5 Reasons Naoya Zenin Just Became Jujutsu Kaisen’s Most Hated Character

WARNING! This article contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen Execution, Jujutsu Kaisen manga, and the upcoming season.

From his first appearance in Jujutsu Kaisen, Naoya Zenin solidified himself as the embodiment of everything vile and hateful in the world of jujutsu sorcerers. As a high-ranking member and presumed heir of one of the “Big Three” sorcerer families (Zenin, Gojo, and Kamo), Naoya used his talent and pedigree like a weapon instead of for the greater good, looking down on nearly everyone, particularly other members of the Zenin clan and women. His cocky confidence quickly curdles into outright arrogance, making him one of the most reprehensible figures in the series, even alongside villains like Sukuna and Kenjaku. While antagonists can sometimes charm their way into the hearts of the fandom, Naoya’s particular brand of villainy has instead made him almost universally hated, creating a character everyone loves to hate.

Naoya’s actions and scathing words reveal a character whose complete lack of empathy is truly unmatched.

5) His Disturbing Transformation

Even death could not bring an end to Naoya’s despicable nature. The deep hatred, bitterness, and regret over his failures—particularly his inability to recognize a true sorcerer’s strength—festered like a disease, causing him to be reborn as a Cursed Spirit.

In his new, monstrous form, he continued to try to hunt and kill his cousin, Maki Zenin, driven purely by spite and a refusal to acknowledge the strength of a woman, much less the woman who defeated him. This final form cemented him as a character incapable of redemption or growth, permanently damning him to an existence fueled solely by his worst qualities.

4) His Obsession with Toji Fushiguro

Despite his outward devotion to the Zenin clan’s values in order to claw his way to the top, Naoya’s true idol is Toji Fushiguro, the clan outcast who completely turned his back on the sorcerer world. Naoya’s obsession stems from a belief that Toji, with his lack of cursed energy (which made him an outcast in the abusive Zenin clan), was the only person powerful enough for Naoya to truly understand. This logic created a deeply hypocritical worldview.

This fixation on the one man who embodied the rejection of his family’s traditional values highlights Naoya’s self-serving nature and true priorities. He praises Toji’s power while simultaneously upholding the clan doctrines that cast Toji aside, making Naoya’s entire sense of self a contradiction born out of a massive inferiority complex.

3) His Entire Personality

Naoya’s entire sense of self is built upon the toxic foundation of the Zenin clan’s obsession with inherited power and status. As an inarguably talented sorcerer with a rare technique like his father, Naoya believes he is superior to everyone, openly calling his own brothers “useless meat bags” who should have killed themselves for being weak.

This hateful elitism shows that Naoya is incapable of respecting anyone, even those who are stronger than he is, which ultimately leads to his downfall. He is unable to see the worth in those without great cursed energy. Ironically, it is Maki—someone with zero cursed energy—who easily overcomes Naoya in the end.

2) The Attempted Murder of a Fan Favorite

After his father’s/the head of the Zenin clan’s death, Naoya’s ambition boiled over and turned into murderous intent. Naoya plots out Megumi Fushiguro’s assassination to secure his own inheritance, as Megumi is technically the heir to the Zenin clan. Unwilling to stop at just Megumi, Naoya pursued Maki and her twin sister Mai, intending to kill them both to remove any remaining threats to his status within the family.

This act of ruthless treachery against his own blood illustrates that Naoya is a self-serving villain whose loyalty extended only as far as his own benefit. His willingness to murder his own family members, not just for power but also out of sheer spite for those he deemed “weak” or inferior, drove home the point that he was completely irredeemable.

1) His Misogyny and Sexism

Naoya Zenin is infamous for his hateful, deeply ingrained misogyny—an attitude he never once attempts to mask at any point in his life. He firmly believes in the most oppressive, outdated, and frankly disgusting views that the Zenin clan had upheld for centuries, believing women are inherently weaker and should submit to men. His philosophy is quite literally that any woman who can’t walk three steps behind a man should be stabbed in the back and die.

This mindset is not just a personal belief but is shown through his constant, targeted abuse and objectification of all women, even those in the Zenin clan. The way he treats Maki, in particular, is relentlessly cruel, as he repeatedly humiliates her and views her existence as a personal stain on the clan and on the traditional power structure he holds so dear.

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