Mahito emerges from humanity's collective fear and hatred of itself as a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. His patchwork form displays visible stitches across his face and body, resembling a being sewn together. Long silver-gray hair divides into three tied sections, framing heterochromatic eyes—one dark blue, the other gray—in the anime. He typically wears a black shawl with a torn left sleeve, matching pants, and occasional white shoes. His transformed state, Instant Spirit Body of Distorted Killing, grants a robust physique with blackened limbs, elbow tendrils, and a crown-like plate obscuring his eyes. Philosophically, Mahito declares life inherently valueless and souls mere metabolic byproducts. He views humans as soul vessels and champions absolute freedom, urging unrestrained instinct over morality. This fuels his sadism: he experiments on human souls to dissect their nature, treating people as playthings. Yet he shows loyalty to fellow Disaster Curses Jogo and Hanami, shielding them from threats and reprimanding allies like Kenjaku for endangering them. A spin-off novel briefly depicts his non-hostile bond with a homeless man, where he acknowledges humanity's lack of desire could have prevented his birth. His signature ability, Idle Transfiguration, manipulates souls through touch, warping victims into grotesque forms or creating Transfigured Humans—monstrous entities stored within him for combat. He reshapes his own body for elongation, weapon generation, speed enhancement, or flight. He spawns independent clones and fuses souls to produce explosive energy via Polymorphic Soul Isomer. His Domain Expansion, Self-Embodiment of Perfection, manifests as a floral-patterned void where souls transfigure automatically without contact. During the Shibuya Incident, he activates it for 0.2 seconds to evade Sukuna's interference. Mahito possesses superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes, overpowering sorcerers like Kento Nanami and dodging high-velocity attacks. His durability stems from his soul's resilience; physical assaults fail unless targeting his soul directly. He evolves rapidly mid-battle, achieving Domain Expansion when near death against Nanami and Yuji, and mastering Black Flash to deepen his cursed energy comprehension. His character arc intensifies through his rivalry with Yuji Itadori—his natural enemy due to Yuji's immunity to Idle Transfiguration as Sukuna's vessel. After manipulating bullied teenager Junpei Yoshino into cursing others, Mahito kills him to break Yuji psychologically, cementing their feud. Mahito then prioritizes tormenting Yuji over faction goals. In the Shibuya Incident, he refines tactics: creating clones, mass-producing Transfigured Humans for chaos, and activating Instant Spirit Body after repeated Black Flash usage. This form amplifies his power but weakens him when exhausted. After battling Yuji and Aoi Todo, Mahito is crippled by Yuji's maximum-energy Black Flash. Fleeing, he is absorbed by Kenjaku (disguised as Geto) and consumed for the Uzumaki technique. Mahito evolves from an impulsive, childlike curse—seen in early random killings—to a strategic adversary using manipulation and combat innovations. Cornered in defeat, he hurls mud at Yuji, sobs, and attempts escape, revealing cowardice that contrasts his earlier bravado.