"Jujutsu Kaisen" Season 3: "Culling Game - Part 1" has been tearing up screens since its premiere on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
To celebrate the broadcast, Animate Times is running a serialized interview relay. For this 9th installment, we’re bringing you a special cross-talk between Junya Enoki (voice of Yuji Itadori) and Kazuya Nakai (voice of Kinji Hakari).
We dive deep into the contrast between Hakari, a man who lives and dies by his "Fever," and Nakai himself, who claims to be the complete opposite. They discuss the distance between the two characters, the raw, unfiltered "youth" portrayed in Itadori, and that unique, dry atmosphere that defines human relationships in Jujutsu Kaisen. From behind-the-scenes stories about using live-action footage for recording to their mutual respect for each other's craft, this interview is packed with insights you won't want to miss.
The "Fever" Hakari Loves, and the "Youth" Itadori Evokes
——We’re six episodes in, and the hype surrounding the series is palpable.
Junya Enoki (Yuji Itadori): Episodes 1 and 2 had advance screenings in theaters, but watching it on TV hits a little differently. Just as a viewer, I was blown away—the sheer impact of the visuals is incredible.
I actually saw the Opening sequence for the first time during the TV broadcast. It’s insanely detailed. It’s been trending huge on social media, with fans breaking down every frame and sharing their theories. Honestly, seeing that community engagement is amazing in itself.
——From Episode 5, Kinji Hakari, played by Mr. Nakai, officially entered the fray. Mr. Enoki, how do you view Hakari as a character?
Enoki: Right now, as he says himself, he’s a guy who values one thing above all else: "Do you have the Fever?" It’s his core philosophy.
At first glance, he doesn’t necessarily look like your typical "hot-blooded" anime character, but he places immense weight on that heat, that passion. That’s what makes him so cool, and actually, I think that makes him a character that’s easy to get invested in.
Kazuya Nakai (Kinji Hakari): Though, from the perspective of the guy playing him, I’m the complete opposite type of person (laughs).
Enoki: I see. Maybe that’s exactly why you can play him—because you’re detached, you can approach him from that opposite angle. Personally, I find him to be a character with a strange sense of familiarity.
——Did your image of Hakari change once you heard Mr. Nakai’s voice coming out of the animated visuals?
Enoki: Not at all. It was seamless. At this point, even when I’m reading the manga, I can already hear Nakai-san’s voice in my head.
Nakai: (To Enoki) You... you’re really gonna say that? (laughs)
Enoki: I’m serious! (laughs). But it is true that he’s totally different from your real personality. My impression of you is that you’re a very modest, understated person.
Nakai: Right?!
Enoki: You have an incredible amount of confidence in being modest (laughs). So, while you’re nothing like Hakari personally, the voice is an absolute perfect match.
——Let’s flip the script. Mr. Nakai, how do you see Yuji Itadori?
Nakai: It might be an overstatement to say "un-protagonist-like," but my impression is that he’s just a "human being" living a normal life. Jujutsu Kaisen is a flashy show with intense battles, but I feel the foundation of it is grounded in school life.
Enoki: Well, the setting is Jujutsu High, after all.
Nakai: Exactly. I get the impression the show deliberately avoids that typical trope of the "hero who always looks cool and saves the day." Mr. Enoki, is that something you feel, too?
Enoki: Yeah, I’m definitely conscious of that.
Nakai: Even in your acting, I get the impression of a raw, real young man standing there.
Enoki: It’s a tricky balance because if I try too hard to sound "real," it ends up sounding fake or forced. I just want to naturally project what I’m feeling in the moment.
——Mr. Nakai, do you feel a sense of kinship with Itadori? Is he easier to empathize with than Hakari?
Nakai: Rather than empathy, I think he’s a presence that makes me recall things. It’s like, "Man, I think I felt that way once, a long time ago."
——Itadori seems like a typical teenager, but he also has a very mature side.
Nakai: True. Including those moments where he forces himself to think in a way that’s maybe a bit too heavy for him—I feel like "I get it."
On the other hand, Hakari is totally transparent. He doesn’t exaggerate, he doesn’t put on airs; the image is strong that he "says exactly what he thinks." Because of that, there are parts of him I wouldn't want to get near, but also parts I’m envious of.
That Distinct "Jujutsu Kaisen" Distance
——How do you perceive the relationship between Itadori and Hakari? There’s a Senpai-Kohai (Senior-Junior) dynamic there.
Enoki: Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it too deeply. But I don’t get the feeling they’re going to become best buddies.
Fundamentally, I think Jujutsu Kaisen portrays human relationships in a very dry, pale way. That’s part of Gege Akutami-sensei’s style, but even with Hakari and Itadori, you don’t see descriptions of some deep, unbreakable bond forming. They might have similarities in personality, but that non-clingy distance feels very "them."
Nakai: It’s not the kind of relationship where they share a moment and say, "I think so too, bro." When I look back, that’s actually pretty accurate to how real school seniors and juniors interact. Itadori uses polite language (Keigo) with his seniors, doesn't he?
Enoki: He does.
Nakai: In that sense, isn't it just a genuinely good, normal human relationship?
Enoki: Even Satoru Gojo is an important existence to Itadori, but if you ask if it’s a typical "Master and Apprentice" bond, it doesn’t quite look like that. You could say the same for his relationship with Fushiguro and Kugisaki.
In Episode 49 (Season 3, Episode 2), when Itadori and Fushiguro exchange words about Kugisaki, it doesn’t feel like the standard "I lost a precious family member" emotional beat. It’s interesting because it doesn’t seem like a relationship defined simply by love or friendship.
