Is Kinji Hakari the strongest active character in Jujutsu Kaisen right now?

Recent Jujutsu Kaisen issues have introduced a plethora of powerful characters ever since the Culling Game arcs began. Characters like Hiromi Higuruma and Kurourushi redefined what a Cursed Technique can be and how it can manifest in the physical world.

However, none have been as impressive or vexing thus far as Kinji Hakari, a third-year Tokyu Jujutsu High student with an incredibly powerful Cursed Technique. Although complex, his Cursed Technique and associated Domain Expansion are some of the most broken in the series.

Follow along as this article explores whether or not Kinji Hakari is the strongest active character in Jujutsu Kaisen right now.

Note: With Satoru Gojo imprisoned, Kenjaku’s specific powers and abilities unknown, and Sukuna currently taking a back seat to Yuji, these three characters will be excluded from the conversation.

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Idle Death Gamble: CR Private Pure Love Train combo technique makes strong case for Kinji Hakari being the most powerful active character in Jujutsu Kaisen

Who is Kinji Hakari?

Kinji Hakari, as stated above, is a Jujutsu Kaisen character who is a third-year student at Tokyo Jujutsu High, the same school Yuji Itadori attends early in the series.

Hakari is a fairly self-absorbed and moody individual, thought of as good for nothing by many fellow students around his age.

Hakari enjoys watching people get lost in their own passions, which he calls their “fever,” and is even more interested in manipulating these fevers. He believes gambling is an easy way of directing people’s fever, especially when it's focused on changing their lives.

Hakari is a huge lover and supporter of gambling, even running a fight club with a bonafide betting system when not in school. It also seems to be something that allows him to express his true self.

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What is Hakari’s Cursed Technique?

As a Jujutsu Kaisen sorcerer, Hakari is incredibly powerful at the start of a battle and only becomes stronger as it continues.

He’s regarded as one of few Jujutsu High students who can eventually rival Satoru Gojo. This implies that his Cursed Energy is incredibly high and potent.

His Cursed Technique matches this power, with his Innate Technique being dubbed "Private Pure Love Train," based on the romance manga of the same name.

Essentially, the technique functions as a massive probability game, with different boosts and scenarios that can eventually lead to a Jackpot hit.

This article will focus more on what the Jackpot is, what it allows him to do and why it makes him so powerful. For a more in-depth analysis of how Kinji Hakari's Domain functions, check out this article.

The Jackpot is the trump card of Hakari’s Cursed Technique, being an incredibly overpowered tool at his disposal. When he hits a Jackpot, Hakari’s Cursed Energy becomes infinite, and it overflows from his body in excess.

In fact, his Cursed Energy is so bountiful when in a Jackpot that his body performs Reverse Cursed Technique reflexively, with Hakari having never learned to do it consciously.

This means that Hakari is not only incredibly powerful offensively during a Jackpot, but he’s also essentially immortal since the reflexive Reversed Cursed Technique can instantly heal any damage done.

However, the Jackpot only lasts for four minutes and 11 seconds. This puts a timer on how long every single Jackpot can last. There is a workaround for this via Hakari’s Domain Expansion, but it’s a very risky move, as its name implies.

Idle Death Gamble is the name of Hakari’s Domain Expansion. It essentially sees Hakari giving himself another shot at hitting a Jackpot. Furthermore, if already in Jackpot, he can reopen his Domain Expansion as many times as he wants during those four minutes and 11 seconds, thanks to his infinite Cursed Energy.

This frighteningly broken power is what Yuta was referring to when he said Hakari is stronger than he is when he's on a roll.

The ability to hit Jackpot over and over again until your enemy is defeated is incredibly broken, even if it does require a ridiculous amount of luck to pull off.

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The verdict

Even if his power is somewhat founded on luck, Kinji Hakari is undoubtedly the strongest active character in Jujutsu Kaisen right now.

No one in the Culling Games thus far can match him, both offensively and defensively, thanks to the Jackpot’s uniqueness among Jujutsu Kaisen’s powers.

There’s simply no one who can compare to the peak of Hakari’s power currently. It’s unlikely that he will hit Jackpot every single time he rolls it. However, no one else can constantly output a similar level of Cursed Energy and overall power in the story right now. As a result, he’s undoubtedly Jujutsu Kaisen’s strongest active character.

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Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of the writer

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