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Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga (
Quick Answers
Who is the only character able to tame Mahoraga in the history of the Ten Shadows Technique?
What is the incantation used to conjure Mahoraga?
What is the significance of the phrase 'with this treasure I summon' in relation to Mahoraga?
Description
Mahoraga is conjured by the user using an incantation that recites "With this treasure, I summon..." (
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"The ability to adapt to any and all phenomena".
The shikigami itself is a towering, muscular humanoid figure with four wings protruding from its eye sockets and a tail-like appendage extending from the back of its head. Hovering just above this is a large eight-handled wheel (
Mahoraga has the strength to shatter concrete or to hit someone through multiple buildings with a single blow, and its speed is great enough to surprise even the likes of Satoru Gojo. Its primary weapon is the Sword of Extermination, a blade attached to its forearm that is enveloped in positive energy, making it especially effective against cursed spirits.[3]
The Divine General's most notable power is the adaptation (
A soul that inhabits the user can wear Mahoraga's wheel and bear the burden of the process of its adaptation.
Mahoraga's adaptation process begins analyzing an attack upon initially receiving it, with its progress being indicated by the number of times the eight-handled wheel spins. After a certain amount of time, the adaptation is completed. During this time, if Mahoraga is hit by the same attack additional times, the process is sped up each time. Even after its adaptation is complete, Mahoraga can continue its analysis and develop different ways to counter the phenomenon.[11]
If Mahoraga is tamed, its user can bear the burden of adaptation. This means the user can wear Mahoraga's wheel and experience attacks so the shikigami can adapt to them without incurring the risk of destruction. Once the process is completed, Mahoraga can be summoned with the results of the adaptation already in effect.[12][13]
Usage
Megumi Fushiguro
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Megumi summoning Mahoraga as a last resort.
Mahoraga is the most uncontrollable shikigami in the history of the Ten Shadows Technique; no sorcerer of the Zenin Clan has ever managed to tame it. However, users of the Ten Shadows Technique can summon it via a ritual in an attempt to defeat and subjugate it at any time.
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Mahoraga competing physically with Sukuna.
Other people can be included in the ritual, but those individuals defeating the shikigami would not allow the Ten Shadows user to subsequently command it. As such, attempting to summon Mahoraga this way is considered rather pointless. Nevertheless, Megumi views this ritual summoning ability as an effective, though suicidal, trump card. For if summoned in such a manner, Mahoraga would first kill Megumi and then attack, and hopefully kill, his opponent. As such, Megumi is often seen to consider using this suicide pact as a way to defeat opponents who were going to kill him regardless.
Megumi ultimately summoned Mahoraga after being severely injured by Haruta Shigemo and Toji Fushiguro in Shibuya. Due in part to his grave injuries, Megumi was brought to the brink of death by a simple backhand from Mahoraga.[14] However, Sukuna arrived before Mahoraga could kill Haruta and saved him, which kept the ritual in progress. Sukuna, who had saved Haruta on instinct, realized that Megumi was alive but in a state of suspended animation, which would persist so long as Haruta did not die. Sukuna also quickly realized that in order to keep Megumi alive for his future plans, he would have to first stabilize Megumi's condition, and then defeat Mahoraga.
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Mahoraga adapting to Sukuna's slashes.
The King of Curses admitted Mahoraga was quite strong, capable of adapting to his moves and counterattacking. Its initial attacks didn't work on Sukuna, and it suffered heavy damage from his Dismantle technique. Once the wheel on its head turned the first time, Mahoraga sent Sukuna crashing through numerous buildings using cursed energy rather than positive energy. It was also able to see and deflect Dismantle the next time Sukuna attempted to use it.[15]
Mahoraga's adaptability is not limited to specific moves but all related phenomena. Sukuna believed Mahoraga could have adapted slashing attacks in general after just experiencing Dismantle. Mahoraga's adaptation can only be countered by hitting it with a different attack than whatever previously injured it. Sukuna won the fight by using Malevolent Shrine to relentlessly slash the shikigami before finishing it off with his Divine Flame. Before doing so however, he expressed a renewed interest in Megumi's abilities, for he had not known about Mahoraga's existence before encountering the shikigami.[16]
Sukuna
Mahoraga destroys Yorozu's True Sphere.
