Naoya, not Kenjaku, is Jujutsu Kaisen's most disappointing antagonist

Modified Jan 31, 2025 17:00 GMT

Jujutsu Kaisen has its most disappointing villain in Naoya (Image via Shueisha).

Jujutsu Kaisen disappointed a lot of people with its ending because several plot points and character arcs were left underdeveloped and, sometimes, even ignored, with several villains struggling because of it. While a lot of fans have rightfully pointed out Kenjaku as the most disappointing villain, Naoya Zen'in should be more involved in these discussions.

It is true that Naoya doesn't have the plot of relevance of the likes of Kenjaku, Ryomen Sukuna, and even Mahito in Jujutsu Kaisen, but the way he was executed still left much to be desired. This comes from his personality, how his fear factor was handled poorly, and how he, in a way, undermines Maki Zen'in's character and her biggest feat in the series.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a publication.

Explaining why Naoya Zen'in is the most disappointing villain in Jujutsu Kaisen

Naoya was structured as Maki's natural rival (Image via Shueisha).

From the beginning, Naoya Zen'in had a lot of potential as a villain because of his role as a possible head of a major clan, his sadistic and sexist personality, how he serves as a natural opposite to Maki Zen'in, his idealization of Toji Fushiguro, and, overall, how he represents the worst of Jujutsu society. However, it is in the execution where author Gege Akutami fails, as Naoya doesn't live up to his initial promise.

While Naoya is introduced in the Culling Games arc as a talented sorcerer in his own right, his first real fight has him being defeated by Choso, someone who barely defeated a still underdeveloped Yuji Itadori in the Shibuya Incident arc. This moment alone robbed him of his intimidation factor, coupled with the fact that Yuta Okkotsu proceeded to humiliate him even further right after this defeat.

Some may argue that Akutami meant for Naoya to be portrayed in this manner to highlight his insecurities and how he overcompensates with his bravado, but that makes his fear factor as a villain a lot less interesting. Therefore, when a boosted Maki Zen'in defeats him after the latter slaughters their clan, it doesn't feel like a massive feat of strength when Choso already defeated him in the past.

A lot of his character wasn't explored

Naoya idolized Toji and became a Curse out of hate toward Maki (Image via MAPPA and Shueisha).

An issue with Naoya's character, which is quite common in Jujutsu Kaisen, is that he doesn't have a lot of time in the series, and his motivations are not explored. Some might argue that he is simply a selfish and entitled sadist, but the same can be said of Mahito, who enjoyed a lot of time and development in the series while taking several lives in the process to torment Yuji Itadori.

While him having Toji Fushiguro as his idol is an interesting concept, especially considering that the latter was viewed as a disgrace in the Zen'in clan, that is never explored. Moreover, Naoya becoming a Curse doesn't impact the story greatly and somewhat undermines Maki's achievement since she needs a convenient power-up to defeat him, with this entire fight feeling entirely pointless.

Final thoughts

The truth of the matter is that a lot of Jujutsu Kaisen could be viewed as disappointing because of the lack of development and proper use that many of them suffered. In that regard, Naoya Zen'in is the most wasted villain in the series, which is something that also had ramifications on the reception of the Culling Games arc and the reception of a fan favorite, Maki Zen'in.

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Edited by Somava