Jujutsu Kaisen fans often praise Ryomen Sukuna as one of the best recent anime villains, but Kenjaku is often overlooked. Though not as flashy or powerful as the King of Curses, this centuries-old sorcerer is still highly entertaining and evil, deserving more recognition.
There is also the fact that Kenjaku is not only one of the biggest reasons for the main plot of Jujutsu Kaisen to take place but also manages to do so with a lot of charisma and intelligence. When taking into account that he is strong but on the caliber of the likes of Ryomen Sukuna and Satoru Gojo, Kenjaku has had to rely on a lot of different strategies and plans, which is something that makes him quite unique as a villain.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a publication.
Explaining why Kenjaku should be on Sukuna's level as a great anime villain in Jujutsu Kaisen
One element that makes Kenjaku stand out from most villains in the series and even anime, in general, is the amount of crimes he has committed. He has murdered, abused, committed inhuman experiments such as the Cursed Wombs, betrayed his own allies, caused genocide such as the Shibuya Incident, and all of that earned him the title of the most evil sorcerer in history, even above Sukuna.
Kenjaku is notorious for his morbid curiosity, driving him to experiment with creating Cursed Wombs, switching bodies, birthing Yuji Itadori as a woman, and starting the Culling Game. His actions reflect his mental instability.
While powerful, Kenjaku isn't on the same level as Sukuna or Satoru Gojo, so he relies on plans and tactics to achieve his goals. This makes him stand out, as most shonen villains don't face such challenges, allowing Kenjaku to showcase his intelligence.
More reasons why Kenjaku is underrated
It is common knowledge in the Jujutsu Kaisen community that Kenjaku is the main source of conflict throughout the series, as evidenced by the fact he kick-starts most of the arcs in the story. Something like the Shibuya Incident arc wouldn't have happened if he didn't come up with a plan to seal Satoru Gojo and the Culling Game wouldn't have existed without him manipulating and using Mahito.
In many ways, Kenjaku is a much more dynamic antagonist than Sukuna, which was fully shown during his fight with Takaba. While a lot of fans didn't like how he was defeated so quickly by Yuta Okkotsu, this battle showed a lighter side of Kenjaku's character and how he is willing to engage in a lot of shenanigans that most anime villains wouldn't agree to.
Final thoughts
There is no denying that the Jujutsu Kaisen ending took a huge toll on the legacy of a lot of characters in the series and a lot of the criticisms were justified. However, Kenjaku has proven to be a very fascinating villain and one who has managed to offer a lot of different elements to the story, perhaps even more than Sukuna.
Related articles:
- 10 anime characters who look like Satoru Gojo
- The idea of taming Mahoraga is Jujutsu Kaisen's biggest plot hole
- Kenjaku deserves the reputation Jujutsu Kaisen fans give Sukuna
- Every Cursed Spirit Suguru Geto used in Jujutsu Kaisen