Sukuna seized Megumi's body through incarnation and gained the ability to use the Ten Shadows Technique. He became the first user of the technique ever to tame Mahoraga. During his battle with Yorozu, Sukuna took on the burden of adaptation to counter her Construction technique. The adaptation process was already complete when Yorozu expanded her domain and threatened to hit Sukuna with True Sphere. Sukuna summoned Mahoraga by dropping its wheel into his shadow and switched places with the shikigami. Mahoraga immediately destroyed True Sphere despite its untouchable nature and then lethally injured Yorozu with a slash across the chest, instantly collapsing the domain.[17]
Mahoraga summoned to counter Satoru Gojo.
Sukuna heavily exploited Mahoraga's adaptation against Satoru Gojo to counter the Limitless. Throughout five domain clashes, Sukuna used the Ten Shadows Technique to have Megumi's soul bear the burden of adaptation to Unlimited Void.[18] As a result, Mahoraga had adapted to Gojo's domain by the fifth clash and rescued Sukuna from the domain's effect.[19]
Adapting to Unlimited Void was Sukuna's first objective with the Infinity being the next. Sukuna bore the burden of adaption himself, wearing Mahoraga's wheel as he engaged Gojo in hand-to-hand combat. The wheel blackened and the adaptation process paused whenever Sukuna activated amplification.[20] The complex nature of the Limitless required a full five turns of the wheel before Mahoraga adapted.[21]
Mahoraga adapts to Infinity and injures Gojo.
Mahoraga was summoned automatically once the wheel spun the fifth and final time. Sukuna was unconscious and Mahoraga still appeared, having adapted to both the Infinity and Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue. It rose from Sukuna's shadow and pulled Gojo down into it to immobilize him before slashing him across the shoulder with the Sword of Extermination.[22] Mahoraga's adaptation changed the nature of its own cursed energy to negate the Infinity on contact. Sukuna used the openings where the Infinity was neutralized to land attacks and even summoned Merged Beast Agito to attack three-on-one and fully capitalize.[23][24]
Mahoraga throws a slash and cuts off Gojo's arm.
Gojo effectively fought off both Mahoraga and Agito at the same time while Sukuna awaited further adaptation. This occurred once Mahoraga's wheel turned again, allowing it to launch a slashing attack that targeted and cut the space in which an object existed, rather than cutting the object directly. This allowed Mahoraga to bypass Gojo's Infinity at range, and gave Sukuna a model to modify his Dismantle technique similarly. The attack sliced Gojo's right arm clean off and left a deep gash in the building behind him. When Gojo destroyed Agito with Blue, Mahoraga was unaffected by the gravitational pull and protected Sukuna from it.[25]
Mahoraga's adaptation to Blue backfires as Gojo uses its speed to intercept it.
Gojo restored his arm and landed a Black Flash on Mahoraga. It withstood the attack but was still knocked back behind Sukuna. Gojo threw Sukuna into Mahoraga's arms and landed another Black Flash. Mahoraga blocked it with the flat of the Sword of Extermination but the shikigami was still sent crashing through a wall from the impact and injured its arm.[26]
Sukuna attempted to use Mahoraga to stop Gojo from casting Hollow Purple in the fight's climax. Mahoraga leaped high through the air to prevent the Blue leftover from destroying Agito from combining with Red to unleash Purple. Gojo intercepted Mahoraga by using Blue's field of attraction. Unaffected by Blue, Mahoraga's indiscriminate adaptation backfired because it couldn't take advantage like Gojo. It suffered a fierce uppercut from Gojo and was knocked away before it could complete Sukuna's order. Mahoraga and its wheel were completely disintegrated by Hollow Purple once Gojo successfully unleashed it.[27]
Battles & Events
Trivia
- Mahoraga's Japanese name Makora (
魔 虚 羅 ?) and its "Divine General" status are likely inspired by the figure known as General Makora (摩 虎 羅 大 将 Makora Taishō?); while their names are homophonic, the first two kanji (摩 虎 ) are replaced with the ones for "demon" and "void" (魔 虚 ) in the shikigami's name.- In East Asian Buddhism, Makora (Skt.: Mahāla) is one of the Twelve Divine Generals (Japanese: 十二神将 Jūni Shinshō?): the 12 guardian deities (yaksha) who are said to protect and serve the Buddha of Medicine (Japanese: 薬師如来 Yakushi Nyorai?).
