Yuji Itadori vs. Hiromi Higuruma

Powers and Abilities| **Yuji*** Hand-to-Hand Combat
* Cursed Tool: Gavel
* Cursed Energy Manipulation

## List of Battles & Events

**Yuji Itadori vs. Hiromi Higuruma** is a battle fought by Tokyo Jujutsu High first-year student, Yuji Itadori against former lawyer and standout Culling Game player, Hiromi Higuruma. It takes place in the Tokyo No. 1 Colony when Yuji tries to forcibly convince Higuruma to let him use the one hundred points he's scored to add a rule to the Culling Game.

## Prologue

Rin Amai helps Yuji find a theater in Ikebukuro that Higuruma has been using as his base of operations.

Yuji goes inside and finds Higuruma on the stage lying fully clothed in a bathtub filled with water. They initially question each other's identity and motives before Higuruma asks if Yuji has ever taken a bath with his clothes on. Apparently, to Higuruma, it feels better than expected. He doesn't care about much at this point due to being disillusioned with criminal law and is challenging himself to do things he normally wouldn't.

Yuji notices Higuruma's odd behavior with his consistent attempts to make light-hearted jokes. He's sure that Higuruma is definitely a modern-day sorcerer and hopes that they can negotiate. Yuji explains to Higuruma that his allies want to put an end to the Culling Game and asks to use his one hundred points to add a rule that negates the forced killing.

Higuruma declines to work with Yuji because he's interested in the rules of the Culling Game. He's become discontent with the criminal justice system and wants to see if rule-breakers are accurately punished in the Culling Game as they should be in the real world. Higuruma doesn't believe Yuji when he tries to reveal the game is a ritual and states that he wants to preserve the game's basic functions, desiring to see cursed technique removal at least once for himself.

This is in direct conflict with Yuji's goals, putting the two at an impasse. Without many options, Yuji decides to get aggressive and demands Higuruma let him use his points. Higuruma defiantly steps out of the bathtub and summons his Judgeman shikigami to his side. He asks Yuji if he's ever killed someone who's angered him before menacingly revealing that it feels better than expected.

## Battle

Yuji assesses Higuruma's shikigami and the potential threat level he presents. Yuji understands that Higuruma has eliminated at least twenty players in order to rack up a score of a hundred points. Rather than rush in, Yuji decides to take a defensive stance and prepares himself to parry the incoming offense. However, Higuruma unexpectedly leads with his Domain Expansion: Deadly Sentencing. This shapes the environment into a courtroom where Yuji tries to immediately attack his opponent before the cursed technique embedded in the barrier activates. He throws a flying right kick to Higuruma's head but his leg is forced to stop before it reaches its target. Higuruma waves him off, revealing they can't attack one another inside this domain and Yuji is transported back to his stand.

No violence is allowed in Deadly Sentencing because it an older style domain that's non-lethal and only meant to force the target to follow the rules of the cursed technique embedded within it. In this case, Yuji is being prosecuted by Higuruma's trial-based technique and Judgeman is serving as the judge. Yuji must provide a reasonable defense and earn an innocent verdict to come out of the domain unaffected. He has one chance to make a statement and Higuruma will rebuttal using evidence submitted by Judgeman for deliberation.

Yuji is accused of entering Maji Vegas Pachinko Parlor on July 16, 2017, in Sendai while still underage. He believes his three options are to deny he entered the parlor entirely, to say he entered it for a reason other than gambling, or to confess to the crime outright. He chooses the second option and claims he went to the parlor just to use the bathroom. However, Higuruma's evidence is a photo of Yuji using the cash exchange. Paired with Yuji's own admission of entering the premises, Higuruma's evidence puts Yuji's denial into question. Yuji tries to argue he had no way to earn an innocent verdict but Higuruma reiterates that the photo evidence only showed Yuji at the cash exchange. Parlors and cash exchanges can be two separate entities, so all Yuji needed to do was deny he ever saw the parlor altogether.

Judgeman delivers the verdict and declares Yuji is guilty. It sentences him to "confiscation" and the domain disappears. Yuji doesn't feel any different at first but his opponent doesn't waste any time taking advantage. Higuruma throws his gavel and Yuji manages to block it only to take damage on the arm that was meant to protect him. Yuji realizes something is wrong but Higuruma is relentless and closes the distance between them. He makes his gavel reappear in his hands and enlarges it into the size of a large battle hammer. He swings the giant gavel and smashes through Yuji's guard, sending him crashing through several rows of seats. While Yuji recovers from the heavy hit, he realizes that he's unable to control his cursed energy. It normally only takes one blow for Higuruma to take out an average opponent, so Higuruma commends Yuji for his toughness. Having been told this several times before, Yuji agrees it's one thing he's got going for him.

With his gavel reverted to normal size, Higuruma presses on his attack. He tries to smash Yuji and attacks with his left hand first. Yuji jumps back and out of the way, but Higuruma instantly transports the gavel into his right hand. This allows him to strike with his gavel immediately after his last attack, Yuji narrowly avoids this hit and Higuruma continues to swap the gavel between his hands while slamming it down at his opponent, creating a barrage of smashing attacks. Yuji keeps jumping back to avoid Higuruma's assault and then tries to counter by throwing a left elbow. Higuruma gives his gavel a fluid shape and wraps it around the inside elbow of Yuji's left arm like a hook. He flips Yuji over and tosses him away before reverting his gavel to normal.

