While the Jujutsu Kaisen manga wrapped up over a year ago, the anime's third season, "Culling Game Part 1," just dropped this week (January 9) in a late-night slot. Thanks to MAPPA's stellar production and the series' inherent massive popularity, it's still one of the most anticipated releases out there.
Among the new faces, Naoya Zenin has been making waves. Beyond his unsettling personality and the powerful voice work by Koji Yusa, his "Projection Sorcery" technique has absolutely blown audiences away in the anime. The fact that he can even flip his hair mid-fight has sparked a ton of fan chatter!
(Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen anime Episode 48. Reader discretion is advised.)
Naoya Zenin is the legitimate heir of the Zenin family and Naobito's son. He leads "Hei," the strongest sorcerer group within the clan. He's notoriously arrogant, looking down on anyone he deems inferior, and is fiercely ambitious, convinced he's the rightful next head of the family.
After Naobito's death, the position of Zenin family head unexpectedly fell to Megumi Fushiguro due to special circumstances. This sent Naoya to Shibuya, intent on finding and eliminating Megumi to claim the leadership for himself, only to run into Yuji and Choso, leading to a brawl.
However, in this anime adaptation, Naoya's fight against Yuji and Choso showcases his "Projection Sorcery" technique. It's the same technique as Naobito's, based on the concept of "pre-visualizing one second of movement, breaking it down into 24 instantaneous frames, and then physically executing those movements."
But the anime perfectly captures his utterly composed and arrogant swagger, letting him fight two opponents while still having time to stylishly flip his hair. This had countless viewers exclaiming how utterly overbearing his personality is! One netizen who sparked discussion even declared:
"Just thinking about how he actually pre-visualized 'himself flipping his hair, striking a super smug pose, oozing confidence, and trash-talking' before actually doing it, just doubles the whole vibe. This guy is seriously messed up, and hilariously so!"
Many netizens chimed in, agreeing that while Naoya is definitely a villain with a truly awful personality, the anime's portrayal immediately laid bare his unsettling nature right from his debut. Coupled with Koji Yusa's voice acting, that arrogant, wild swagger somehow makes him incredibly memorable.
(As a side note, Koji Yusa is famously known for voicing Gin Ichimaru in "Bleach" and Kyosuke Hyobu in "Psychic Squad," with his distinctive voice highly beloved by fans.)
What's more, the key animation frames during his attacks really emphasize his twisted facial expressions, making him... even more hateable? LOL.
Despite being such a pain, don't underestimate his popularity! In the last official "Jujutsu Kaisen" popularity poll during its serialization, he actually ranked sixth—even higher than Kento Nanami! Guess there's a real market for those "bad boy" types, huh?
Anime Season 3 still has plenty more Naoya moments coming up, so if you're curious about him, get ready to tune in!