Jujutsu Kaisen's burst onto the anime scene was well-awaited by fans, and with its debut came multiple fearsome antagonists. The villains contributed greatly to the intensity of the series' first season, but there remained one, not-so-flashy, elegantly cunning, and beguiling presence: Kenjaku.
Throughout Jujutsu Kaisen’s first season, Kenjaku appears briefly, never giving away too much of himself, leaving viewers in a web of wonder. Now, with the series' second season on the road to its crescendo, Kenjaku has once again revealed himself, and this time, he will not go back into the oblivion of ignorance. However, some things have yet to be disclosed about the strategic mastermind in the anime. These facts have been revealed to fans who have kept up with the story in the manga, so here are some things to know about Kenjaku.
6 Mastermind of The Culling Games
Contrary to the belief held by Mahito and his group of Cursed Spirits of creating a world of only Cursed Spirits, the Culling games were always Kenjaku's true intention. Having existed for centuries, Kenjaku is a master at manipulation, as he could even sway Sukuna, the King of Curses, to work with him.
By cleverly persuading Mahito and his group to believe they share a common goal, he laid the groundwork leading up to the Shibuya Incident Arc, which eventually led to the Culling Games. By simply using the desires of others against them, Kenjaku convinced thousands of Sorcerers to participate in the Culling games for a chance at a second life. To realize a goal carefully thought out through centuries, Kenjaku used every method possible to arrive at the beginning of it all: The Shibuya Incident.
5 He is Immortal
Kenjaku is an immortal Curse user, technically. Having been alive for a thousand years, Kenjaku is an ancient sorcerer of the Heian era, a period when Jujutsu dominated, same as Sukuna. Unlike Sukuna, Kenjaku has never died due to his innate technique, which allows him to transplant his brain into the body of another even if they are dead.
By doing so, Kenjaku can access his host body's memories and techniques to the point that even the Six Eyes can not detect any anomalies, as was the case at the Shibuya station against Gojo Satoru. Through his innate technique, Kenjaku has lived through history under the guise of multiple people while amassing techniques and carrying out his plans.
4 The Most Evil Jujutsu Sorcerer in History
Earning the title of the most infamous Jujutsu Sorcerer in History is quite the feat, given the existence of a certain Ryoumen Sukuna. Still, Kenjaku is truly the embodiment of evil. Earning the title officially under the appearance of Noritoshi Kamo, Noritoshi was said to be a stain on the Kamo family. He had all his records wiped from history due to heinous atrocities and horrifying experiments he engaged in.
However, Kenjaku had been on a path of evil long before then, as he was alive during the era when Sukuna terrified the world, and he even helped Sukuna become a curse after death by sealing him into twenty fingers. As pseudo-Geto, Kenjaku single-handedly orchestrated the Shibuya Incident and the Culling Games, two of the most significant Jujutsu terrorist events in modern history. It is fair to say he deserves history's most evil sorcerer.
3 Creator of the Cursed Womb Death Painting Brothers
The special grade Cursed Womb Death Painting brothers are creations of Kenjaku. A feat he came to achieve by taking over an ancestor of the Kamo Family: Noritoshi Kamo. Noritoshi was a Jujutsu sorcerer who lived over one hundred and fifty years ago during the Meiji era. After taking over Noritoshi Kamo, Kenjaku earned the title of the most evil sorcerer in history due to the vile and horrifying experiments he carried out of curiosity.
Through Noritoshi, Kenjaku ran a Jujutsu temple where a woman capable of giving birth to human-spirit hybrids had come to take refuge. Keeping her as a prisoner, Noritoshi performed experiments on her that resulted in her having pregnancies and nine abortions, ultimately creating the nine Cursed Womb Death Paintings. In his experiments, Noritoshi mixed his blood with some of the Cursed Wombs, resulting in Choso inheriting the Kamo family's innate technique: Blood Manipulation. By combining in his blood, Noritoshi became the father of the Cursed Wombs, technically making Kenjaku their father also.
2 Incomparable Knowledge of Jujutsu
Having lived for more than a thousand years and as different Sorcerers throughout history, Kenjaku has amassed an almost inexhaustible amount of Jujutsu knowledge and experience. His understanding and application of Jujutsu distinguishes itself and, with numerous examples, is why Kenjaku is a terrifying antagonist of the series. As Noritoshi Kamo, he created the Cursed Womb Death Paintings. He is also the second most potent barrier user, revealed in the manga after Master Tengen. By possessing the bodies of other sorcerers, Kenjaku absorbs their techniques and adds to his skill set. He not only applies these absorbed techniques to battles but also to his schemes and plans.
The most evident example was his use of Mahito's Idle Transfiguration to set up the Culling Games. His knowledge extends further than the battlefield, as he is the only sorcerer who can turn a Jujutsu sorcerer into a Cursed object after death, as he did with Sukuna. It is revealed in the manga that his plans for the creation of the Culling Games were complex to the point Master Tengen had to hold a detailed discussion with his allies, explaining the operation of the Culling Games.
1 He is Itadori's Mother
The most shocking revelation in the manga is about Kenjaku’s direct relation to the story's protagonist, Yuji Itadori. Very little is known about the parental affiliation of Itadori other than his grandfather, who died early on in the series.
The manga, however, reveals shocking information surrounding the circumstances of Itadori's birth when it is shown that Kenjaku had taken over the body of Yuji's mother, Kaori Itadori. Besides her capability for Jujutsu, there's no other information regarding Kaori Itadori before Kenjaku takes over her. The implication is that Kenjaku is Yuji's parent, which means that Yuji and Choso of the Death Paintings are technically brothers. This was revealed later during the confrontation between the two after the Shibuya Incident.