Kenjaku
Kenjaku is a key villain in the Jujutsu Kaisen series. As an ancient curse user with over a thousand years of existence, he possesses a unique ability: he can transplant his brain into other individuals to control them. Throughout the centuries, he has taken over various people’s bodies and assumed their identities. Some notable individuals he has possessed include Noritoshi Kamo, who brought forth the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings, Yuji Itadori’s mother, Kaori Itadori, and Suguru Geto. Currently, Kenjaku is inhabiting Suguru Geto’s corpse to exploit his ability to manipulate Cursed Spirits.
Appearance:
Kenjaku’s original appearance remains a mystery. The only distinguishing feature of his host body is the stitches and scars encircling the top of the head, remnants of the procedure used to transfer Kenjaku’s brain, which possesses unique teeth, into his hosts. In Suguru Geto’s body, Kenjaku resembles Suguru as he appeared during the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, the day of Suguru’s demise.
Personality:
Kenjaku is someone who has existed under countless identities for over a thousand years. There are even moments where he acts like whomever he’s possessing unintentionally, such as when he caught himself suddenly acting like Suguru.[4] Despite constantly assuming different identities, Kenjaku retains a strong core personality. He is calm and calculating, rarely displaying signs of panic or distress and often has entire scenarios planned out in advance. At times he can appear cheerful, playful, and even charming. Still, he is a manipulative, and deeply egotistical individual who will stop at nothing to further his ambitions regardless of who he harms.
Kenjaku may seem indifferent and distant about things that don’t interest him, but he becomes quite chatty when it’s about himself or his passions. He tends to go on lengthy monologues and enjoys engaging in small talk, even with his enemies. This can range from casually sharing his knowledge about the world to ruthlessly teasing his adversaries. Despite his generally upbeat and outspoken nature, there’s an air of condescension around him that often irks those he interacts with, including his allies like Uraume, who finds him annoying. Kenjaku’s unapologetic arrogance stems from his undeniable skills, which he confidently displays even in difficult situations. He doesn’t hesitate to attack and seriously harm others while casually discussing his beliefs, objectives, or abilities as if he’s offering a lesson. Even when facing formidable opponents like Satoru Gojo, Kenjaku maintains his relaxed demeanor, cracking jokes and teasing him as if the confrontation wasn’t potentially deadly.
Kenjaku doesn’t rely on intimidation or fear to control people for his own purposes. Instead, he manipulates them cleverly, using his charm to make them believe they share common goals. Even the formidable Sukuna, known for his aggressive nature, collaborated with Kenjaku to split his soul into twenty cursed objects after death. Sukuna even shielded Kenjaku from Satoru Gojo and agreed not to engage in combat until their agreement was fulfilled. However, Kenjaku’s manipulation doesn’t stem from loyalty or honorable leadership; he simply knows how to manipulate people and exploit their desires for his own gain.
Over centuries, Kenjaku convinced numerous sorcerers to join the Culling Game, presenting it as a chance for them to thrive as fierce warriors. Many curse users in Shibuya also allied with Kenjaku to eliminate Satoru Gojo. When necessary, Kenjaku fabricates common enemies or objectives to bring entities under his control. For instance, he persuaded a foreign power, the United States military, to invade Japan under the pretext of studying cursed energy for sustainable resources. In reality, he tricked them into entering the Culling Game’s colonies, sacrificing their soldiers for his plans.
Tengen and Kenjaku were once friends, but now Kenjaku views Tengen as a shut-in, disapproving of his reclusive lifestyle. Kenjaku sees himself as someone who has truly experienced life compared to Tengen. Having lived through a thousand years of conflicts and alliances, Kenjaku sees the world as cursed. He deeply disdain modern social structures, people, and philosophies that promote passivity and maintain the status quo. Kenjaku believes that Japanese people mistakenly perceive their lives as stable when they’re actually constantly teetering on the edge of destruction. He recognizes that not everyone is willing to risk their lives, while others are ready to die at any moment with no hope for the future. Kenjaku despises both extremes, viewing them as futile.
