Yuji Itadori (biological son / creation) Choso, Eso, Kechizu, and 6 unnamed Death Paintings (biological sons / creations via Noritoshi Kamo's experiments) Jin Itadori (former husband via Kaori's body) Wasuke Itadori (former father-in-law via Kaori's body).
Religion
Buddhism and Shintoism
Nationality
Japanese
Kenjaku (羂索, Kenjaku) is a fictional character and one of the primary antagonists in the manga and anime series Jujutsu Kaisen, created by Gege Akutami. In the story, Kenjaku is an ancient sorcerer who stays immortal by moving his brain into different bodies to steal their powers. He acts as a secret mastermind who controls historical events to force the evolution of humanity.
In the anime adaptation, he is primarily voiced by Takahiro Sakurai in Japanese (while inhabiting the body of Suguru Geto) and Lex Lang in English. Kenjaku's calculating, deeply patient, and morbid demeanor as the series' mastermind was praised, along with his complex relationships with both the protagonist Yuji Itadori and the ancient sorcerer Ryomen Sukuna.
Concept and creation
From a design standpoint, Akutami used a parasite-like concept for Kenjaku. The character's true form is a living human brain with a mouth and teeth. To visually link his identity across different hosts throughout history, Akutami gave him a signature horizontal stitched scar across the host's forehead, which can be opened to expose the brain inside.
During the traveling Gege Akutami "Jujutsu Kaisen" Exhibition in April 2025, Akutami shared several key narrative blueprints for the story's overarching mastermind, Kenjaku. While Ryomen Sukuna stands as the series' strongest physical villain, Akutami designed Kenjaku to be the true mastermind behind the plot and the sole reason Sukuna was able to return to the modern era. Despite the massive importance of his role as the catalyst for the events in the series, Akutami stated flatly that "Kenjaku was always supposed to lose" because his character was fundamentally built from the beginning to act as a catalyst rather than an endgame survivor. To fulfill this, Akutami revealed that he had planned very early on for Kenjaku's ultimate downfall to come from a bizarre confrontation against a comedian character, a concept that eventually materialized as his surreal, reality-bending duel against Fumihiko Takaba. Furthermore, he indicated that Kenjaku's grand master plan was set into motion at the very start of the series by intentionally planting a high-grade cursed object at Yuji Itadori's school.
Additionally, initial storyboard drafts from the exhibition revealed that Akutami originally intended for the disaster curse Dagon, rather than Kenjaku, to be the one responsible for sealing Satoru Gojo inside the Prison Realm, though this concept was ultimately scrapped to give Kenjaku a more direct and personal structural impact on the Shibuya Incident arc.
Casting
Takahiro Sakurai (left) voices Kenjaku in Japanese, while Lex Lang voices him in English
Takahiro Sakurai, the Japanese voice actor who voices Kenjaku inside the body of Suguru Geto, stated that portraying Kenjaku required a calculated shift in vocal execution to intentionally evoke a sense of unease. Sakurai explained that the performance relies on subtle subversions of delivery to manipulate the audience's perception, remarking, "By changing the tone of the voice slightly, everyone who receives it expands their image... It's an approach where you shift the expression to create a sense of discomfort". Furthermore, Sakurai revealed that the voice direction for the mastermind's initial presence departed from typical villain conventions, noting, "At first, the order from the directors was to voice him 'like a refreshing, pleasant young man.' I distinctly remember thinking, 'Oh, so that's the angle we are using to introduce him.'"
Lex Lang, the English voice actor who voices Kenjaku inside the body of Suguru Geto, discussed the specific psychological lane required to portray the ancient brain entity, noting that the character operates with a total absence of standard human emotion or mental vulnerability. Lang explained that Kenjaku peels entirely away from traditional villain archetypes because he acts as a completely robotic, detached strategist mastermind. He pointed out how this structural shift defines the entity's approach to combat and host abilities, stating, "He's still Kenjaku, but now he's using Geto's skills. I think that's a beautiful differentiation between the two characters. Geto's is sort of anchored in emotion, whereas Kenjaku is anchored in intellect and in strategy."
