Kenjaku might have truly loved Yuji and a forgotten Jujutsu Kaisen panel proves it

Jujutsu Kaisen boasts some of anime's greatest villains, such as Kenjaku, Mahito, and Ryomen Sukuna. Each one is unique, and their motivations for their deeds are, too. For instance, Mahito was diabolical and straight-up evil, toying with sorcerers and humans for his own pleasure.

During the Heian Era, Sukuna aimed to become as strong as possible, no matter the method, and rule the Jujutsu world. He succeeded, transitioning from human to Demon and becoming the most powerful being.

Kenjaku was obsessed with Cursed Energy (CE), and his ultimate aim was to merge all of Japan and humanity with Tengen to create a new hybrid entity, which he would then eagerly study. Speaking of Kenjaku, the story reveals that he is actually Yuji Itadori's parent. While he may not be "Parent of the Year," the manga hints that maybe he had a soft spot for Yuji.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Jujutsu Kaisen manga.

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Jujutsu Kaisen: Kenjaku may have had hidden concerns for his son Yuji

Kenjaku in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via Gege Akutami, Shueisha)

It is already an established fact that Yuji is one of Kenjaku's experiments, a Cursed Womb Death Painting. As a refresher, Death Paintings are the result of a Cursed Spirit mixing with Human blood. During the Meiji Era, Noritoshi Kamo (Kenjaku) captured a woman with a rare, special genetic composition, which allowed her to bear a half-human and half-curse child.

His intellectual curiosity compelled him to imprison her, and she had had nine pregnancies and nine abortions. Yuji was one of these nine Death Painting Wombs, along with Choso, Eso, and Kechizu. This makes Kenjaku the parent of all of them.

Now, while Kenjaku has never really shown any care for these Death Painting Wombs, there is a sign he could care about Yuji the most. As it turns out, Yuji was the most perfect of them all. From an experimental standpoint, he was a complete success. So, in the way a scientist loves the outcome of his experiment, Kenjaku seemingly cared for Yuji.

Kenjaku in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via MAPPA)

Moreover, once Sukuna had fully returned, and after he had met Kenjaku, the latter thanked him for treating "his son" well. This is related to Sukuna sharing a body with Yuji until he switched and hijacked Megumi Fushiguro's body. It can also be argued that Kenjaku's feelings towards Yuji were strengthened due to him being in Suguru Geto's body.

In essence, whenever Kenjaku takes over a body, he gains access to the host's CE, their innate techniques, and memories. Likely, their personality/traits also influence his own in some way.

For instance, there have been cases where he displayed a side of Geto's personality. This could be another reason he keeps an eye on Yuji, as it was in Geto's nature to look out for those close to him.

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Final thoughts

Yuji Itadori as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

Whether or not Kenjaku genuinely cared for his offspring will always be a mystery. But considering the kind of person he was, he likely saw them as mere experiments and stepping stones to a larger goal. However, his thanking Sukuna for keeping Yuji intact does raise interesting points about this topic.

It may have been that Yuji, being the most successful outcome of his horrible experiments, was always in his sights. Furthermore, he was fascinated by the way Yuji was developing as a sorcerer. Nonetheless, with Kenjaku seemingly deceased, this will remain one of Jujutsu Kaisen's great mysteries.

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Related links:

Who is Kenjaku in Jujutsu Kaisen?

Jujutsu Kaisen: Megumi and Sukuna will inherit Kenjaku's will (& this theory proves it)

Jujutsu Kaisen: How is Kenjaku related to Yuji Itadori? Explained