Abilities:
Kenjaku is an ancient sorcerer with unparalleled expertise in jujutsu sorcery, honed over a thousand years. His mastery of jujutsu is evident through numerous remarkable achievements. Under the guise of Noritoshi Kamo, he created the infamous Cursed Womb: Death Paintings, earning a reputation as the most sinister curse user in history. Additionally, Kenjaku possesses unique knowledge, being the sole individual capable of transforming a sorcerer into a cursed object after death, a skill even Sukuna lacked during the Heian Era. Furthermore, he ranks as the second most formidable barrier user, just behind Tengen, and is among the select few sorcerers capable of rivaling them in barrier techniques.
Kenjaku possesses the ability to inhabit the bodies of other sorcerers, harnessing their techniques alongside his own innate abilities. Particularly, he demonstrates mastery over Cursed Spirit Manipulation, matching the proficiency of his current host, Suguru Geto. Choosing Suguru’s body specifically for this skill, Kenjaku possesses an intricate understanding of its workings and leverages it effectively to fulfill his ambitions. He even compelled Mei Mei, a grade 1 sorcerer familiar with Geto’s technique, to retreat through his adept use of it.
Beyond combat, Kenjaku employs Cursed Spirit Manipulation in his strategic setups. For instance, he absorbed Mahito using this technique and utilized Mahito’s Idle Transfiguration to orchestrate the Culling Game. Additionally, Kenjaku absorbed Tengen, who had transitioned into a more cursed spirit than human, utilizing Cursed Spirit Manipulation to advance his own agenda further.
Kenjaku’s expertise transcends mere jujutsu sorcery. He excels in unarmed combat, possesses exceptional intelligence, and is a mastermind of deceitful schemes. Kenjaku orchestrated two of the largest jujutsu terrorist events in recent history: the Shibuya Incident and the Culling Game. Both were meticulously planned and executed almost flawlessly. During the Shibuya Incident, Satoru Gojo, the most powerful sorcerer of the modern era, was successfully sealed away, while Kenjaku and Uraume effortlessly repelled attempts to rescue him. Even Yuji Itadori and Choso were unable to pose a significant threat to Kenjaku.
Not only did Kenjaku emerge unharmed from the Shibuya Incident using the Prison Realm, but he also began preparations for the Culling Game. This complex competition, orchestrated by Kenjaku, involved a sophisticated blend of various sorcery techniques. He invited thousands of players over millennia, established numerous colonies using Tengen’s barriers, and crafted intricate rules enforced by binding vows. Kenjaku’s plan was so meticulously crafted that even his enemies, the Jujutsu High sorcerers, had no choice but to participate.
Kenjaku showcased his formidable abilities when he single-handedly defeated Yuki Tsukumo, a special grade sorcerer, Choso, a special-grade Death Painting Womb, and Tengen. His mastery of barriers enabled him to effortlessly infiltrate the Tombs of the Star, a task even Tengen believed he could accomplish without difficulty. In a one-on-one confrontation, Kenjaku swiftly overwhelmed Choso, demonstrating his superiority with low-level cursed spirits reinforced by his own cursed energy. Despite Choso’s attempts to counter, Kenjaku’s diverse arsenal of sorcery techniques ensured his victory.
Yuki posed a greater challenge, as she was capable of neutralizing any cursed spirit thrown at her. Kenjaku had to employ all his skills to defeat her, showcasing his most advanced jujutsu feats. As a master of barriers, Kenjaku possessed the rare ability to expand his domain without enclosing the outer shell, a skill shared only by Sukuna. This unique strength allowed Kenjaku to dismantle Yuki’s domain effortlessly and inflict significant damage with his domain’s potent attacks. Even Satoru Gojo, the most powerful sorcerer of the modern era, couldn’t expand his domain without closing the barrier, highlighting Kenjaku’s exceptional prowess in this area.
Even when his domain was dispelled and his cursed techniques depleted, Kenjaku managed to hold his own against both Yuki and Choso simultaneously. When pushed to the brink, he relied on quick thinking and unpredictable actions to survive, such as removing the top half of his head to deflect Choso’s attacks. Realizing he couldn’t overpower Yuki with sheer force, Kenjaku outsmarted her, luring her into a false sense of victory before turning the tables with clever technique usage.
Even when faced with Yuki’s desperate black hole attack, Kenjaku employed a complex blend of jujutsu mechanics to survive. His victory over Yuki and Choso made their allies, other powerful sorcerers, recognize that he couldn’t be defeated through conventional means. Although Kenjaku acknowledges that he’s no match for Satoru Gojo, he confidently confronts any other opponent in his path. With Suguru Geto’s body, he commands an army of cursed spirits capable of conquering entire nations single-handedly.