Appearances
In the backstory of Jujutsu Kaisen, Kenjaku is introduced as an ancient sorcerer who survives for over a thousand years by transplanting his brain into different dead hosts. Throughout history, he takes over notable figures to advance his plans, including the historical Noritoshi Kamo, with whom he creates the hybrid entities known as the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings as well as Kaori Itadori, the mother of the story's main protagonist, Yuji Itadori.
Following the events of the prequel story Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Kenjaku steals the corpse of the deceased sorcerer Suguru Geto. Using Geto's physical appearance and powers, he forms a secret alliance with several powerful cursed spirits to trap the powerful sorcerer Satoru Gojo inside an inescapable pocket dimension known as the Prison Realm. Following a massive battle that decimated the ward, Kenjaku unsealed millions of remote binding vows across Japan by forcefully altering human brains to awaken dead sorcerers.
The true goal of Kenjaku's Culling Games is to gather enough cursed energy to merge humanity's collective consciousness with an immortal spirit named Master Tengen, forcing a global human evolution. Kenjaku defeats the sorcerers guarding Tengen and successfully captures the spirit's evolved form. During the story's final story arc, Kenjaku is forced into a comedic reality-bending battle with a sorcerer named Fumihiko Takaba. Although Kenjaku wins the contest, the fight leaves him exhausted and open to a surprise attack by the sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu, who decapitates him. Before dying, Kenjaku successfully passes the authority to trigger his global evolution ritual over to the series' final villain, Ryomen Sukuna.
Reception
Kenjaku's role as the overarching mastermind of Jujutsu Kaisen has been widely praised by critics, who often highlight his unique motivations and terrifying presence. Maham Arsalan of Comic Book Resources described him as a "hand that controls from the shadows," praising his ability to survive for centuries by jumping from body to body and orchestrating an elaborate scheme without detection. Omar Farque of DualShockers said his reveal at the climax of the Shibuya Incident arc was a massive plot twist that successfully "set the stage for even bigger conflicts to come."
Reviewers have particularly noted how Kenjaku's character subverts traditional shōnen villain tropes. Rei Penber of Game Rant praised his "elegantly cunning, and beguiling presence," emphasizing his mastery over psychological manipulation, such as casually playing games with the disaster curses only to remain completely indifferent to their deaths once they served his purpose. Marcel Green of Screen Rant lauded the character's formidable threat level, arguing that Kenjaku poses a "comprehensive threat" over Ryomen Sukuna because he "seeks to fundamentally change the framework of sorcerer reality" on a scale that will be "global in nature."
Furthermore, critics have analyzed the global narrative consequences of his calculated planning. Rafael Motamayor of IGN noted that while the frantic pacing of the Shibuya Incident arc altered the series' storytelling style, Kenjaku’s millennial-old schemes delivered "huge changes to the world of Jujutsu Kaisen." Critics pointed out that by eliminating major protector figures and shifting the status quo, his actions effectively restructured the entire world and deepened the lore, transforming what originally appeared to be a minor antagonist into a major one. Ben Sockol of Screen Rant praised the transition, showing how the unveiling of Kenjaku's grand scheme to merge humanity with Master Tengen elevated him from a "mysteriously intimidating" background figure into "one of the most interesting villains in Shonen Jump."
↑Akutami, Gege (2022). Jujutsu kaisen. 14, The Shibuya incident--right and wrong. Stefan Koza (Shonen Jump mangaed.). San Francisco, CA: VIZ Media LLC. ISBN978-1-9747-2532-8. OCLC1259046318.
↑Akutami, Gege (2024). Jujutsu kaisen. 27, Foolish Survivor! (Shonen Jump mangaed.). San Francisco Ca: VIZ Media LLC. ISBN978-4-08-884115-1. OCLC1474544299.
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