Yuji Itadori & Aoi Todo vs. Hanami

## Yuji & Aoi vs. Hanami

* Anime
* Manga

Powers and Abilities| **Yuji Itadori*** Hand-to-Hand Combat
	+ Black Flash

**Aoi Todo*** Hand-to-Hand Combat
* Boogie Woogie
* Cursed Tool: Playful Cloud
* Disaster Plants
	+ Wooden Ball
	+ Giant Roots
	+ Flower Field
	+ Cursed Buds

## List of Battles & Events

**Yuji Itadori & Aoi Todo vs. Hanami** is a battle fought by Jujutsu High students Yuji Itadori and Aoi Todo against special grade cursed spirit Hanami.

## Prologue

Hanami overpowers Maki and Megumi with his plant manipulation abilities. Before Megumi pushes himself too far, Maki tells him its time for them to tag out of this battle. Suddenly, Yuji and Aoi come crashing down. Hanami narrowly evades being crushed, allowing the two fresh fighters to rescue Maki.

Aoi makes sure his partner landed safely while taking Maki into his arms. Megumi tries to discourage Yuji from fighting a powerful curse like Hanami, but Panda abruptly appears. Aoi asks Panda to take the injured and escape the curtain cast by the enemy. Megumi tries to plead against fighting but Yuji assures him it will be okay.

Aoi notices that Megumi also sees Yuji is beginning to spread his wings as a sorcerer. Choosing to believe in his friend, Megumi threatens to kill Yuji if he dies again and then leaves on Panda's shoulders with Maki.

Aoi steps back and tells Yuji he won't jump into the battle until Yuji successfully utilizes a technique known as "Black Flash". Hanami recognizes Sukuna's vessel but not Aoi. This leads the curse to presume Aoi is weaker than him just based on his overall cursed energy. Even so, Hanami can recognize Aoi's powerful presence and decides not to underestimate him.

Yuji notices Hanami is able to talk and decides to ask about the curse with the patch-work face. Hanami all but confirms that Mahito is a member of his group, prompting Yuji to lash out in a rage.

## Battle

Yuji smashes his hand into the bed of the shallow river, creating a violent splash of water that hides his body. He follows up by throwing two large stones that Hanami allows to simply bounce of his body. He recognizes that they were a distraction for Yuji to close the distance. The curse commends the sorcerer as Yuji appears suddenly beside him.

Having already created a wooden ball attached to his free hand, Hanami prepares to attack Yuji with it. However, he's blitzed by Yuji's superhuman speed, allowing him to deliver a barrage of roundhouse kicks. Hanami believes his agility is superior even to Maki's but his strength isn't as impressive. Having pulled his punches to create an opening, Yuji prepares to deliver an uppercut to his opponent's body. However, the thoughts of Megumi and Junpei disrupt Yuji's focus. Aoi picks up on this as well while Yuji lands just a regular hit rather than Black Flash.

Yuji retreats and Aoi slaps him for losing focus. Anger is a negative emotion that can be used to channel cursed energy, but for Yuji he must suppress it. Without any more distractions, Yuji thanks his new best friend, Todo, and prepares to re-engage. Yuji squares off with Hanami and enters such an intensely concentrated state that he begins to drool. With incredible speed and power, Yuji lands a right hook to the body that distorts space and causes his cursed energy to flash black!

Squaring the power of his superhuman strength, Yuji blows away Hanami's defenses with Black Flash. As Yuji begins to understand the essence of his cursed energy, Aoi explains that he's just gained an ingredient as a chef and now together they can begin to cook. Hanami reforms his right arm and removes the robe from his left, revealing the flower curse resting on his shoulder. Recognizing the strength of his opponents, Hanami admits he must try harder in this fight.

Instantly. Hanami generates giant spiked roots that his opponents narrowly dodge by staying on top of. Yuji is impressed by the attack range but Aoi assures him the curse is sacrificing power and speed in exchange. Hanami appears from within the roots and fires two Cursed Buds at the sorcerers. They both evade and throw straight punches at the same time. Hanami blocks it but he recognizes that their strength is enough to damage his jujutsu defense.

Yuji and Aoi try to rush Hanami while he's reeling from the last hit, but the curse suddenly dispels the giant roots and their footing disappears. Hanami balances himself on a wooden ball while his opponents begin to fall, stating that he'll teach them to appreciate the land they walk on. Two wooden spikes protrude from the ball Hanami is balancing himself on, but the sorcerers act quickly. Yuji and Aoi slam their feet together and push off one another, allowing them to evade the spikes.

Hanami recalls a conversation he had with Mahito, where he encouraged Hanami to embrace his evil instincts. By accepting that he enjoys the thrill of battle, Hanami releases the constraints on himself and becomes much stronger. He activates his Flower Field, momentarily paralyzing his opponents. The field of flowers abruptly erupts by spiked roots which the boys narrowly evade while absorbing a few hits. They back off and Aoi decides that it's time to unveil his cursed technique.

