Gege Akutami, the creator of Jujutsu Kaisen has been quite open about the inspirations they took from other anime and manga series for their own masterwork. The creator has explained multiple times that they have been inspired by works like Hunter x Hunter, Bleach, Yu Yu Hakusho, and many more.
Akutami also took inspiration from Naruto for one of the biggest villains in their magnum opus. The villain was none other than Kenjaku, who is the perpetrator of the Culling games. Kenjaku’s cursed technique which is one of the most menacing cursed techniques in Jujutsu Kaisen was actually inspired by a Naruto character.
The Naruto character in discussion is Orochimaru, who just like Kenjaku was one of the biggest villains of Naruto. Akutami once explained how Kenjaku’s cursed technique works and how it is similar to Orochimaru’s most dangerous technique.
Gege Akutami Took Inspiration from Orochimaru When He Created Kenjaku
In the official Jujutsu Kaisen fan book, which was later translated and shared by @kaikaikitan on X(Formerly Twitter), Akutami was asked about Kenjaku’s technique of swapping bodies and how his brain functions. Akutami explained that Kenjaku’s innate technique was actually inspired by Orochimaru’s living corpse reincarnation technique.
Akutami stated:
“The brain is part of the body of the cursed user who takes over Geto’s body. So he looks like an ordinary person. It’s a cross-body cursed technique, which is like Orochimaru. He could possess two cursed techniques; his own cursed technique and also the cursed technique of the body he transferred to. The original body will lose the cursed technique when changing body, but he has taken a lot of measures.”
According to Akutami, they created Kenjaku’s technique to be like Orochimaru’s technique. Additionally, when Kenjaku swaps a body, he acquires the cursed technique of the body that he takes control of. Orochimaru’s living corpse reincarnation was also similar, but it involved Orochimaru’s soul instead of his brain.
Similarities Between Kenjaku and Orochimaru’s Technique
As Gege Akutami has stated, Kenjaku and Orochimaru’s technique does have a lot of similarities. Kenjaku’s innate ability enables him to transfer his brain into the body of his victim, allowing him to switch bodies with them even if they are deceased. When Kenjaku switches bodies, he can access the memories, all of the host’s natural skills, and their cursed energy.
However, Orochimaru’s soul transfer technique enables him to inhabit another person’s body with his soul. This essentially enables the user to continue existing in the world of the living, provided they can sustain the host body. The only difference is Orochimaru adapts the body according to his personal motives and uses it as he wants.
Both Orochimaru and Kenjaku have used these abilities extensively in their respective series and although both techniques are extremely dangerous and threatening, they perfectly fit with the persona and the villainous goals of the characters. They also add a sense of dark theme to the character’s identity which is liked by Jujutsu Kaisen and Naruto fans.
You can watch Jujutsu Kaisen on Crunchyroll.
