What Do Sukuna’s Marks Mean? Visibility, Origin & More

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Learn how many marks Sukuna has (and what they represent)

Co-authored by Ishaan Kaushal and Marcus Pruitt, BS

Last Updated: June 25, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Meaning of Sukuna’s Marks
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• Are Sukuna’s marks visible to others?
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• How many marks does Sukuna have?
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• Who is Sukuna?
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• More JJK Content
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• Video

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Jujutsu Kaisen is full of mysteries that ignite fans’ imaginations. One of these is the mystery of Ryomen Sukuna’s tattoos. In the fandom, it’s debated that the infamous King of Curses has tattoos that can only be seen by some, and it’s believed that these tattoos represent his criminal history. In this article, we do away with the speculation and get down to the facts. Read on to learn whether or not Sukuna’s marks are visible, what they mean, how many he has, and more!

Sukuna’s Marks Explained

Although nothing has been confirmed by the series creator, Ryomen Sukuna’s tattoos are thought to represent his criminal past. Historically, Japanese criminals used to get tattoos when they committed crimes, with different markings representing different crimes. They are visible to sorcerers and cursed spirits alike.

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Section 1 of 5:

What do Sukuna’s marks mean?

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   Some fans believe Sukuna’s marks represent his criminal past. Although this hasn’t been confirmed by Jujutsu Kaisen’s creator Gege Akutami, from Japan’s Kofun period (250-600) to the late 1600s, criminals were forcibly given tattoos of lines, circles, and crosses on the arms and face. These marks represented their crimes, giving the public a visual message that they were criminals who couldn’t be trusted, confirms anime expert Ishaan Kaushal. Given Sukuna’s heinous nature, this theory is solid.

   • Sukuna is a sorcerer who’s over 1,000 years old and regularly committed all sorts of unspeakable crimes during the Heian era.
   • During this period, band tattoos around the arm identified thieves, while tattoos on the face, head, or forehead represented more serious crimes, like murder.
   • Sukuna has bands around both arms, as well as multiple face tattoos, so it’s safe to say his crimes were serious.
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   Sukuna’s marks may also be a sign of his strength. Some fans believe Sukuna let himself get tattooed as a way to show his strength and brutality. Others believe they may represent other cursed techniques, as they resemble other marks seen in the series, like the marks around Inumaki’s mouth that represent his. Nothing really suggests this in the series, but it’s still a fun theory to run with!
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Section 2 of 5:

Are Sukuna’s marks visible to others?

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   Yes, Sukuna’s marks are visible to sorcerers and cursed spirits. Anyone who is able to see curses is able to see Sukuna’s marks. Despite the popular fan theory that the marks are invisible to anyone who isn’t a cursed spirit, this has been proven wrong, as characters like Megumi Fushiguro have recognized the marks as a sign of Sukuna’s presence.

   • The disaster curse Jogo even commented on Sukuna’s markings when he awoke in Shibuya, saying “Good. The marks are still there,” showing that characters can see them.
   • Some fans believe that characters don’t recognize Sukuna when he’s in control of Yuji, but for many of these characters (including Panda and Kusakabe), it’s the first time they’ve ever come across Sukuna, so they are confused, not unaware.
     • For example, when Panda and Kusakabe were in Shibuya, it was the first time they’d ever met Sukuna. They didn’t comment on his marks, but they knew it was him, as he’d given them an order before letting them flee.

Section 3 of 5:

How many marks does Sukuna have?

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   When he’s inhabiting a vessel, Sukuna has 24 marks on his body. When he’s in a vessel with two arms, Sukuna has two lines around each wrist and two around each bicep, as well as a small circle surrounded by a larger circle on each shoulder. There are also two sharp lines on his abdomen, two double-pronged lines on each side of his jawline, two on his chin, two lines above his eyes, one in the center of his forehead, and one on his nose.
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   When he’s in his original form, Sukuna has 16 visible marks on his body. In his original form, Sukuna’s four arms have 10 tattoos total: one around each wrist, one around each bicep, and two black dots on his shoulders. He also has two sharp, broken up lines coming down his check, as well as two pointed lines on his chin, as well as one on each side of his face. All together, this makes for 16 marks.

   • The mark underneath his double eyes is partially hidden by the plaque supporting the eyes.
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Section 4 of 5:

Who is Sukuna?

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1. 
   Sukuna is a reincarnated sorcerer and the main antagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen. According to anime and manga expert Ryan Burns, Ryomen Sukuna is the main villain of Jujutsu Kaisen. He is an extremely powerful sorcerer who first existed over 1,000 years ago during the Heian era, where he was designated as The Disgraced One due to his immense skill and lethality in jujutsu.

   • In his original form, Sukuna was a pink-haired sorcerer with four arms and two mouths (one on his face and one on his stomach).
   • Sometime before his death, he made a pact with the body-hopping sorcerer Kenjaku and had his 20 fingers turned into cursed objects.
   • In 2018, Yuji Itadori ate one of Sukuna’s fingers, reincarnating the King of Curses and serving as his vessel as he kickstarted the events of Jujutsu Kaisen.
   • Sukuna’s four arms made him especially proficient at jujutsu, as he could use two hands to weave hand signs and the other two hands to fight.

Section 5 of 5:

More Jujutsu Kaisen Content

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1. Check out wikiHow’s Jujutsu Kaisen content for your anime fix! We’re huge fans of JJK here at wikiHow, and we’ve got plenty of content to prove it! Whether you want to expand your knowledge and learn more about domain expansions or figure out which JJK character you are, we’ve got you covered. Check out some of our Jujutsu Kaisen content below:

   • What is Sukuna’s Cursed Technique?
   • JJK Cursed Technique Generator
   • Every Domain Expansion Hand Sign Explained
   • Every Cursed Tool in JJK Explained
   • Why Does Gojo Cover His Eyes?
   • What JJK Character Are You
   • Best JJK Quotes
   • A Guide to All Special Grade Sorcerers in Jujutsu Kaisen
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