- The manga's official VIZ translation has opted to instead name the Divine General after Mahoraga (Skt.: महोरग), a race of half-human, half-serpentine deities in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism; in Buddhist tradition they are one of the Dharma-protecting Eight Legions (Aṣṭasenā). Discounting some few online sources that seem to conflate Mahoraga with General Makora, the two have no direct relation, and the correct transliteration of Mahoraga into Japanese would be
摩 睺 羅 伽 (Magoraga), making VIZ's choice effectively a mistranslation. Coincidentally, the official Crunchyroll subs originally had Mahoraga's name more accurately rendered as Makora but quickly switched to Mahoraga (which the official dub has since also adhered to).[28]
- The Divergent Sila (
異 戒 Ikai?) part of Mahoraga's name also has Buddhist connotations. A śīla (戒 ) is a precept, moral discipline, and/or virtue in the realm of Buddhist ethics, and異 means "strange" or "different/unusual" (i.e., divergent from the norm). - As with all shikigami of the Ten Shadows Technique, Mahoraga has one of the Ten Sacred Treasures of Japanese folklore as a motif, namely the Yatsuka-no-Tsurugi (
八 握 剣 ? lit. "Sword of Eight Grips/Handbreadths"), as evident from Mahoraga's title.- Mahoraga's summoning incantation, Furube Yurayura (
布 瑠 部 由 良 由 良 , VIZ: "With this treasure, I summon..."), is connected to the "Ten Sacred Treasures" legend. Namely, it is part of the furu no koto (布瑠の言?) chant, also called hifumi no haraekotoba or hifumi no kamigoto. This ancient chant was sung in a ritual involving the ten treasures, which was thought to grant someone enough spiritual power to revive the dead.- The full chant goes as follows: hi fu mi yo i mu nana ya kokonotari furube yurayurato furube (
一 二 三 四 五 六 七 八 九十 布瑠部 由良由良止 布瑠部 ). The first part of the chant counts from one to ten, while yurayura translates roughly to "swaying" or "shaking" (as a practitioner of the aforesaid ritual was meant to chant the names of the ten treasures while swaying back and forth).
- The full chant goes as follows: hi fu mi yo i mu nana ya kokonotari furube yurayurato furube (
- Mahoraga's summoning incantation, Furube Yurayura (
- The wheel on Mahoraga's back is a dharma wheel, in keeping with the shikigami's Buddhist symbolism. When analyzing Mahoraga's power, Sukuna suggests that the wheel represents a "perfect cycle" and "harmony" in the context of Mahoraga's ability of adaption, while drawing a comparison to the Yamata-no-Orochi (the legendary eight-tailed, eight-headed serpent of Japanese myth), though what precisely the latter means is unclear. In addition, the King of Curses has described Mahoraga's adaptive power as being like a "late throw in rock-paper-scissors" (in the original Japanese, he says "a late throw in mushi-ken" (最強の後出し虫拳 saikyō no atodashi mushi-ken?), with mushi-ken being an old Japanese game imported from China that is similar to, but predates, the Western "rock-paper-scissors").[29]
References
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga and Anime: Chapter 117 (p. 9) and Episode 41.
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga and Anime: Chapter 118 (p. 17) and Episode 41.
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga and Anime: Chapter 118 (p. 5) and Episode 41.
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga and Anime: Chapter 118 (p. 17) and Episode 41.
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 231 (pp. 12-13).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga and Anime: Chapter 118 (pp. 14-16) and Episode 41.
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga and Anime: Chapter 119 (pp. 8-11) and Episode 41.
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga and Anime: Chapter 118 (p. 6) and Episode 41.
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga and Anime: Chapter 118 (p. 16) and Episode 41.
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 234 (pp. 11-13).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 236 (pp. 14-15).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 217 (p. 19).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 230 (pp. 3, 5).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga and Anime: Chapter 117 (pp. 8-15) and Episode 41.
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga and Anime: Chapter 118 (p. 16) and Episode 41.
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga and Anime: Chapter 118 (pp. 10-15) and Episode 41.
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 219 (pp. 14-16).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 230 (pp. 3-7).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 229 (pp. 16-19).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 231 (pp. 4-13).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 231 (pp. 16-17).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 232 (pp. 14-19).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 233 (pp. 10-11, 13-19).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 236 (p. 15).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 234 (pp. 5-12, 16-19).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 235 (pp. 1-7).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 235 (pp. 8-17).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Anime: Episode 41.
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga and Anime: Chapter 118 (p. 16-17) and Episode 41.