Toge Inumaki in Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Speech Explained

Toge Inumaki (狗巻棘) is a semi-grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer and second-year student at Tokyo Jujutsu High. He is a descendant of the Inumaki Clan and the bearer of Cursed Speech, an inherited technique that imbues spoken words with cursed energy and compels anyone who hears them to obey. He communicates exclusively in rice ball ingredients to avoid accidentally commanding people in everyday conversation.

He ranked 7th in the first JJK popularity poll with over 8,000 votes. He has almost no spoken dialogue in the entire series.

Character Profile

Who Is Toge Inumaki?

Toge Inumaki is a semi-grade 1 sorcerer who cannot speak normally without risk of harming people, communicates through a rice ball ingredient vocabulary his friends learn to interpret, and is one of the most powerful ranged combatants in the series despite almost never having a conventional conversation.

He has short white hair with dark roots, half-lidded eyes, and a high collar uniform that covers his neck and lower face during missions. The Snake Eyes and Fangs seal — the birthmark of every Inumaki Clan member who inherits Cursed Speech — is visible on his tongue and both cheeks. These markings are not tattoos. They appear at birth.

His communication system is practical and specific. Each rice ball ingredient carries a meaning his classmates understand through context and familiarity. Salmon is a greeting and general positive response. Tuna means no or disagreement. Bonito flakes is used as a warning or urgent signal. Mustard leaf covers mild concern. Mentaiko is a strong refusal or emphatic no. People who know him well read these the same way they would read full sentences.

His favourite food is salmon — the same word he uses most often. His special skill is keeping his hair dry in the bath. His throat medicine, which he carries and drinks mid-battle to soothe the damage Cursed Speech causes his vocal cords, is salmon-flavoured onigiri.

What Is Cursed Speech?

Cursed Speech is the Inumaki Clan’s inherited technique. It imbues spoken words with cursed energy and forces anyone who hears them to physically comply with the command, regardless of their own intention or resistance.

When Toge says “stop,” people stop. When he says “blast away,” they are launched with physical force. When he says “don’t move,” the target’s body locks. The commands work on both humans and cursed spirits. The strength of the effect scales with the amount of cursed energy Toge channels into the word and the complexity of the command.

The cost is severe. Every command damages his throat proportionally to its power. A simple stop causes mild strain. A large-scale command like “explode” during the Hanami attack causes him to cough blood and temporarily lose the ability to use the technique. More powerful commands against stronger opponents risk destroying his vocal cords entirely if overused without recovery.

Sorcerers can protect themselves from Cursed Speech by channelling cursed energy to shield their brain and ears — preventing the cursed energy in the sound from registering as a command. This makes Cursed Speech less reliable against experienced or powerful sorcerers who know how to defend against it.

Key Commands Used in the Manga

Yuta’s Use of Cursed Speech

Yuta Okkotsu copies Toge’s Cursed Speech through his Copy technique. Rika summons a megaphone bearing the Snake Eyes and Fangs seal, which Yuta speaks through to amplify the commands. Yuta uses Cursed Speech in his fight against Suguru Geto during JJK 0 and in subsequent combat situations. Toge’s technique continues through Yuta into arcs where Toge himself cannot participate.

What Happens to Toge in the Story?

Toge fights through JJK 0 and the Kyoto Goodwill Event, deploys Cursed Speech against Hanami during the curse attack, loses his left arm to Sukuna’s Dismantle during the Shibuya Incident, and has a reduced role in the arcs that follow.

JJK 0 and Kyoto Goodwill Event

Toge is part of the second-year cohort alongside Maki and Panda in JJK 0 and throughout the early arcs. He fights alongside Yuta during the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons and plays a significant role in the Kyoto Goodwill Event Arc when Hanami attacks the event grounds.

During Hanami’s assault, Toge uses Cursed Speech to command Hanami to “explode” — one of his most powerful applications in the manga. The command staggers Hanami significantly, buying the students crucial time. The backlash causes Toge to cough blood and temporarily lose his voice. His recovery time from that exchange is significant.

Read from Chapter 32 through Chapter 54.

Shibuya Incident

Toge is present in Shibuya during the Shibuya Incident and uses Cursed Speech against transfigured humans and curse users throughout the night. His left arm is severed by a slash from Sukuna’s domain during the period when Sukuna is in control of Yuji’s body. The arm cannot be regenerated through Reverse Cursed Technique — the damage originates from Sukuna’s domain slash, which operates at a level that Reverse Cursed Technique cannot reliably repair. Even Yuta’s advanced healing ability cannot restore it.

Yuta cites Toge’s injury directly as part of his stated reason for agreeing to execute Yuji after the Shibuya Incident — though this is partly performance for the higher-ups since Yuta secretly arranges to fake the execution.

Post-Shibuya

Toge’s role decreases significantly after Shibuya. He appears briefly in subsequent arcs but does not participate in the Culling Game or Shinjuku Showdown in any major capacity. His Cursed Speech continues through Yuta’s Copy technique in situations that require it.

Why Does Toge Matter?

Toge is the manga’s most elegant example of a character whose limitation is inseparable from their power. He cannot speak normally because speaking is his technique. The restriction and the ability are the same thing. Every choice he makes about when to use his voice is a combat decision as much as a social one.

His silence also produces some of the manga’s most effective character moments precisely because he communicates so little. When Toge acts, it costs something. When he speaks in earnest, it costs more. The economy of his presence makes every deployment meaningful.

For more on the second-year student group see the 2nd year students page.