The devastating fallout of the Shibuya Incident casts a long, somber shadow over the third season of Jujutsu Kaisen. This pervasive sense of loss permeates the Season 3 premiere, which debuted on January 8 with an intense one-hour special. The story resumes with Yuji Itadori grappling with immense survivor’s guilt, working alongside Choso to purge the city of lingering curses. This narrative serves as a direct follow-up to last year’s compilation film, Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, which bridged the gap between the tragedy in Shibuya and the high-stakes Extermination Arc.
Note: The following contains major spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen manga and upcoming anime arcs.
The conclusion of Execution paves the way for the Culling Game—a barbaric battle royale orchestrated by the manipulative Kenjaku. When Megumi Fushiguro informs Yuji of the tournament, he identifies the mastermind as Noritoshi Kamo, a name synonymous with historical evil in the sorcery world. This identification is naturally confusing for viewers, as a modern Noritoshi Kamo—a student at Kyoto Jujutsu High—is currently active in the story.
While Gege Akutami’s manga eventually clarifies the link between Kenjaku and the ancient Kamo, the Season 3 premiere remains intentionally vague, heightening the mystery surrounding the villain’s true objectives. To prepare you for the impending Culling Game arc, here is a comprehensive breakdown of who Kenjaku really is.
The Mystery of Kenjaku: A Thousand-Year Parasite
In the prequel film Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Satoru Gojo was forced to execute his former best friend, Suguru Geto, following Geto’s defeat by Yuta Okkotsu. However, in the main series, a figure identical to Geto reappears, leading a faction of powerful cursed spirits. This “Pseudo-Geto” is actually Kenjaku, an ancient sorcerer who has survived for over a millennium.
Kenjaku’s survival is tied to his innate technique, a morbid process involving brain transplantation. By placing his own brain into a host’s corpse, he gains full control over the body and, crucially, access to the original owner’s cursed techniques. He targeted Geto’s remains specifically for the “Cursed Spirit Manipulation” ability, which was essential for his plan to seal Gojo within the Prison Realm.
This perpetual body-hopping isn’t just about survival; it’s a means to satisfy an obsessive, intellectual curiosity. Kenjaku seeks to understand the limits of cursed energy and the potential of human evolution. Unlike typical villains who seek power or simple destruction, Kenjaku has spent centuries pulling the strings of history to engineer a state of absolute, uncontrollable chaos.
The Infamous Legacy of Noritoshi Kamo
Long before inhabiting Suguru Geto, Kenjaku possessed the body of Noritoshi Kamo during the Meiji Era. The original Kamo is remembered as the most despicable sorcerer in history, though it is now clear that his most heinous acts were actually committed by Kenjaku. During this period, he conducted gruesome experiments that birthed the “Cursed Womb: Death Paintings.”
By blending the blood of a cursed spirit with that of a human woman, Kenjaku created nine unique cursed objects. Some of these—Choso, Kechizu, and Eso—were stolen by Mahito and eventually manifested into the powerful half-curse siblings Yuji encountered earlier in the series. When characters refer to the “orchestrator” as Noritoshi Kamo, they are identifying Kenjaku by one of his most infamous historical aliases.
Master Tengen and the Architecture of Evolution
Kenjaku’s ultimate ambition centers on Master Tengen, the immortal guardian of the sorcery world’s barriers. Tengen’s presence is vital for maintaining the stability of Jujutsu society. Kenjaku intends to force a merger between Tengen and the entire population of Japan, a process that would evolve humanity into a collective, transcendent entity—likely resulting in global catastrophe.
His previous attempts at this merger were thwarted by sorcerers possessing the “Six Eyes,” a trait currently held by Satoru Gojo. Thus, the Shibuya Incident was a grand diversion designed to trap Gojo. With the strongest sorcerer neutralized, Kenjaku can now proceed with the Culling Game, a violent ritual necessary to prime the population for his ultimate evolutionary experiment. As he explained to Yuki Tsukumo, he isn’t interested in peace; he wants to create a world of chaos that even he cannot predict or control.
“I do not wish for a world without cursed spirits, or an idyllic and peaceful world. Non-sorcerers, sorcerers, and cursed spirits are all possibilities of cursed energy. I want to see what lies beyond human potential. The answer is always flickering darkly in chaos. What I should have created was chaos that not even I could control.”
The Connection to Sukuna and Yuji’s Birth
Kenjaku and Ryomen Sukuna share a history dating back to the Heian Era. Kenjaku actually facilitated Sukuna’s transformation into a cursed object, allowing the King of Curses to transcend time by splitting his soul into twenty fingers. Crucially, Kenjaku didn’t just wait for a host to appear; he orchestrated the birth of Yuji Itadori to create the perfect vessel capable of containing Sukuna’s overwhelming power.
A fleeting flashback in the Season 3 premiere hints at this dark origin. While the anime has yet to fully reveal the mechanics, it is becoming clear that Yuji’s role in this conflict was predetermined long before he ever swallowed the first finger. For Kenjaku, Sukuna is the ultimate agent of disruption, and the Culling Game is merely the next stage in a plan that will soon transcend the borders of Japan to affect the entire world.
The latest episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 are available for streaming on Crunchyroll.
Source: Polygon
