Warning: This article contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen manga’s recent chapters. Read ahead at your own discretion!

Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga (that was a mouthful) is the strongest Shikigami that a Ten Shadows Technique user can summon. In fact, it is so strong that no previous Ten Shadows user had been able to tame him.

Before the Gojo vs Sukuna fight, we only got to see Mahoraga’s powers in bits and pieces, with most of its display coming during its fight with Sukuna at Shibuya in Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 118. The second time it was summoned, it finished off the opponent (Yorozu) with a single blow.

The way Mahoraga fought with Sukuna in Shibuya, and the ease with which it was able to destroy Yorozu’s perfect sphere has led a lot of people to assume that the shikigami might be one of the strongest out there after the likes of Sukuna and Gojo.

However, the question about Mahoraga’s powers and how exactly they worked still remained. That’s where the Gojo vs Sukuna fight comes in. Thanks to Sukuna’s proficient usage of the shikigami, we get a much better understanding of Mahoraga’s adaptation ability and how it works!

I’ll be breaking it down in this article for you!!

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What are Mahoraga’s powers in Jujutsu Kaisen:

There are two defining attributes of Mahoraga’s powers that make it so strong- the eight spoke wheel and the “Sword of Extermination”. However, both of it are connected to its ability to adapt to anything and everything!

The Wheel & Mahoraga’s Adaptation explained:

Attached to its head, the wheel is crucial to Mahoraga’s adaptation powers.

Furu’s incantation of Ten Sacred Treasures, which summons Mahoraga and the wheel represent a complete cycle and harmony!

Ryomen Sukuna

The wheel is said to be inspired by the Dharmachakra from Buddhism; because symbolically, when the Dharmachakra turns (known as turning of the wheel), a great and revolutionary change with universal consequences is said to have taken place.

This is very similar to how the turning of the wheel on Mahoraga’s head allows it to adapt to any sort of situation.

But that’s only blanket statement. Like Itadori asks in chapter how exactly does it work? Does Mahoraga adapt to an attack after the wheel spins a fixed number of times? Or does the wheel turn everytime the adaptation process takes place.

The answer to this was provided in chapter 236.

As Sukuna explains, Mahoraga’s adaptation is a continuous process which begins once the shikigami experiences a cursed technique or receives any attack. And after a certain amount of time, it finishes adapting to that attack or cursed technique.

When I say it finishes adapting, I mean that the shikigami can then easily counter or defend against that particular technique. This is what happened in Shibuya with Sukuna’s dismantle, and later with the perfect sphere and then again with Gojo’s infinity!

This means that not only can the Mahoraga adapt to whatever situation or scene you put it in, but also learn the opponent’s moves and counter it.

Based on what we saw, the time taken for Mahoraga to adapt usually depends on the complexity of the technique. The time it took to adapt to Gojo’s infinity and Blue were clearly different.

And based on how the wheel turned a fixed number of times during the adaptation, we can say that it is a stepped process. Meaning, everytime it adapts more to a technique, the wheel turns once.

Let’s take Sukuna’s fight with Mahoraga in Shibuya as an example. The first time the wheel on Mahoraga’s head turned, the shikigami healed itself. And the second time it is able to adapt to Sukuna’s dismantle and even counter it.

Dismantle is Sukuna’s basic technique of slashing the opponent. With his power and energy, it is impressive that Mahoraga not only dodged it but learnt how to deflect it. Sukuna notices that Mahoraga can “see” his cursed technique and where the slashes will manifest.

However, if Mahoraga experiences the same attack again during the process of adaptation, the time required to adapt to it also reduces. So the process of Mahoraga’s adaptation is a combination of both time and experience.

Now, here’s where the insane ability of the adaptation process comes to light.

Mahoraga’s adaptation doesn’t stop even after it has adapted once to a technique. It can continue analyzing and breaking it down more. Now this detail was crucial in how Sukuna was able to defeat Gojo!

Even after Mahoraga adapted to infinity once, Sukuna forced the shikigami to continue with the process, until it came up with a solution that suited the King of Curses – which was the world cutting slash!

