Naoya Zenin via The film Jujutsu Kaisen: Shibuya Incident Special Compilation × Culling Game Advance Screening ©Gege Akutami / Shueisha, Jujutsu Kaisen Production Committee
This article provides an in-depth explanation of Naoya Zenin a character from Jujutsu kaisen. It includes details about his abilities, past episodes, and images of his appearances in the anime.
What is the Anime Jujutsu Kaisen Where Naoya Zenin Appears?
Jujutsu kaisen Culling Game arc Teaser Visual ©Gege Akutami / Shueisha, Jujutsu Kaisen Production Committee
Jujutsu Kaisen (呪術廻戦) is a dark fantasy series that began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in March 2018. The story follows Yuji Itadori, a high schooler who enters a world of curses and sorcery after unsealing a powerful “Cursed Object.” The series concluded in September 2024.The Jujutsu Kaisen manga has surpassed 100 million copies in circulation.
The first TV season aired from October 2020 to March 2021, followed by the hit film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 in December 2021, which grossed 26.5 billion yen worldwide. The second season aired from July to December 2023, and the third season, Jujutsu Kaisen: Culling Game Part 1, will premiere in January 2026.
Naoya Zenin’s Plofile
Naoya Zenin ©Gege Akutami / Shueisha, Jujutsu Kaisen Production Committee
Name: Naoya Zenin
He is the leader of Hei, the elite unit within the Zen’in Clan, and a Special Grade 1 Sorcerer.
Age: 27 → 28 (stated to be one year younger than Satoru Gojo in the bonus section of Volume 16)
Height: Over 180 cm (from the Jujutsu Kaisen Exhibition)
Rank: Special Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer
Innate Technique: Projection Sorcery
Overview of Naoya Zenin
Naoya is the son of Naobito Zen’in, the 26th head of the Zen’in Clan, and a cousin to Toji, Maki, and Mai Zen’in. He is a young man with sharp, narrow eyes and bleached blond hair, usually seen wearing a faint smirk. He speaks in a Kansai dialect, typical of Japan’s Kyoto region.
Although his hair is dyed blond, he originally had black hair inherited from the Zen’in bloodline.
Naoya Zenin’s Abilities
■Projection Sorcery
Like his father Naobito, Naoya inherited the Zen’in family’s signature technique. By envisioning his field of view as a camera frame, he divides one second of movement into 24 frames in his mind, then reproduces those motions with his own body. Once the motion is successfully constructed, the tracing proceeds automatically.
However, if he fails to complete the motion, or if his movement violates physical laws or realistic trajectories, his body freezes for one full second, leaving him completely immobilized.
Naoya holds deeply misogynistic beliefs, often looking down on women, and maintains a worldview rooted in male superiority. He is equally disdainful of men he deems weak, constantly striving to align himself with those he considers strong. He holds great admiration for Toji Fushiguro and aspires to embody the same kind of strength.
Naoya Zenin’s Key Relationships
.jpg)
Maki Zenin via JJK EP5 ©Gege Akutami / Shueisha, Jujutsu Kaisen Production Committee
■Maki Zenin
Naoya Zen’in constantly despised and belittled his cousin, Maki Zen’in. As a woman born without cursed energy yet aiming to become the head of the Zen’in Clan, Maki’s determination directly clashed with Naoya’s deep-rooted misogyny and his rigid belief in a hierarchy based on cursed technique power.
At the core of his resentment lies an inferiority complex toward Toji Fushiguro, whom he idolized. Maki, like Toji, was a physical gifted sorcerer born without cursed energy, making her the closest being to the man Naoya both feared and admired. This twisted admiration fueled his cruelty toward her, from bullying Maki during their childhood to an obsessive fixation after she left the clan.
Naoya Zenin’s Key Scenes
After Naobito’s death, Naoya assumed he would naturally become the next head of the Zen’in Clan. However, when Naobito’s will designated Megumi Fushiguro as the successor, Naoya furiously rejected the decision. Seeking to eliminate Megumi, he tracked his whereabouts and appeared in Tokyo, confronting Choso and Yuji Itadori as they were exorcising curses.
