Chapter 165

Tokyo No. 1 Colony, Part 5 (1⑤) is the one hundred and sixty-fifth chapter of Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen.

Summary
Hiromi Higuruma isn't just a brilliant lawyer, he's a naturally gifted sorcerer as well. Up against such a fierce opponent, Yuji must overcome slim chances of victory while fighting without the use of his cursed energy.

Plot Details
Hiromi Higuruma is a thirty-six-year-old man and a member of the Iwate Bar Associate who has always overcome major challenges such as his law school entrance exams and the bar exam that proceeded it. To Higiruma, it was all just a matter of applying the right amount of effort to acquire the required knowledge. His peers always considered Higuruma a genius but now something stands out about him even more than this.

Continuing to attack Yuji, Higuruma lunches and smashes down at Yuji with his gavel. Yuji jumps back to avoid it but Higuruma makes the gavel appear in his other hand, allowing him to quickly attack again. Higuruma continues to switch the gavel into his free hand while smashing rapidly toward his opponent. Yuji narrowly avoids the barrage and tries to counterattack with an elbow. Higuruma switches the shape of the gavel into a flexible hook and wraps it around Yuji's inner elbow before tossing his adversary away and reverting the gavel to normal. What stands out even more about Higuruma than his genius as a lawyer is his talent as a sorcerer.

Higuruma learned the basics of barrier techniques by analyzing the Domain Expansion that came by default with his awakening as a sorcerer. By working backward from there, Higuruma gained an instinctive grasp of how to reinforce his body with cursed energy. Within twelve days of this awakening, Higuruma has blossomed into a combatant comparable to a grade 1 sorcerer. He exorcised several cursed spirits before entering the Tokyo No.1 Colony and has eliminated at least twenty players since.

Before going on the offensive against Yuji again, Higuruma asks him if he can't control his cursed energy. Yuji is confused because Higuruma is the reason for it but apparently, the confiscation penalty takes away the person's ability to use cursed techniques. Since Yuji doesn't possess an innate cursed technique, the effect fell to stopping him from utilizing his cursed energy altogether. This concerns Higuruma because somehow Yuji has been able to survive thus far. He quickly surmises it must be due to incredible physical prowess. Normally confiscation weakens Higuruma's opponents' cursed energy control as a result of losing their cursed technique. Losing the ability to use cursed energy is even worse and yet Yuji is still fighting. This makes Higuruma take him as a very serious threat and focuses on not allowing himself to get tripped up.

Determined to crush Yuji with all his might, Higuruma shifts his gavel into a staff and attacks with a flurry of swings. Yuji is able to avoid them and grabs onto the staff's middle section, only for Higuruma to make it disappear before he can pull it away. Yuji jumps back and kicks the tub Higuruma was laying in early. Higuruma breaks the tub apart with his gavel, unleashing a rush of water and broken tub pieces. Yuji shields his face and his opponent erupts from behind the screen of water. Higuruma increases his gavel to a massive size and slams it on top of Yuji. Even this isn't enough to crush Yuji even though he's barely able to withstand the weight of the impact. Impressed, Higuruma compares his experience to fighting an indestructible doll. However, Yuji knows he's in serious trouble and can't hold on much longer under the weight of the giant gavel.

Yuji considers Higuruma's technique to be exceptionally strong and thinks this must also mean there's compensatory weakness. He frantically recalls his interactions with Higuruma thus far and remembers the mental notes he made about the trial-based cursed technique. Before he's crushed, Yuji calls out Higuruma's name and demands a retrial, instantly transporting them both inside the domain. Since no violence can occur within the domain, Yuji is saved and expresses his immediate relief.

Higuruma sees that Yuji is beginning to understand his technique. Judgeman declared Yuji guilty and sentenced him, so if Yuji doesn't confess his guilty outright, he can request a retrial that can't be refused. In the next trial, Judgeman announces that Yuji is accused of mass murder in Shibuya on October 31, 2018. Knowing he's referring to Sukuna's rampage during the Shibuya Incident, Yuji is shocked. Higuruma receives evidence but before he even has a chance to speak, Yuji immediately confesses his guilt admits that he did it. He won't lie and he refuses to deny what happened, shocking the lawyer. Bleeding from its eyes with rage, the irate Judgeman and declares Yuji guilty. He punishes Yuji with confiscation as an additional punishment to accompany none other than the death penalty.

Character in Order of Appearances

 * Yuji Itadori
 * Hiromi Higuruma

Battles & Events

 * Culling Game
 * Yuji Itadori vs. Hiromi Higuruma

Locations

 * Tokyo No. 1 Colony
 * Ikebukuro
 * Shibuya (Mentioned)

Jujutsu
Hiromi Higuruma's Techniques
 * Domain Expansion: Deadly Sentencing

Shikigami
 * Judgeman