However, there are some information gaps when it comes to this ability to adapt. We don’t know for sure if it adapts to a particular attack/cursed technique or the phenomenon itself. For instance, when Mahoraga adapted to Dismantle, did it adapt to slashing attacks in general?

Considering how the Divine General came out alive from Sukuna’s Malevolent Shrine, which used Cleave on anything inside the domain with cursed energy, many assumed it had adapted to slashing attacks in general rather than just Dismantle.

To top it off, the official translation of chapter 118, also quotes Sukuna saying it adapts to phenomena, and not a particular Cursed Technique.

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Sukuna taking the burden of adaptation:

In chapter 217, Sukuna summons just the wheel from Mahoraga, and uses it during the fight with Yorozu. By doing so, I’m pretty sure he was testing if he could make the Mahoraga adapt to Yorozu’s cursed technique, even without it being summoned completely.

And based on what we saw, Mahoraga had adapted to Yorozu’s cursed technique and domain. Basically, he took the burden of adaptation on to himself!

Since the Shikigami can be used in such ways, then the Ten Shadows proved to be something that is hard to take down. No wonder Sukuna went for Megumi’s body!

In Shinjuku while fighting against Gojo, Sukuna went above and beyond by making Megumi’s soul shoulder the adaptation process of the adaptation. While a clear explanation still lacks in this case, it was some feat to pull off.

That said, let us move on to the next major part of Mahoraga’s powers!

The Sword of Extermination:

The Sword of Extermination is a blade that is attached to Mahoraga’s right hand and generally covered in positive energy. Against a normal cursed spirit, the weapon would prove fatal. The sword seems useful in close ranged combats which managed to give the King of Curses trouble!

However, the sword of extermination works in tandem with the adaptation powers of Mahoraga.

In Shibuya, seeing that Sukuna was not affected by the positive energy imbued sword, it adapted to the situation and decided to go ahead with cursed energy.

In the same way, Mahoraga transmuted the cursed energy in the sword of extermination and cut Gojo in Shinjuku, after it adapted to the infinity!

So basically, the sword of extermination is the main offensive output of Mahoraga, which it uses to counter the techniques and attack opponents!

The mythological references:

Now, I mentioned above that the wheel on Mahoraga’s head could be inspired by the Dharmachakra in Buddhism, however, it could also be Akutami’s way of depicting the wheel in the Eight-Handled-Sword, which is the sacred treasure (of Japan) on which Mahoraga is based.

It’s an amalgamation of sorts.

The Eight-handled-sword, or the Kusanagi no Tsurugi, is one of the three imperial regalia of Japan. The sword was obtained in the fourth tail of Yamata No Orochi, which it was being slaughtered by Susanoo.

In some myths and legends the sword is believed to be able to cut through the heavens. After the sword was passed on to Yamato Takeru, a legendary prince from the Yamato Dynasty, he is said to have used it to cut blades of flaming grass, and direct the fire towards his enemies during an assassination attempt.

Going by the mythology angle, it is possible that there is more to the Sword of Extermination than what meets the eye.

If I were to put on a tinfoil hat, then I’d theorize that the Blade of Extermination (退魔 literally translates to exorcism or conquering evil) is the one nullifying cursed techniques.

But then, it probably would not work like Angel’s innate technique, which ‘extinguishes’ other cursed techniques. Maybe Mahoraga being able to exterminate/exorcise techniques is what completes it’s adapting process to any phenomena!

For instance, take how Mahoraga destroyed Yorozu’s perfect sphere. He struck it with the Sword of Extermination, once Sukuna had used the wheel to adapt to her technique.

However, if you were to consider the fact that Mahoraga (Makora-Taisho) in mythology is one of the twelve divine generals who were guarding the Medicine Buddha (Bhaisajyaguru), so could it mean that its attack are primarily positive energy based? I’m just ranting here, don’t mind me!

What are your thoughts on Mahoraga’s powers in Jujutsu Kaisen? Let me know in the comments below!