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Sorcerer Grade is a significant detail inJujutsu Kaisen. From a lore standpoint, sorcerer grades help ensure that jujutsu sorcerers get assigned to missions proportionate to their skill level, thus increasing an exorcism’s success rate. Regarding storytelling, sorcerer grades relayJujutsu Kaisen’scharacters' skills in tangible ways - immediately establishing stakes depending on the cursed spirit they’re fighting.
But what does it take for a jujutsu sorcerer to raise their grade? Are promotions genuinely a reflection of skill? Or is there an element of nepotism involved? In truth, the promotion process has several steps. And in exceptional cases, those steps are disregarded altogether.
Sorcerer Grade Promotion Requires Two Recommendations
Asorcerer grade promotion begins with a recommendationfrom two jujutsu sorcerers ranked Grade 1 or above. This step requires skill, connections, and perhaps a bit of luck.
Teachers are not permitted to submit recommendations for their students.
Let’s use the promotion process that began in season 1, episode 24, “Accomplices,” as an example. Aoi Todo and Mei Mei recommend five sorcerers for promotion to Grade 1: Panda, Maki,Itadori, Kugisaki, and Fushigoro.
The recommendation scene follows a pattern. The first Grade 1 sorcerer nominates a candidate for promotion, and the other seconds that nomination. One of the two Jujutsu High principals, like Gakuganji, hears the nominations.
All five promotion candidates display skills capable of exorcising Grade 1 Cursed Spirits. Maki and Panda demonstrate their furious power during theKyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event. Itadori, Kugisaki, and Fushigoro use their potent skills to defeat a formidable cursed spirit and two death paintings at Yasohachi Bridge.
More importantly, these students built positive working relationships with their peers and faculty. For instance, Todo coached Yugi, instructing him to use his Black Flash against Hanami. Yugi’s malleability to instruction and can-do attitude proved his potential for growth beyond his abilities at the time.
Lastly, as the Roman philosopher Seneca said, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” When dedicated Jujutsu High students get to show off their sorcery skills in front of a Grade 1 sorcerer, the door to promotion opens. Events such as the Goodwill Exchange Event allow pupils to strut their stuff, making them significant.
Candidates Must Prove Their Mettle in Supervised Missions
Once jujutsu sorcerers pass the recommendation process, the actual work begins. Candidates go on supervised missions targeting cursed spirits equivalent to the promotional grade. Mission supervisors instruct candidates and record their performance on each mission. These missions are equivalent to field instruction or internships.
The first sorcerer to recommend a candidate for promotion cannot serve as that candidate’s supervisor, which iswhy Mei Mei was allowed to supervise Itadoriin Shibuya while Todo was not.
After enough successful missions, the candidate will graduate to a semi-grade, such as Semi-Grade 2 or Semi-Grade 1. This designation allows the sorcerer to pursue missions equivalent to their promotional grade, provided they have a partner.
The final skill evaluation is a solo mission. If the promotional candidate can exorcise a cursed spirit of the same grade on their own, they will receive approval for promotion.
There Are Several Exceptions to the Promotion Process
Two types of grades do not follow the same promotion process. These exceptions are known as “special” grades.
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.
