Kyoto Jujutsu High students were under fire on Twitter (X) by Jujutsu Kaisen fans after Episode 22 of the anime. Even with their collective effort against Kenjaku and Uraume, none of them were able to land a single scratch on the two villains.
Mechamaru and Todo Aoi hard-carried their school in terms of fighting and cursed technique, and it showed in their absence. There are many other unnerving details about Episode 22, but most importantly, it was able to demonstrate the endless possibilities that sorcerers can explore once they enter a binding vow.
Binding vows could be made with others or with one’s self. Sorcerers can make binding vows with themselves that give them a cursed restriction in exchange for an ability enhancement or an increase in cursed energy. If made with others, a binding vow must be agreed upon by the two parties involved.
To be clear, Miwa Kasumi wasn’t the first to show how binding vows worked. Yuji Itadori from the first season of Jujutsu Kaisen made a binding vow with Ryomen Sukuna in which Sukuna would bring Yuji back to life in exchange for having some control over Yuji’s body. Nanami Kento’s binding vow with himself is “overtime,” wherein his cursed energy is limited during school hours but drastically increases once he’s off the clock.
Even if Miwa wasn’t the first character to explain how binding vows worked, the one she made with herself showed that it’s possible to trade one’s abilities for a large power spike. Miwa’s vow, which was to “never swing a katana ever again,” was still not enough against Kenjaku. Her katana didn’t even hit Kenjaku because he caught her swing and broke her blade in half. She essentially traded her technique for a one-shot that failed. Although she didn’t succeed at wounding Kenjaku, maybe Miwa’s anti-climactic sacrifice happened just so the audience would understand how far sorcerers can go with binding vows.
(featured image: MAPPA)