Jujutsu Kaisen Characters List
■Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School
Yuji Itadori (虎杖悠仁, いたどり ゆうじ)
Megumi Fushiguro (伏黒恵, ふしぐろ めぐみ)
Nobara Kugisaki (釘崎野薔薇, くぎさき のばら)
Satoru Gojo (五条悟, ごじょう さとる)
Maki Zenin (禪院真希, ぜんいん まき)
Toge Inumaki (狗巻棘, いぬまき とげ)
Panda (パンダ, ぱんだ)
Yuta Okkotsu (乙骨憂太, おっこつ ゆうた)
Kinji Hakari (秤金次, はかり きんじ)
Kirara Hoshi (星綺羅羅, ほし きらら)
Shoko Ieiri (家入硝子, いえいり しょうこ)
Masamichi Yaga (夜蛾正道, やが まさみち)
Atsuya Kusakabe (日下部篤也, くさかべ あつや)
Kiyotaka Ijichi (伊地知潔高, いじち きよたか)
Akari Nitta (新田明, にった あかり)
■Special Grade Cursed Object / Incarnated Body
Sukuna Ryomen (両面宿儺, りょうめん すくな)
Choso (脹相, ちょうそう)
Eso (壊相, えそう)
Kechizu (血塗, けちず)
■Kyoto Prefectural Jujutsu High School
Aoi Todo (東堂葵, とうどう あおい)
Noritoshi Kamo (加茂憲紀, かも のりとし)
Momo Nishimiya (西宮桃, にしみや もも)
Mai Zenin (禪院真依, ぜんいん まい)
Ultimate Mekamaru (究極メカ丸, あるてぃめっと めかまる)
Kasumi Miwa (三輪霞, みわ かすみ)
Arata Nitta (新田新, にった あらた)
Yoshinobu Gakuganji (楽巌寺嘉伸, がくがんじ よしのぶ)
Utahime Iori (庵歌姫, いおり うたひめ)
■Jujutsu Sorcerers
Kento Nanami (七海建人, ななみ けんと)
Takuma Ino (猪野琢真, いの たくま)
Mei Mei (冥冥, めいめい)
Ui Ui (憂憂, ういうい)
Yuki Tsukumo (九十九由基, つくも ゆき)
Tengen (天元, てんげん)
Naobito Zenin (禪院直毘人, ぜんいん なおびと)
Naoya Zenin (禪院直哉, ぜんいん なおや)
Ogi Zenin (禪院扇, ぜんいん おうぎ)
Jinichi Zenin (禪院甚壱, ぜんいん じんいち)
■Curse Users
Suguru Geto (夏油傑, げとう すぐる)
Uraume (裏梅, うらうめ)
Ogami (オガミ婆, おがみばば)
Mago (オガミ婆の孫, おがみばばのまご)
Jiro Awasaka (粟坂二良, あわさか じろう)
Haruta Shigemo (重面春太, しげも はるた)
■Cursed Spirits
Mahito (真人, まひと)
Jogo (漏瑚, じょうご)
Hanami (花御, はなみ)
Dagon (陀艮, だごん)
Locust Guy (蝗GUY, こうがい)
Rika Orimoto (折本里香, おりもと りか)
■Hidden Inventory / Premature Death
Riko Amanai (天内理子, あまない りこ)
Misato Kuroi (黒井美里, くろいみさと)
Shiu Kong (孔時雨, こん しう)
Yu Haibara (灰原雄, はいばら ゆう)
■Suguru Geto’s Group
Larue (ラルゥ, らるぅ)
Manami Suda (菅田真奈美, すだ まなみ)
Toshihisa Negi (祢木利久, ねぎ としひさ)
Mimiko Hasaba (枷場美々子, はさば みみこ)
Nanako Hasaba (枷場菜々子, はさば ななこ)
Miguel Oduor (ミゲル・オドゥオール, みげる おどぅおーる)
■Culling Game Players
Tsumiki Fushiguro (伏黒津美紀, ふしぐろ つみき)
Hiromi Higuruma (日車寛見, ひぐるま ひろみ)
Fumihiko Takaba (髙羽史彦, たかば ふみひこ)
Reggie Star (レジィ・スター, れじぃ すたー)
Hana Kurusu (来栖華, くるす はな)
Ryu Ishigoori (石流龍, いしごおり りゅう)
Takako Uro (烏鷺亨子, うろ たかこ)
Hagane Daido (大道鋼, だいどう はがね)
■Other characters
Toji Fushiguro (伏黒甚爾, ふしぐろ とうじ)
Wasuke Itadori (虎杖倭助, いたどり わすけ)
Junpei Yoshino (吉野順平, よしの じゅんぺい)
Yuko Ozawa (小沢優子, おざわ ゆうこ)
Source : Jujutsu kaisen Official