Every Sorcerer is a Little Mad
As early as *chapter 3 of the manga, it has been repeatedly suggested that in order to be a (good) sorcerer, one would have to be a little bit mad. In fact, it sort of became a recurring theme, at least in the earlier section of the manga, having been mentioned at least twice that I can remember (**once by Satoru in chapter 4, ***and again by Kento Nanami in chapter 19).
Thereafter, it is less said and more shown to have some truth to it (Megumi when deploying his incomplete Domain Expansion, Satoru with Toji and Hanami, Sukuna and Mahoraga, Yuki and Kenjaku, to name a few).
With the Culling Arc confirming that Cursed Techniques (CT) originate in the Right Prefrontal Cortex of the brain (RPTC), it got me wondering if the âmadnessâ is a product of neural enhancement or neural damage.
So, just for fun, I decided to dissect the character of Satoru Gojo, arguably the maddest of the bunch, from a neuropsychologist perspective.
As mentioned, in the world of JJK the RPTC is where CTs originate. In the case of Satoru, his CT is the Gojo clanâs Limitless. In 2007, Satoru had figured out how to essentially keep his technique perpetually active (and some, having placed conditions on his Infinity to automatically distinguish between threat and non-threat, with the goal to add poisons to the list of threats). Shoko, at the time, commented how doing this would essentially fry his brain (that is, it would obliterate his RPTC), a comment that acts as a premonition as he does just that during his fight with Sukuna (chapter 230). At the time, his counter to Shoko was that he was simultaneously running Reverse Cursed Technique (RCT) in order to mitigate any brain damage; however, in chapter 144, Yuki Tsukumo had also suggested that even RCT cannot heal scars.
Was Satoru really mitigating brain damage, or simply delaying an inevitability?
In the real world, the RPTC is implicated in emotional regulation (in particular, it is more responsible for negative, inhibiting feelings, including risk assessment and consequences), visuospatial processing, and social cognition (i.e. the ability to understand and interpret the thoughts, feelings, and intentions of others, contributing towards social behaviour and interpersonal interactions).
Satoru is essentially perpetually running his CT as well as RCT in the background, thereby damaging, healing, and scarring his RPTC over and over again, for the duration of 10+ years. That area of the brain must be so heavily lesioned and scarred due to prolonged abuse. And, of course, it has completely altered his ability to appropriately regulate his emotions, has inhibited his risk assessment, and has all but destroyed his social cognition (how can bro not see that Utahime hates him?). Is Satoru mad because he is Satoru, or is he mad because his CT/RCT has essentially given him sustained brain damage?
Thereâs another character Iâd like to point out that has not mentioned that madness is indicative of a good sorcerer, nor has displayed any madness. If anything, given the circumstances, they have probably displayed the most realistic emotional reactions to everything that has been going on.
That guy has no CT (****chapter 254), and instead is a student/alumni(?) of the New Shadow Style School.
Is his notable lack of madness due to the fact that he isnât continuously damaging his RPTC? I think the accounts of the other adult sorcerers answer this: âHeâs a kind manâ.
Ultimately, in order to be a good sorcerer, a great sorcerer, you need to be a little brain damaged.
And Satoru Gojo? He is the most brain damaged of them all.
I think Megumi Fushiguroâs got the crown now.
*Yaga Masamichi when interviewing Yuji Itadori for enrollment
**Satoru Gojo when testing Nobara to confirm her madness
***Insinuated by Kento Nanami when describing the world of sorcery
****Mei Mei on Atsuya having no CT with the brain, and instead âreactsâ with the spine
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