Kenjaku possesses exceptional skills in hand-to-hand combat, allowing him to hold his own against almost any opponent. Despite being a curse manipulator, he’s proficient in close-range combat, akin to Suguru Geto. While he primarily supplements his sorcery with taijutsu, Kenjaku is fully capable of relying solely on hand-to-hand combat when necessary.
In a display of his prowess, Kenjaku effortlessly caught Kasumi Miwa’s katana while unarmed and broke the blade with a simple clench of his fist. During the Shibuya Incident, he easily countered Choso’s attacks, effortlessly parrying each strike while landing his own hits with ease.
In the Tombs of the Star, Kenjaku combined close combat with Cursed Spirit Manipulation to dispatch Choso effortlessly. However, Yuki Tsukumo, known for her expertise in close combat, posed a greater challenge. Despite facing both Yuki and Choso simultaneously, Kenjaku relied solely on taijutsu as his cursed techniques were depleted. Though unable to launch any attacks due to the relentless assault, Kenjaku effectively defended himself until his techniques were replenished, sustaining only moderate damage in the process.
Kenjaku possesses an immense tactical intellect honed over his thousand-year existence. His extensive knowledge of jujutsu sorcery, combined with his talent for manipulation and strategic planning, makes him a cunning criminal mastermind. Kenjaku’s patience and focus are key components of his cunning; he’s willing to wait centuries to create the perfect conditions for his schemes.
His meticulous planning allowed him to overcome formidable adversaries like the Six Eyes, despite previous defeats. Kenjaku carefully analyzed Satoru Gojo and devised a strategy to neutralize him. Recognizing that Satoru was most powerful when fighting alone, Kenjaku orchestrated the Shibuya Incident to put him at a disadvantage. By ensuring Satoru faced overwhelming odds against non-sorcerers and special-grade cursed spirits, Kenjaku seized the opportune moment to seal him.
Furthermore, Kenjaku’s foresight prevented anyone from Jujutsu High from recognizing him as Suguru Geto, preserving the element of surprise crucial to distracting and sealing Satoru Gojo. This attention to detail and strategic planning demonstrate Kenjaku’s unparalleled tactical intellect.
With Satoru Gojo out of the way, Kenjaku wasted no time in executing his next meticulously planned scheme: the Culling Game. This elaborate plan was devised to achieve his ultimate goal of merging the Japanese population with Tengen. Immediately following the Shibuya Incident, Kenjaku launched the Culling Game, having thoroughly prepared for it in advance. Over countless generations, Kenjaku recruited sorcerers from different time periods to participate in the game. His unparalleled knowledge of jujutsu sorcery enabled him to be the sole sorcerer capable of transforming someone into a cursed object after death, a testament to his expertise.
Anticipating Satoru Gojo’s return, Kenjaku avoided a potentially fatal encounter by forming an alliance with Sukuna, demonstrating his strategic foresight and adaptability. Through the Culling Game, Kenjaku embarked on yet another complex and convoluted scheme to further his ambitions.
Kenjaku’s mastery of sorcery translates effectively into battle, where he becomes a cerebral fighter capable of analyzing his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses to devise clever strategies for victory. While he had prior knowledge of Choso’s vulnerabilities and exploited them to overpower him easily, facing Yuki Tsukumo presented a unique challenge due to a lack of prior information.
Throughout their battle, Kenjaku meticulously observed Yuki’s abilities and adapted his tactics accordingly. Initially attempting to keep her at a distance to assess her skills, Kenjaku’s strategy backfired, but he recognized the trouble his abilities caused her. When he noticed Yuki’s hesitation to open a domain, Kenjaku swiftly expanded his own domain, dealing significant damage.
Kenjaku’s ability to think on his feet was evident when Choso joined forces with Yuki to ambush him. Despite the surprise attack, Kenjaku quickly adjusted and evaded a potentially fatal strike. Ultimately, he defeats Yuki through deception, a powerful weapon in a sorcerer’s arsenal. By feigning the use of cursed spirit manipulation to distract Yuki, Kenjaku lured her into range and caught her off guard with a decisive blow, securing victory through strategic thinking and quick improvisation.
