Naoya Zen'in, not Sukuna, is Jujutsu Kaisen's best-written villain

Modified Nov 06, 2024 07:19 GMT

Jujutsu Kaisen had a better villain in Naoya than Sukuna (Image via MAPPA).

Jujutsu Kaisen has become quite popular because of characters such as Satoru Gojo and Ryomen Sukuna, but while the latter's role as the main antagonist has been very well-received, he is not the best-written villain of the story. Naoya Zen'in, while a villain with a much smaller role, is the best-written character in that evil role because of the way he fits with the themes and concepts of the manga.

The story of Jujutsu Kaisen focuses heavily on sorcerers and how many of them have become corrupted and morally dubious because of the society they are a part of, with Naoya being one of the few youngsters who actually revel in that. He is also a lot more human and more connected to the main cast's problems and goals than Sukuna and Kenjaku, whose motivations and objectives seem almost disconnected from the rest of 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 better written than Sukuna in Jujutsu Kaisen

Maki was Naoya's main foil in the series (Image via Shueisha).

The series established that the Jujutsu society is filled with corruption and senior sorcerers who have been consumed by the darker side of their jobs. In that regard, younger sorcerers such as Yuji Itadori and Yuta Okkotsu make a solid difference and try to change what happened before. However, Naoya is the direct opposite, since he thrives in that corruption and wants all of it.

He is seen as the embodiment of everything that is wrong with Jujutsu society and has no problem conspiring, abusing, and killing to get what he wants. It could be argued that he represents what Satoru Gojo wanted to change in this society through his teachings, which is also shown by the fact that Naoya has no issue betraying his own family in his ambition to become the leader of the Zen'in clan.

Naoya's evil nature is a bit more grounded than the bombastic nature of Ryomen Sukuna and Kenjaku, who are a lot more like entities rather than characters. He clearly despises women, is prone to abuse people around him, and even shows a degree of insecurity, as evidenced when he is overwhelmed by Choso in their fight, making him more human in terms of evil.

More reasons why Naoya is the best-written villain of the series

Naoya as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha).

Sukuna is a lot more imposing and memorable than Naoya in Jujutsu Kaisen but his role seems to be removed from the rest of the established plot, which originally focused a lot on the inner corruption among Jujutsu sorcerers. Naoya is a direct byproduct of that environment and doesn't want change like his contemporaries but rather wants to be the leader of the corruption.

He also has a strong rivalry with his foe in the story, Maki Zen'in, which is developed quite nicely since they have a long history together, especially because Naoya abused and mistreated the former's sister, Mai. This is another example of Naoya's disdain for women and how family bonds mean nothing to him as long as he can get what he wants.

Final thoughts

Naoya Zen'in certainly didn't have the plot relevance and imposing nature of the likes of Sukuna and Kenjaku in Jujutsu Kaisen but he has a stronger connection to the series' themes and concepts. He is a perfect embodiment of the nature of how Jujutsu society has been corrupted for decades, with him wanting all of that for himself.

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Edited by Bharath S