Aoi asks that his partner simply not to stop while continuing to believe. Aoi takes a moment to analyze all of Hanami's moves and surmises that he can win because he has Yuji to rely on. They rush Hanami but Aoi's foot is quickly caught by a root sprouting from underground. It whips Aoi around and nearly slams him into the pile of spiked roots. Yuji tries to help, but Hanami engages him, expecting Aoi to be taken out.

However, Aoi claps and instantly switches places with Hanami, causing the curse to be impaled by his own attack. At the same time, Yuji accidently punches Aoi without doing any real damage. Hanami figures out Aoi's troublesome cursed technique, and the Kyoto student divulges his ability: Boogie Woogie. By clapping his hands, Aoi can instantly trade places with a target of his choosing.

The two sorcerers rush Hanami again, using Boogie Woogie to rapidly trade places while barraging their opponent with strikes. Unable to ascertain the rate of the switching, Hanami's judgement is split as he can't accurately defend based on his opponent's different strengths. The Special grade curse quickly finds himself at the mercy of Aoi's ability after absorbing blow after blow from both his opponents.

While he's reeling, Hanami can see Yuji approaching with a familiar intensity. In the same zone that athletes experience, Yuji's focus brings out three exceptionally strong Black Flash attacks in a row. Enchanted with black lightning, Yuji hits Hanami with an uppercut to the body, a kick to the head, and a chop to the back, grievously taxing Hanami's tough shell.

This makes the injured curse more weary of Sukuna's vessel and anticipates the next switch. However, Aoi fakes his ability by clapping without activating the actual switch. This makes Hanami focus on Aoi while Yuji delivers a fourth Black Flash strike in a row, matching Kento Nanami's record of four consecutive Black Flashes.

The battle rages on in the depths of the forest as the sorcerers try to pin the curse from both sides. Aoi breaks apart a Wooden Ball in his hands and both students try to land another hit. Hanami evades by riding on roots that elevate him above his opponents. Aoi claps to switch places with the curse, but Hanami anticipates this and sends spiked roots his way. Aoi absorbs the strikes using his jujutsu defense while Yuji trades powerful punches with Hanami.

The sorcerers can feel themselves gaining the upper hand, but Hanami's will to fight remains strong. He summons a giant flower that shoots out dozens of Cursed Buds. Aoi switches Yuji with Hanami to protect his partner, revealing that he can switch out others not involving himself as well. Initially, Aoi prepares to harden his body with his strongest jujutsu defense, but he realizes that the Cursed Buds likely feed off cursed energy. He disengages his protective cursed energy and blocks the buds with his body.

Yuji tries to land a flying kick which Hanami blocks. Aoi follows up with a kick of his own and adds one last detail to divulging Boogie Woogie's abilities. He can switch out any two subjects that possess cursed energy. The fight is taken back to the shallow river where it began. Yuji runs toward the curse with Aoi, but the latter uses his cursed technique to switch out Yuji with the Special grade cursed tool: Playful Cloud. Maki left the weapon in the riverbed and Megumi told Aoi this before the fight began.

Infused with his cursed energy, Aoi smashes Hanami's face into the ground using Playful Cloud. Suddenly a wooden spike protrudes from the ground and nearly hits Aoi. The jujutsu student evades and is surprised by Hanami's incredible durability. Beaten and desperate, Hanami sucks the life out of the forest plants around them to charge the flower on his shoulder with cursed energy. He knows Aoi can easily evade this technique using Boogie Woogie, so the curse prepares to activate Domain Expansion.

However, the curtain around them suddenly dispels, revealing Satoru Gojo floating in the sky above the battlefield.

## Aftermath

While Gojo ponders which area of the battlefield to hit first, Hanami recognizes that his time is up. Yuji calls out to his sensei and Gojo notices how much Yuji's cursed energy has increased while working with Aoi. After dispatching Juzo in another area, Gojo combines Cursed Technique Reversal: Red and Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue. Hanami prepares to escape, which Yuji tries to stop but Aoi says he better not move unless be plans on becoming collateral damage.

Gojo unleashes Hollow Technique: Purple to ravage the forest and nearly destroys Hanami from afar, along with a good portion of the forest. After leaving a giant fissure in the ground, Aoi and Yuji are both impressed and terrified. It goes so far beyond a normal attack that they can't even tell if the curse was exorcised.

## References

*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 47 (p. 17-19).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 48 (p. 2-9).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 48 (p. 9-19).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 49 (p. 3-19).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 50 (p. 3-19).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 51 (p. 2-19).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 52 (p. 10-18).