Higuruma asks Yuji if he's unable to utilize his cursed energy. Seeing as Higuruma is the reason for this, Yuji is confused by the question. Higuruma clarifies that the normal penalty for Judgeman's confiscation sentence is losing the ability to activate cursed techniques. Higuruma deduces that Yuji doesn't possess an innate cursed technique and the effect defaulted to preventing him from using cursed energy altogether. This both frightens and impresses Higuruma, who can't fathom how Yuji can possibly be holding out without any cursed energy. He recognizes that Yuji's raw physical prowess is immense and refuses to underestimate him. Concerned with Yuji's potential to trip him up despite the handicap, Higuruma shapeshifts his gavel into a staff and decides to crush Yuji with everything he's got.

Yuji circles left to narrowly avoid a flurry of swings from Higuruma's staff. He grabs onto the weapon and tries to pull it away from Higuruma only for the latter to make it disappears. Yuji falls back from the momentum and backflips over the tub of water before kicking it toward his opponent. Higuruma conjures the gavel back into his grasp and smashes the tub with an uppercut, sending broken pieces and a rush of water at Yuji. Yuji instantly partially blocks his face from potential harm and Higuruma uses this as a cover for his attack. He rises above the water and changes his gavel into a massive mallet before slamming it down on Yuji. The impact is ferocious and although he barely withstands it, Yuji miraculously isn't crushed.

Attacking with everything all his destructive power, Higuruma is shocked that Yuji continues to survive. He compares the experience to trying to destroy an indestructible doll. While Higuruma is impressed, Yuji is worried for his life. He knows this is extremely unfavorable and his body won't hold out much longer. While suffering under the weight and pressure of the giant gavel, Yuji racks his brain for any possible countermeasure. He recognizes that Higuruma is exceptionally powerful and this must mean his technique comes with a compensatory weakness. Yuji remembers that Higuruma is a lawyer and his technique is related to court trials. He makes a connection at the last moment and suddenly demands a retrial, forcing both parties back inside the domain where all violence ceases.

With his assault interrupted, Higuruma notes that Yuji is finally catching on. Yuji takes a moment after the close call, fortunate he recalled that he could request a retrial as long as his guilt wasn't openly admitted. He asks for a do-over but this time Judgeman announces Yuji stands accused of mass murder in Shibuya on October 31, 2018. Yuji immediately takes responsibility for what happened during the Shibuya Incident and admits that he did it, refusing to deny the charges. Enraged, Judgeman declares that Yuji is guilty and gives him the Death Penalty.

Confiscation as an additional punishment to the Death Penalty is the harshest sentence Judgeman can deal out. First Yuji's cursed energy is confiscated and then Higuruma is armed with the Sword of Execution, a blade that will kill its target with a single cut. Higuruma is surprised by Yuji's confession and claims he's weak and ugly just like all people are regardless of how mighty they aspire to be. He compares it to shining a light into endless darkness that only leads to more emptiness.

Higuruma rushes toward Yuji, who retreats toward the row of seats behind them. Yuji throws several seats to create a distraction. Higuruma notices Yuji's jacket moving between the chairs and focuses his attention there. However, Yuji's jacket is just another distraction the student is using to get behind Higuruma. The lawyer turns around to attack but Yuji uses a third distraction by throwing his hoodie at Higuruma's face to blow his view. He follows up by throwing a sweeping kick at Higuruma's feet to knock him down.

Higuruma jumps over the kick and gets in position to deliver a falling slash that is sure to finish Yuji off. The latter tries to counter with a desperate rising uppercut that will connect at the same time at best. However, Higuruma voluntarily decides to deactivate his cursed technique.

The evidence provided in the retrial proved that Sukuna was the one who committed the crime in Shibuya, not Yuji. Higuruma doesn't understand why Yuji would confess to what happened. While Higuruma does indeed believe people are weak and ugly like he said, he used to value that depravity because it was unique to humans. Recalling why he got into law in the first place, Higuruma leaves himself wide open and allows Yuji to connect with a hard uppercut to his lower abdomen. This sends Higuruma flying back and crashing through the seats behind him. This confuses Yuji, who noticed Higuruma suddenly lower his guard at the last moment.

## Aftermath

Before getting up or even attempting to recover from the blow, Higuruma states that lack of control signifies non components in a court of law. In simpler terms, because Sukuna possessed Yuji's body and he didn't surrender control voluntarily, Yuji is innocent. Yuji somberly responds that he still feels as if it's his fault because he's too weak. Higuruma claims he understands and gets back up to his feet.

Yuji asks Higuruma why he deactivated his cursed technique and the lawyer reveals that he was reminded of his roots. Higuruma knows there are more people who are still weak like Yuji, so he decides to sit down with him and put his hundred points toward a new rule. Before submitting the request with Kogane, Higuruma asks Yuji if he's ever killed someone of his own will. Yuji admits that he has and Higuruma asks him if it felt awful to him as well.

Higuruma summons his Kogane and requests a rule be added that lets players transfer points between one another. He even emphasizes that it will affect player score calculation for rule eight involving cursed technique removal as well. After a brief pause, Kogane announces the rule has been approved and officially added to the game, allowing Yuji to breathe a sigh of relief. Higuruma gives Yuji one of his points so he won't be affected for nineteen days and decides to leave the theater alone.

Recognizing that Higuruma could be a strong potential ally, Yuji tries to stop him and asks him to team up. Higuruma stops for a moment and explains why he must decline. He reveals that his two leftover points are from the Judge and Prosecutor he killed before entering the Tokyo No. 1 Colony. Guilty, he feels the need to turn himself in once the barrier colony opens and decides to ponder his actions alone until then. Additionally, staying around Yuji would make Higuruma feel worse about himself. He tries to explain this while being sure to make sure Yuji knows he's not being insulted. Higuruma bids farewell and leaves Yuji behind, who is left there to reflect.

## References

*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 163 (pp. 8-9, 12-19).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 164 (p. 1-19).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 165 (p. 2-19).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 166 (p. 2-15).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 166 (p. 15-19).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 167 (p. 1-4).