——In Episode 53 (Season 3, Episode 6), the line "I am a cog" during the brawl between Hakari and Itadori was striking.
Enoki: In a sense, he doesn't really understand yet. It might not actually be true, but there’s a possibility that "Itadori has just convinced himself of that."
Nakai: The fact that he can declare "I am a cog" so definitively really highlights his youth—his "greenness." On the flip side, Hakari has lines like "What they hate isn't gambling, it's 'Defeat' and 'Ruin'," which shows a kind of philosophical enlightenment. We, the audience, have seen the tragedy Itadori has been through, so it hits us hard, like, "This kid has experienced way too much."
——Mr. Nakai, this is your first time joining the Jujutsu Kaisen production. Could you tell us about the recording sessions for Season 3?
Enoki: It was weird this time, wasn't it? The video storyboards used for dubbing had some live-action footage mixed in.
Nakai: Yeah, they did.
Enoki: I remember recording while thinking, "What on earth is this?!"
Nakai: So, it is rare, even for this series.
Enoki: I think the anime staff used live-action references to help explain the visuals they wanted for the final cut to us cast members, but yeah, it’s definitely rare.
Mutual Respect for the Craft
——Listening to each other's performances, was there a moment where you thought, "I can't mimic that"?
Enoki: Nakai-san is an overwhelming veteran (Senpai), so basically, I’m in awe of everything he does (laughs).
We are different types of actors, I think. Including our personalities, our approach to building a character is likely different. In that sense, it’s always fresh, and I can feel the immense sense of responsibility he brings to his creation.
I actually worked with Nakai-san on a dubbing project for a foreign film before. I felt it then, too. He does these incredibly high-level things, but makes them look normal. It’s like the brilliance is hidden in plain sight. Making the difficult look easy is a terrifying skill. To use a baseball analogy, I’m still the guy who sometimes makes a "diving catch for a fly ball that should be an easy out" (laughs). That’s where I think he’s truly amazing.
——How about you, Mr. Nakai?
Nakai: This is quite a difficult question...
——It’s hard to say face-to-face, isn’t it? (laughs)
Nakai: Was that dubbing job the first time we really talked, Enoki-san?
Enoki: I think so. We’d been on the same set before, but that was the first time we spoke properly.
Nakai: Actually, I’d been watching the Jujutsu Kaisen anime and was incredibly interested in you.
Enoki: Really?!
Nakai: In a show where intense, "thick" characters appear one after another, Itadori stands out without trying to combat them by being "thicker" or louder. There are a lot of elements to it, but as a protagonist, it felt incredibly fresh. I thought, "There's such an interesting actor out there." So, on that other project, I tried my best—for me, anyway—to be friendly and chat you up.
Enoki: Now that you mention it, I remember you initiating the conversation.
——Finally, please leave a message for the fans looking forward to the rest of the season.
Nakai: Going forward, the overall color of Jujutsu Kaisen is going to shift in a slightly different direction than what you’ve seen before.
Characters you’ve been waiting for will appear, and personally, I’m full of excitement to see how they are portrayed in animation. I hope you’ll enjoy the ride with us.
Enoki: We are now fully entering the "Culling Game." New types of Jujutsu Sorcerers are showing up, and the Cursed Techniques are things we’ve never seen before.
Up until now, the focus has been heavily on Itadori, but the story will start to depict the exploits of other characters more and more, so please look forward to it.
About "Jujutsu Kaisen: Culling Game Part 1"
Spin, Curse, Within the Game of Death.
Following the "Shibuya Incident," Japan has transformed into a demon-infested hellscape due to Kenjaku's machinations.
10 Barriers (Colonies) have been erected across the nation.
The battle shifts to the "Culling Game," a mutual killing spree between those possessing Cursed Energy.
Amidst the accelerating chaos, it is revealed that Megumi Fushiguro's sister, Tsumiki, has been caught in the crossfire.
Itadori and his allies move to unseal Satoru Gojo and find a way to save Tsumiki, but...
What is Kenjaku's true objective?
Where will this game lead those who fight to quell the "Culling Game"?
Cast
Yuji Itadori: Junya Enoki
Megumi Fushiguro: Yuma Uchida
Maki Zen'in: Mikako Komatsu
Panda: Tomokazu Seki
Yuta Okkotsu: Megumi Ogata
Choso: Daisuke Namikawa
Yuki Tsukumo: Noriko Hidaka
Tengen: Yoshiko Sakakibara
Kinji Hakari: Kazuya Nakai
Kirara Hoshi: Yuki Sakakibara
Naoya Zen'in: Koji Yusa
Hiromi Higuruma: Tomokazu Sugita
Fumihiko Takaba: Satoshi Tsuruoka
Reggie Star: Yutaka Aoyama
Kogane: Neeko
Suguru Geto (Noritoshi Kamo): Takahiro Sakurai
Staff
Original Work: "Jujutsu Kaisen" by Gege Akutami (Published by Shueisha Jump Comics)
Director: Shota Goshozono
Series Composition/Script: Hiroshi Seko
Character Design: Yosuke Yajima, Hiromi Niwa
Assistant Directors: Yosuke Takada, Takeru Sato
Art Director: Junichi Higashi
Color Design: Eiko Matsushima
CGI Producer: Yusuke Tannawa
3DCG Director: Kentaro Shiga (Monsters Egg)
Director of Photography: Teppei Ito
Editing: Keisuke Yanagi, ACE
Music: Yoshimasa Terui
Music Producer: Kobayashiiki
Sound Director: Yasunori Ebina
Sound Production: dugout
Animation Production: MAPPA
© Animate Times
*Some parts of this text have been translated using machine translation
