Summary
Quick Links
By now, it is no secret that Gege Akutami’s smash-hit battle shōnen,Jujutsu Kaisen, is heavily inspired by a number of shonen titles from generations past, but one specific title that hasthe greatest level of influenceover this series is none other than Tite Kubo’sBLEACH, a series that has arguably the greatest level of influence over the Shōnen Jump hits that have come after it.
One of the telltale signs of this influence over Jujutsu Kaisen is the concept of Domain Expansions, which most fans will recognize as a permutation of the iconic concept ot theBLEACHShinigami’s ultimate ability: the Bankai. How are the Domain Expansions (and even the Simple Domains) ofJujutsu Kaisendifferent fromthe Bankai ofBLEACH?
Presenting the Concepts
What is a Bankai?
Let’s start with the OG. InBLEACH, a Shinigami is an entity that presides over death andthe human soul’s safe progression to the afterlife, a place known as Soul Society. The Shinigami are, in essence, a specific configuration of the human soul that has a high level of spiritual energy, referred to in the series as “Reiatsu”; Spiritual Pressure. With their increased level of spiritual power, the Shinigami are then like police officers of the afterlife, taking care of the delicate balance of the cycle of the soul by cleansing evil spirits known as Hollows, and guiding human souls, known as “Pluses” to a safe afterlife; partly to prevent their descent into Hollows via having their souls consumed by pre-existing Hollows, or simply giving in to despair as they spend more time away from the afterlife where they should be. InBLEACH, the cycle of the soul is integral to themaintenance of the tripartite universethat exists in the narrative. The Shinigami make use of special spiritual weapons known as Zanpakutō in their duties. These blades enable them to purify the sins of Hollows, and also send Pluses to the afterlife.
“Sip the seven seas and dawn the horizon, duplicate the world and omit nothing, Enrakyoten!
The Zanpakutō is a tabula rasa soul upon which the Shinigami imprint their experiences, beliefs, and personalities, in turn creating a sentient partner whose name they must learn to gain access to their greatest potential. Learning the name of one’s Zanpakutō is only the first step,a “kensho”, if you will. In learning the Zanpakutō’s name, the Shinigami gains access to its Shikai – the first release, in which its form and functions change significantly to reflect the personality and experiences of the Shingiami in question. After what is usually a decade of training and engaging with their Zanpakutō within their inner worlds, the Shinigami can potentially gain access to an even greater power: Bankai – the final release, a technique that unleashes the ultimate potential of the Shinigami’s latent abilities, as well as the personality of the Zanpakutō itself, in many situations.
What is a Domain Expansion?
In the case of the Domain Expansion, the idea of it being the manifestation of the latent abilities of the Jujutsu Sorcerer who invoked it, is incredibly similar to the Bankai, including the fact that the Domain Expansions have specific names like the Zanpakutō, Shikai and even the Bankai. On some level, the Domain Expansion can be seen as the amalgamation of the Zanpakuto, Shikai and Bankai concept fromBLEACH, albeit with a finality that can best be compared to the Bankai. The nomenclature when it comes to both is extremely important, as the names communicate several more pieces of information, not only about the technique, but about the individual invoking it. InJujutsu KaisenGojō Satoru’s Unlimited Void is a direct reference toGojō himself being a reference to the Buddha, while Fushiguro Megumi’s Chimera Shadow Garden is the ultimate manifestation of the Ten Shadows Technique he inherited as the chosen member of the Zen’In Clan.
How To Change the Tides of Battle
The Domain Expansion Has Better Defined Advantages
The Domain Expansion is specifically the manifestation of the Sorcerer’s latent abilities, butJujutsu Kaisen’stechnical aspects, while insanely complex at times, are distinct from the Bankai in what the use of the technique means for any battle between Jujutsu Sorcerers. Jujutsu Kaisen found a way toincorporate the concept of critical hitsinto the narrative via the “Kokusen” (Black Flash), while the Domain Expansion’s greatest advantage isn’t that it’s the trump card; it is the trump card, because it grants the caster benefits that simply aren’t the case in open play. When a Jujutsu Sorcerer casts their Domain Expansion, they have created a literal “home-ground advantage” for themselves because the basic idea is that within a Domain Expansion,a Sorcerer’s Cursed Techniquewillhit the target. This makes the Domain Expansion more of an invocation or the superimposition of a realm in which the rules of the caster are law. The only way for a Sorcerer to counter a Domain Expansion is to invoke their own, and drive out the initial one.
This idea hardens the concept of a Domain Expansion as a technique that changes the actual battlefield (think Field Spell inYu-Gi-Oh!), while a Bankai could potentially be something like that, depending on the Shinigami, or perhaps even something more like Yūta Okkotsu’s Rika (Kenpachi Zaraki’s Zanpakutō, for instance). The Bankai that are the most like Domain Expansions in their changing of the playing field are, to some extent, Byakuya’s Senbonzakura Kageyoshi; Kaname Tōsen’s Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi; the novel-only Kenpachi Kuruyashiki’s Gagaku Kairo;Aizen’s potential Bankai (if he even has one), and perhaps even Rukia Kuchiki’s Hakka no Togame and 8th Kenpachi Sōya Azashiro’s Urozakuro, a permanently manifested Zanpakutō spirit who doesn’t let anyone near Soya (so, Rika); but it is rare for a Bankai toliterallychange the playing field, let alone ensure that a character’s signature attack connects. The ones that have that kind of effect are considered among the most powerful; for instance, Shutara Senjumaru’s Shatatsu Karagara Shigarami no Tsuji was a Bankai so immense, it shook the three realms; whileHirako’s Sakashima Yokoshima Happōfusagariis so powerful, it is never seen in the manga specifically because it cannot be used in the presence of allies.
