Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 253 is set to release on March 11, 2024, but the spoilers for this have been released. According to the spoilers, Atsuya Kusakabe stole the spotlight as he could face the King of Curses in a one-on-one.
The chapter started with the continuation of the battle between Maki and Sukuna, as the latter overpowered the former but also praised her abilities. Ino was also seen entering the battle, but he only acted as a distraction for Sukuna so that Kusakabe could attack him with Nanami's blade. As the chapter reached its climax, Kusakabe was the last man standing in front of Sukuna, but he was reluctant to fight him.
Ironically, Kusakabe has no cursed technique, but this doesn't slow him down in battle. His New Shadow Style anti-domain technique stands atop most sorcerers, and his cursed energy output is also pretty high, making him one of the strongest sorcerers in Jujutsu Kaisen that could give Sukuna a run for his money.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 253.
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 253: Exploring why Atsuya Kusakabe has a better chance of defeating Sukuna
According to the spoilers, Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 253 started with a flashback as the strongest sorcerers of the Jujutsu High were asked about the strongest first-grade sorcerer. Gojo, Nanami, and Mei Mei all answered with Atsuya Kusakabe, but Kusakabe considered another first-grade sorcerer far superior to him.
Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 253 spoilers then progressed into the battle that started in chapter 252. Sukuna tried his best to attack Maki, but due to Ino's intervention, she was saved. Sukuna also noticed that Ino didn't have Nanami's blade with him anymore, so he expected an attack from any direction.
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As expected, Kusakabe attacked Sukuna with Nanami's blade, which had its 7:3 ratio technique imbued into it. As Sukuna was expecting an attack, he easily evaded and later hit Maki with Black Flash. Kusakabe was the only man who stood against Sukuna, and he made an annoyed expression as he had to fight the latter in the upcoming chapter.
Atsuya Kusakabe is a first-grade, second-year sorcerer of the Jujutsu High. He first appeared in the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie and later during the Shibuya arc of Jujutsu Kaisen season 2. Kusakabe is a man who doesn't like to show off and is kind of a laid-back person.
He doesn't have any cursed technique, but he has an exceptionally large cursed energy reserve, which he utilizes through his New Shadow Style anti-domain technique. This technique was seen in full flow during the climax of the Shibuya arc, when Kusalabe evaded Kenjaku's Uzumaki alone, thus saving Miwa.
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The soul-exchange cursed technique could be Kusakabe's only cursed technique. This was displayed during the start of the Perfect Preparation arc when Kusakabe and Yuji were training in hand-to-hand combat, but their souls were exchanged. There hasn't been any official confirmation as to whether this technique was Kusakabe's or whether it was real.
Besides this, he also displayed a new talent for adaptability in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 253 spoilers when he used Nanami's cursed technique through his blade. There is a reason the strongest sorcerer, Gojo Satoru, and other strong first-grade sorcerers like Nanami and Mei Mei admitted that Kusakbe is better than them. He could be even stronger than Aoi Todou, who has shown the most potential among the first-grade sorcerers in Jujutsu Kaisen.
Also read: How is Kusakabe strong without an Innate Technique?
So, compared to the protagonists Itadori Yuji and Okkotsu Yuta, Kusakabe could have a better chance of defeating the King of Curses. His New Shadow Style (which stopped Geto's strongest cursed technique), adaptability, and soul-exchange cursed technique (if it exists) could overpower Sukuna's cursed technique.