Summary
From Mahito, who would turn living breathing humans into his grotesque weapons, to Toji Fushiguro, who would break into any defense with his superhuman strength,Jujutsu Kaisenis filled to the brim withcharacters who have bizarre powersand strange ways of fighting.
Interestingly enough, one of the most fascinating fighting styles comes not from a professional jujutsu sorcerer, but rather from a student. His name is Aoi Todo and he is a third-year student at Kyoto Jujutsu High School. From his intriguing cursed technique to his incredible battle sense, this article will explain what is so unique and interesting about Aoi Todo’s fighting style.
Boogie Woogie Wonderland
Before we talk about his fighting style, let’s discuss Aoi Todo’s cursed technique first. Following a long line of cursed techniques with cool names, such as Mahito’s Idle Transfiguration orNaobito Zenin’s Projection Sorcery,Aoi Todo also came up with a funky name for his cursed technique, the Boogie Woogie.
A Switcheroo
In the simplest terms, Boogie Woogie allows Todo to instantly swap the position of two objects. To activate this ability, all he needs to do is clap his hands. One clap equals one switcheroo, which means the more he claps the more swapping he can do.
Boogie Woogie can swap the positionof Todo and his opponent, himself with his ally, his ally with his enemy, his ally with other inanimate objects, anything goes. As long as that object has a trace amount of cursed energy, Todo can use his cursed technique on that object.
“What can I swap within the range of my technique? Only living things? Non! My technique works on cursed corpses and inanimate objects as well.”
— Aoi Todo, Episode 20
Some Major Shortcomings
Boogie Woogie is a deceptively simple technique with so many possible applications during a live combat situation. However, this doesn’t mean this cursed technique is free from flaws. On the contrary, there are two major shortcomings of this interesting ability.
Muscle and Deception
While Boogie Woogie is certainlyan interesting cursed technique,it is merely one part of Aoi Todo’s unique fighting style. There are two other parts that become the foundation of Todo’s way of combat. The first one has to do with himself, while the second part is about the people around him. Let’s talk about muscle and deception first.
Absurd Strength
Aoi Todo is quite possibly the most imposing jujutsu sorcerer in the series. With his towering height, his huge muscular body, and a face that will scare even the toughest Yakuza boss, his mere presence alone is already intimidating for most people.
Jujutsu Kaisenloves to disguise its characters' physical abilities. A big guy like Principal Yaga turns out to be quite delicate, while a relatively small guy likeYuji Itadori can hit like a truck.However, that is not the case at all with Aoi Todo. With him, what you see is what you get. He is as strong as he looks.
During Todo and Yuji’s battle against Hanami, the big guy can easily send the Special Grade Cursed Spirit flying with his kicks and punches. He does that with only basic cursed energy manipulation and the sheer absurd strength of his massive physique.
Lies and Manipulation
Aoi Todo is not only absurdly strong but he is also highly intelligent, especially when it comes to cursed energy. From teaching Yuji how to properly execute a Black Flash to shutting his cursed energy down at the last minute to avoid Hanami’s trap, Todo’s knowledge and battle sense is easily one of the top in the country.
One of the tactics that he likes to employ during a fight is lying to his enemy. Most sorcerers avoid talking about their cursed technique to their opponent unless they have a Binding Vow in place that will strengthen their technique,such as Nanami.Todo, on the other hand, will gladly reveal what his Boogie Woogie can do to the enemy, which is what he did during their fight against Hanami.
However, he only reveals part of the truth. “My technique swaps my position with my opponent’s”, he said, lying through his teeth. When he suddenly swaps positions with Yuji instead of Hanami, the surprised Special Grade can’t react in time, which allows Yuji to land a nasty Black Flash on his body. Todo has successfully manipulated his opponent with the power of his words.
Teamwork and Confusion
Aoi Todo has a simple yet effective cursed techniquein the form of Boogie Woogie. Not only that, but he also has an absurd strength and an intelligent mind that is capable of manipulating the enemy through his lies. The last piece of the puzzle to complete his unique fighting style is teamwork and confusion.
Two is Better Than One
While Todo can use Boogie Woogie to defeat his opponent in a one-on-one fight, this cursed technique shines brighter when he has a combat partner. Especially one who is familiar with Todo’s fighting style, such as Yuji.
Think of itfrom the opponent’s perspective.Dealing with somebody who is constantly swapping positions with you or other random objects is already confusing enough. Add another person into the mix and the result is one chaotic combat dance where everybody’s position is constantly changing.
So, not only do you need to be aware of the position swaps that happen countless times per minute, but you also need to evade the constant barrage of deadly attacks from two powerful enemies. That is one confusing and headache-inducing battle to fight.
“Is he swapping with me or with Sukuna’s vessel? That split-second decision is making my thoughts falter!”
— Hanami, Episode 20
A Chaotic Combat Dance
Todo gets to showcase his unique fighting style three times throughout the story. The first one is against Hanami. The second one is against Mahito. The third time is against Sukuna.He teams up with Yuji in every fight.The fight usually goes like this:
Both Yuji and Todo will charge at their enemy at full speed and with full power. Todo will use Boogie Woogie to swap their positions all the time during the fight. Sometimes they will swap places with each other. Sometimes one of them will swap positions with the enemy. Sometimes with random objects around them. Sometimes he will even clap his hands and not swap the positions at all, just to confuse the enemy.
Meanwhile, all Yuji has to do is focus his attention on the enemy and trust Todo to put him in the best spot to deliver a critical attack. No enemy is ready to fight against this kind of highly dynamic and confusing attack pattern. That’s why this unique fighting style always works against every enemy, includingthe King of Curses Ryomen Sukuna.
Jujutsu Kaisenis available to stream onCrunchyroll.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Based on Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen manga, Mappa’s battle shonen anime envisions a world where Jujutsu Sorcerers battle against entities born out of Cursed Energy. One day, a teenager named Yuji Itadori is dragged into this conflict when he eats a possessed finger.
