Limitless is Unusable Without Six Eyes

full documentation of the translation discussion

TL notes collected from anon, Lightning, Shimo, Iso on three different canon statements about the relationship between 6E and Limitless: 1) Volume Extra 2 2) Official Fanbook 3) Jump GIGA

TL;DR With our current knowledge, Limitless appears to be unusable without Six Eyes. If Gege ever makes a statement then I will recant.

1. Volume 2 Extra: anon

Discord

The Vol. 2 extra (see right) is inaccurate in the English, stating that other Limitless users can use Limitless without Six Eyes, but the Japanese implies the opposite:

では現在作中最強とされている五と同じ術式さ持った術師が存在する?

Viz: "So is there anyone other than Gojo--the strongest character in the manga--who can use Limitless?!

anon: Specifically take note of the verb I highlighted--持った. This translates more accurately as, "So is there anyone the same as Gojo, the strongest character in the manga, who possesses the Limitless?!"

なので無下限呪術さ持っている術師はりても、扱える術師は五条ただ一人です。なぜなら彼には特別な眼があるので。

Viz: "Even though there are other sorcerers with the possibility of using the Limitless cursed technique, Satoru Gojo is the only one who can use it because he possesses a special "eye."

anon: This translates more accurately as, "So even though there may be other sorcerers who have the Limitless CT, Gojo is the only person who can handle/operate/use it because he has special 'eyes.'" "

2. Fanbook Counter Argument - Lightning

Reddit post

Lightning: 無下眼術式を持っている呪術 = sorcerers who wield/have/possess/own Limitless

扱える呪術 = sorcerer who can use/handle/treat/deal it properly. Akutami using 扱い instead of something more direct like 使い or 使用 implies to me that there is some degree of utility even if you don’t have Six Eyes

Here is the entry for Limitless in the Fanbook which I TL’d a long time ago:

"The Six Eyes is what makes the Limitless Jujutsu the strongest technique. A unique predisposition of the Gojo family that can detect cursed energy, where the target’s jujutsu technique is foreseen. It is rare even among the generation of wielders, and with it is possible to manage cursed energy at the microscopic level. It is an inborn talent necessary to use the “Limitless Jujutsu” to its maximum potential."

Lightning: Fanbook doesn’t even claim that you can’t use Limitless without Six Eyes. Only that you can’t use it to its max potential.

3. Volume Extra and Jump GIGA Counter-Counter Argument and Conclusion - Shimo and Iso

Discord

Shimo: Let's use "operate" for 扱う for now. Since Gege likes to treat CTs as machines anyways.

The fanbook translation said:

"Six eyes are necessary to fully/perfectly operate Limitless Technique."

The Volume 2 extra said:

"Even though there may be other sorcerers who possess Limitless Technique, Gojo is the only person who can operate it."

What the fanbook said is ambiguous because of the word "fully/perfectly". But the extra seems to seal the deal. Only Gojo can operate the Cursed Technique. The line doesn't say "Gojo can operate the CT properly". The "properly" isn't there in the raw. You can change the word "operate", and the statement would still mean pretty much the same thing: Gojo is the only person who can operate/use/handle Limitless Technique.

Gege also usually uses the verb "activate" for a CT^[1]. So, Gege choosing the verb "operate" in this case shouldn't mean that he wants to imply the existence of a degree of utility, which amounts to that "properly". It's just that saying "to operate CT" is more proper than saying "to use CT". And nothing more.

Iso: This got mentioned in the Jump GIGA Q&A a while back, too - check the bottom text. Same use of 扱う as well.

That being said, the phrasing of 六眼と無下限 and 双方 makes me think they're not intrinsically linked? like, you wouldn't really need to specify 'Six Eyes and Limitless' and 'both of them' if one was useless without the other, but that's just word choice. Doesn't have to mean anything, could just be additional clarity.

Shimo: That picture does make the ambiguous statement in the fanbook clearer. Because it outright says that, "Six Eyes are necessary to operate Limitless Technique." without the "fully/perfectly". This makes half of Lightning's assumptions wrong.

Conclusion: Limitless is unusable without Six Eyes.