Jujutsu Kaisen Incremental — Status Effects Guide
Status effects in Jujutsu Kaisen Incremental are buffs and debuffs applied during combat through specific moves, passive traits, or Cursed Tool procs. Understanding every status effect — what it does, what applies it, and how to synergize or counter it — is the difference between a good build and an optimized build. See also Boss Farming Guide and Fighting Styles. Data sourced directly from the official developer Trello (meowtheturtle).
Jujutsu Kaisen Incremental — Quick Reference
| Effect | Type | Key Source | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vulnerable | Debuff | Assassin Shadow Strike (50 M) | S — Core of burst builds |
| Bleed | Debuff DoT | Sword Draw Iai Flash Slash (400 M) | A — Sustained boss damage |
| Stun | Hard CC | Brawler Divergent Fist (50 M) | A — Boss CC rotation |
| Cursed Surge | Self Buff | Jujutsu Sorcerer CE Reinforce (150 M) | A — Pre-fight buff |
| Evasion | Dodge Buff | Assassin Vanish Step (150 M) | B — Defense layer |
| Pierce | Status Override | Rock Cannon drop (crit) | B — Anti-tank offense |
| Block | Defense Action | Default / Martial Arts passive | B — Universal defense |
| Momentum | Stacking Buff | Heavenly Tyrant Wall Run (150 M) | B — Physical burst |
| Weakened | Debuff | Assassin Phantom Image (500 M) | B — Damage reduction |
| Shadow Evasion | Passive Buff | Shadow Style passive (0 CE) | C — CE-zero survival niche |
Detailed Breakdown
Vulnerable
Target takes increased damage from all sources. Applies to physical, CE, and DoT damage equally.
Assassin's passive deals 2.5× to Vulnerable targets — the highest single-hit multiplier in the game. Apply with Shadow Strike then use your 3 strongest moves. Standard Mahoraga kill strategy.
Block (70% DR) partially mitigates amplified damage. High Endurance stat reduces the effective amplification.
Bleed
Deals damage at the start of each of the target's turns. Damage scales directly with the applicator's CE Output stat.
Gojo clan +30 Output amplifies every Bleed tick. Stacking Flash Step Slash (5t) + Rika's Arm proc = extended Bleed windows. Essential damage source during Mahoraga's adaptation windows when direct damage is reduced.
No Bleed cleanse mechanic. Block reduces the initial hit but doesn't stop DoT. Vitality investment is the only mitigation.
Stun
Target cannot perform any action. Queued moves are cancelled. Complete turn skip.
Brawler chain: Divergent Fist (2t Stun) → Ground Slam (3t Stun) = 5 consecutive turns of CC. Resets Naoya's Momentum stacks. Pairs with CE Electricity trait for passive proc uptime.
Bosses have reduced Stun duration (~50% effectiveness). No complete stun immunity, but boss resistance makes CC less reliable in endgame.
Evasion
Increases dodge chance for the duration. Dodged attacks deal zero damage.
Kempo passive +10 dodge stacks with Vanish Step for very high sustained avoidance. Critical for surviving Ishigori's CE Discharge and Mahoraga's high-damage turns.
Pierce status completely bypasses Evasion. Pierce attacks always connect regardless of dodge rate. Evasion-heavy builds are hard-countered by Pierce sources.
Pierce
The triggering attack ignores both Evasion (always hits) and Block (deals full damage, not reduced).
Hard counter to Evasion/Block defensive builds. Rock Cannon + crit build = consistent Pierce procs that bypass all defensive stats. Best-in-slot boss damage tool at endgame.
No direct counter to Pierce. Don't rely solely on Evasion/Block as your defensive strategy if enemies can proc Pierce.
Cursed Surge
Increases both CE Output (damage) and Defense simultaneously. Applied as a combat buff.
The go-to pre-fight buff for CE builds. CE Reinforcement before engaging a boss gives both damage and defense for the fight duration. Godspeed Impulse applies it at high Mastery for Sword Draw Iai builds.
N/A — self-buff, no counterplay needed.
Block
Reduces incoming damage by 70% (85% for Martial Arts style). Not a status effect but a core defensive mechanic.
Essential against Higuruma's Deadly Sentencing (turns 3 & 6) and Ishigori's CE Discharge. Martial Arts + Block = near-complete damage mitigation, enabling CE accumulation while taking hits.
Pierce ignores Block entirely. Against Pierce sources, Block provides no damage reduction.
Momentum
Stacks with consecutive actions. Each stack increases the next attack's damage by a multiplier. Also used by Curse: Naoya boss — his stacks become deadly by turn 5+.
Naoya's Fist Wraps + Wall Run Strike = rapid Momentum stacking before a finisher move. Best for physical builds. Against Naoya boss: Stun him to reset his Momentum before stacks reach dangerous levels (turn 5+).
Stun resets Momentum stacks — CC-based strategies neutralize Naoya boss completely.
Weakened
Target deals reduced damage on all attacks for the duration.
Weakened + high Endurance build = near-zero incoming damage window. Use Phantom Image on Mahoraga to dramatically reduce his damage output during adaptation phases.
Bosses with Adaptation (Mahoraga) adapt to repeated Weakened application — 3+ consecutive Phantom Image uses reduce its effectiveness.
Evasion (Shadow)
Shadow Style's Simple Domain ability costs 0 CE — unique passive that enables CE-free Evasion activation.
Shadow Style is the only style that can trigger its Evasion mechanic with zero CE, making it uniquely strong for CE-depleted survival situations. Combine with Vanish Step for layered avoidance.
Pierce still bypasses this like all other Evasion sources.
Video: Combat Mechanics Deep Dive
Full combat mechanics overview including all status effects demonstrated.