In the latest manga chapter, the powerful cursed spirit Ryomen Sukuna used an unusual technique against Yuta Okkotsu called “Hollow Wicker Basket.” While not visually striking, this technique seems to have been very effective.
When Yuta attempted to use his Domain Expansion power against Sukuna, Sukuna was able to counter it by employing the Hollow Wicker Basket technique.
This implies that the technique has some kind of domain-nullifying or countering effect.
It is not clear if Sukuna has used this specific technique before in the series. The name suggests it creates some kind of hollow enclosure or space to trap, nullify, or weaken opponents’ attacks or powers.
More details on exactly what the technique does and how it works will likely be revealed in upcoming chapters.
Everything We Know About Hollow Wicker Basket
The Hollow Wicker Basket spell is revealed to be an ancient anti-domain jujutsu that serves as a precursor to the more modern Simple Domain technique.
When activated through a specific hand sign, it generates a spherical, woven basket-like shield around the user.
This defensive barrier is capable of neutralizing the guaranteed-hit aspect of an opponent’s Domain Expansion by blocking the domain’s barrier and preventing it from fully manifesting.
However, it does not cancel out the cursed technique itself.
So while Hollow Wicker Basket can save the caster from the instant hit attack of a domain, they could still be affected by domain techniques that cause non-lethal or indirect effects instead of sure hits.
The technique’s existence in the arsenal of powerful ancient sorcerers like Sukuna indicates it was much more widely known in the past.
Modern jujutsu sorcerers seem less familiar with it compared to more recently developed counter-domain methods like Simple Domain.
Hollow Wicker Basket occupies an intriguing middle ground between full counters that dispel both barrier and technique, versus basic defenses that cannot cope with domains at all.
It neutralizes the most lethal threat of the barrier but leaves the user still vulnerable to the domain’s overall cursed technique itself.
How Reggie Star Used It
Ancient sorcerer Reggie Star relied on the Hollow Wicker Basket technique instead of the more modern Simple Domain when fighting in the present era.
When trapped inside Megumi Fushiguro’s Domain Expansion, Reggie quickly activated Hollow Wicker Basket.
However, he did not realize Megumi’s domain Chimera Shadow Garden was an incomplete, non-lethal domain without a sure-hit attack. Megumi was able to manifest his shikigami toads and clones to physically attack Reggie instead.
With no guaranteed instant hit to counter, the Hollow Wicker Basket provided no protection against this assault.
How Hajime Kashimo Considered Using It
Against Hakari Kashimo initially thought to use Hollow Wicker Basket. This could counter the guaranteed hit aspect of Hakari’s Idle Death Gamble domain.
However, he realized the guaranteed hit of this domain was actually the forced transmission of information, not a direct lethal attack.
Since Hollow Wicker Basket only blocks sure-hit physical attacks, Kashimo judged it ineffective and did not activate the technique.
The examples illustrate Hollow Wicker Basket’s limitations against incomplete domains lacking sure-hit attacks, as well as more indirect guaranteed hit effects like forced information transmission.
Its specialized nature makes proper judgment important for understanding when the technique will be useful or not.
Why Did Sukuna Use Hollow Wicker Basket Out Of Nowhere?
Although extremely powerful overall, Ryomen Sukuna was significantly weakened after his intense fight with Satoru Gojo left him heavily injured.
This greatly reduced his output and control of Reverse Cursed Technique healing energy.
As a result, when Yuta Okkotsu arrived to confront Sukuna, the King of Curses still had not fully regained enough strength to be able to deploy his own Domain Expansion for defense.
With his domain unavailable, he needed to rely on an anti-domain technique as a countermeasure instead.
Anti-domain spells like Hollow Wicker Basket were commonly developed for and mastered by sorcerers who could not construct their own domains for whatever reason.
So it made tactical sense for the currently weakened Sukuna to call upon this ancient anti-domain art.
Rather than the more modern Simple Domain technique, Sukuna selected Hollow Wicker Basket – likely because he originally learned it over a thousand years ago during the Heian era.
As the predecessor to Simple Domain, Hollow Wicker Basket would be a part of Sukuna’s original historic jujutsu toolkit.