Highlights
- Mai Zenin’s cursed technique, “Construction,” allows her to create physical objects out of thin air, but drains her Cursed Energy rapidly.
- Despite limitations and drawbacks, Mai cleverly uses Construction to outsmart opponents, integrating it into her sharpshooting fighting style.
- The true potential of Construction is hindered by Mai’s restricted Cursed Energy, limiting her to creating only one bullet per day.
The strength of a cursed technique doesn’t always define a Jujutsu Sorcerer’s overall prowess, a fact that holds true in the case of Mai Zenin. A powerful sorcerer with a knack for sharpshooting, Mai has proven herself to be a viable asset for Jujutsu High, despite being held back by her limited Cursed Energy. However, her true potential lies with her cursed technique “Construction,” a largely underrated innate power that grants the ability to physically manifest an object out of nothing.
While Mai isn’t the only user of Construction, she was the first to introduce this ability, coupled with a somewhat creative use of this power. Construction’s intricate workings can be pieced together through two major instances of the technique’s usage throughout Jujutsu Kaisen’s run, revealing exactly how resourceful this power can be in the right hands.
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How Does Construction Work?
Creating Form Out Of Nothing
True to its namesake, Construction allows the user to create a physical object out of thin air, albeit at the cost of draining Cursed Energy at an unprecedented rate. The process of manifesting an object out of nothing might seem akin to the concept of Domain Expansion, but anything created within a domain ceases to exist outside of it. Items created through Construction, on the other hand, won’t dissipate after the technique’s completion.
To create an object, Mai must have sufficient knowledge of the structure and materials of the object in question. Any object with an extremely complex molecular structure would naturally be more difficult to conjure, forcing Mei to stick to creating bullets for her revolver. While Construction, in theory, presents itself as an extremely overpowering technique, its true potential lies in the user’s innate Cursed Energy.
Since twins are considered a single unit in the world of Jujutsu, Mai and her twin, Maki, share the same Heavenly Restriction, one that resulted in Mai gaining the body of a sorcerer, albeit with extremely limited Cursed Energy. Due to Construction’s overwhelming cost and Mai’s meager Cursed Energy, she can only manifest one small item a day, which happens to be a bullet. However, even creating a single bullet leaves Mai’s body in a weakened state, rendering her incapacitated and unable to fight.
How Does Mai Utilize Construction?
A Clever Sleight of Hand
Since Mai’s Construction is severely limited due to her restricted Cursed Energy, she’s forced to come up with an innovative usage of her power that can outsmart opponents. Mai integrates her technique into her fighting style by relying largely on sharpshooting, with a revolver as her primary weapon of choice. While revolvers normally carry six bullets, Mai can outwit her opponents by leading them to believe her gun is out of ammo.
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Such a facade sets the stage for the perfect surprise, a finishing shot with her seventh bullet created through Construction. Mai was witnessed using this particular method of offense during her fated battle against her twin, Maki. While Maki was able to render the seventh bullet useless by catching it with her bare hands, this technique could easily defeat most opponents.
Creating one bullet a day is Mai’s maximum. That’s why she uses a revolver to create an obvious bluff of her bullet count.
Construction’s Weaknesses
Mai’s Cursed Technique Is Riddled With Limitations
Cursed Techniques grant Jujutsu Sorcerers immense powers with little drawbacks, yet Mai’s case is rather unique. Her technique is held back by all sorts of limitations, though most of these drawbacks stem from Mai’s own lack of Cursed Energy. The primary weakness of using Construction is its immense toll on Mai’s body, as she’s almost entirely incapacitated after just one use of her technique. In a one-on-one battle, Construction serves as her trump card, but if she fails to land her shot, it’s a guaranteed loss on her part.
Another significant drawback is Construction’s limit of one bullet per day. This limits Mai on the battlefield to a major extent, as she’s forced to rely on tools for the most part. While Mai is still a powerful sorcerer even without a Cursed Technique, the true strength of a Jujutsu Sorcerer lies with their technique, meaning Mai’s potential is severely limited.
The Zenin Clan would never acknowledge that this was a talent I lacked.
However, there’s one drawback that is inherently present within Construction itself. For a user to conjure a physical object through the technique, they must have a concise understanding of the desired object’s physical composition. Any object that comprises complex designs and rare elements would be difficult to manifest for any sorcerer, regardless of their innate Cursed Energy. Construction is a promising technique with untapped potential, yet these limitations hold back the ability from reaching its true potential.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Based on Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen manga, Mappa’s battle shonen anime envisions a world where Jujutsu Sorcerers battle against entities born out of Cursed Energy. One day, a teenager named Yuji Itadori is dragged into this conflict when he eats a possessed finger.
