8: Cursed Energy Grades

The Purpose of the Grading System

In the Jujutsu Kaisen world, the grading system was established by the jujutsu higher-ups as a practical way to classify curses and sorcerers for deployment. Since Cursed Energy fluctuates wildly between individuals and spirits, the grades provide a framework for matching threats to sorcerers of appropriate strength. It isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t capture every nuance of combat ability, but it remains a cornerstone of sorcerer society.

Grades are based on two main criteria:

  1. Volume of Cursed Energy – The sheer quantity a spirit or sorcerer can produce and control.

  2. Refinement of Technique – The quality, precision, and lethality of how that energy is used.

Thus, grades are not simply about how much energy someone has, but how efficiently they can weaponize it.

The Grades in Detail

Grade 4 – Minor Threats
At this level, curses are little more than nuisances. A single ordinary sorcerer, armed with a simple weapon, can dispatch them with minimal risk. Grade 4 spirits form from weak negative emotions like small annoyances or mild phobias. In gameplay, these would serve as early-level enemies or “fodder” — dangerous to civilians, but training ground for players.

Grade 3 – Local Hazards
Grade 3 represents the level where curses start becoming legitimate threats. They have enough energy to withstand casual exorcisms and often require a sorcerer to reinforce their body or wield a cursed tool. Grade 3 curses are common in urban hotspots where anxiety, fear, and resentment run high. They serve as mid-level adversaries — not catastrophic, but dangerous to sorcerers who underestimate them.

Grade 2 – Serious Opponents
This grade marks the threshold where curses and sorcerers demand respect. Grade 2 opponents can easily kill untrained sorcerers, and defeating them usually requires teamwork, strategy, or special techniques. These curses often represent more deeply rooted human fears — hospitals, schools, violent crimes. Grade 2 sorcerers are considered the “workhorses” of the jujutsu world: competent, versatile, and relied upon for serious missions.

Grade 1 – Elite Level
Grade 1 curses and sorcerers are highly dangerous, requiring elite skill to combat. At this level, cursed energy is both abundant and refined, techniques are stable, and physical reinforcement is near perfect. Most Grade 1 sorcerers have at least one powerful Innate Technique and the tactical intelligence to wield it effectively. These are the “special forces” of jujutsu society, often deployed only against high-level threats.

Special Grade – Catastrophic
The Special Grade classification exists because some curses and sorcerers are so far beyond Grade 1 that the system cannot contain them. Special Grades are not merely stronger; they are qualitatively different, possessing powers capable of reshaping environments, killing masses, or rivaling natural disasters. Examples include Jogo, Hanami, Mahito, and Sukuna’s fingers as cursed objects. Special Grade sorcerers (Gojo, Yuta, Geto in his prime) are equally rare and terrifying.

Special Grades are unique because each is defined by an overwhelming “abnormality.” They embody extremes of cursed energy or technique, making them unpredictable. In your lore, you could treat Special Grades as boss-level threats — not just stronger enemies, but beings whose very existence destabilizes the environment.

Subjectivity and Politics of Grades

While the grades seem objective, in reality they are heavily influenced by politics within the Jujutsu world. Assigning grades often reflects the higher-ups’ biases, fears, or agendas. For instance, certain sorcerers may be “under-graded” to keep them under control, while dangerous spirits might be declared Special Grade to justify extreme measures.

This means the grading system is as much about control as it is about accuracy. In your game, you could emphasize this tension — players might be sent on “Grade 2 missions” only to discover the curse was closer to Special Grade, because someone misfiled (or manipulated) the report.

Expanded Lore: Beyond Grades

Grades serve as convenient shorthand, but they don’t capture everything about a fighter. Some sorcerers, like Maki or Toji, lack cursed energy but still exceed most sorcerers thanks to Heavenly Restriction. Others, like Yuji, might not fit neatly into a grade early on because their potential outpaces their current ability.

This ambiguity allows you to play with the system. Imagine introducing a new classification for “Unclassifiable Threats,” beings that don’t align with volume or refinement but still terrify sorcerers. These could be experiments, hybrids, or phenomena outside the standard jujutsu framework.

Adaptation for Your Game

To make grades useful in gameplay, you could structure them like tier systems that affect encounter design, difficulty, and narrative weight:

  • Grade 4: Fodder enemies, useful for teaching mechanics.

  • Grade 3: Street-level curses with gimmicks (environmental hazards, emotional resonance).

  • Grade 2: Stronger enemies requiring teamwork or tactics; capable of killing sorcerers outright.

  • Grade 1: Elite missions, often with plot weight; introduce dangerous techniques and smarter AI/NPC logic.

  • Special Grade: Boss fights. These enemies shouldn’t just deal more damage — they should bend the rules of combat itself, like guaranteed hit effects, reality distortion, or catastrophic AoE attacks.

You could also tie grades to mission ranks. Players might be assigned based on their “certified grade,” with failure or success adjusting their classification. This mirrors the risk-versus-reward system of jujutsu society.