The third season of the TV anime " Jujutsu Kaisen, " based on the popular manga by Gege Akutami that was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha), entitled " Culling Game Part 1," is currently airing every Thursday at 12:26 a.m. on the MBS/TBS anime slot "Super Animeism TURBO." Popular voice actor Nakai Kazuya plays the popular new character, Hashibira Kinji, who appears in the third season. Hashibira is a skilled sorcerer, so skilled that even special-grade sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu says, "When he's in the groove, he's stronger than me." He loves the "passion" of people and prefers gambling, a more direct exchange of "passion." We spoke to Nakai about what went on behind the scenes of the recording and the appeal of Hashibira.
◇The power of the scale's words: "I was persuaded"
"Jujutsu Kaisen" is a manga that was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) from March 2018 to September 2024. The story follows high school student Yuji Itadori, who is thrown into a world of battles over curses after a powerful "cursed object" is unsealed. The total number of copies of the series worldwide, including digital versions of the comics, is over 150 million.
Nakai says that before auditioning for the role of Libra, he watched the anime as a viewer.
"As a fan, I enjoyed it, thinking, 'They make the battles look so stylish, it's amazing.' Among them, ' Shibuya Incident' was shocking. The battles using magic formulas are anime-like, but I was drawn in by the way the place where I was, 'I was here today,' was gradually destroyed. I hadn't imagined myself appearing in it, but when I passed the audition, the greatest joy I felt was that 'I'm actually going to be able to do it,' and 'I'm going to be a part of such an incredibly popular series.'"
The third season, "Culling Game Part 1," depicts the "Culling Game," a killing spree between those with sorcery caused by the lasso. Ichibara is a third-year student at Tokyo Metropolitan College of Jujutsu who is currently suspended from school. He is the bookmaker of a gambling tournament in which sorcerers fight each other, and Itadori and his friends go to meet him to ask for his cooperation. Nakai says that his first impression of Ichibara was that he was an "upperclassman."
"I think what's really interesting about Jujutsu Kaisen is that before we even think about who is strong or weak, there are relationships between classmates and upperclassmen. I myself graduated from a technical college, and from the perspective of a first-year middle school student, the fifth-year students who were upperclassmen suddenly felt like old men, and I really thought that Hasakara had that kind of charm."
I was also attracted to the straightforward words of the scales.
"There's a scene in which Hakari speaks about 'people who hate gambling,' saying, 'What they hate isn't gambling, it's defeat and ruin.' I myself am not good at gambling, so when he says, 'You don't hate gambling, you just hate losing, don't you?' I think that's probably true. I find it appealing how he puts himself forward without any reservations, saying, 'This is what I think, what do you think?' I was partly persuaded by his words, 'Life is a gamble,' and 'There is no one who doesn't gamble,' and looking back on my own life, I even thought that my decision to become a voice actor was a gamble. I thought I'd been very cautious, but when I hear Hakari's words, I get the feeling that everyone is taking a gamble at some point."
◇The conversation between Ikari and Itadori is realistic. A clash of passion and hidden things.
Liberal is an imposing character, including his appearance, so strong that Yuta Okkotsu commented, "When he's in the groove, he's stronger than me." How did Nakai try to portray Liberal?
"At the audition stage, I played the role based on the image that resonated in my head when I read the manga. He's strong and scary, but I also thought that he would have a human cuteness that would emerge later. When I was directed for the actual recording, I felt that they wanted me to be more powerful, intense, and serious than I had expected. I felt that if I stuck to the image I had in the audition, it would be too light, and that I needed to convey the message that 'this person is incredibly talented,' or it would be a problem."
The key scene in playing Hakari was when he talks to Itadori about gambling and "passion."
"It's a scene with quite a long dialogue, and in the original the camera position changes, with a big close-up, or just the two of them, and it's shown in various ways. As an actor, I feel like I want to add some variety when I'm delivering long lines, but in this scene I spoke at length in a realistic tone, expressing what a human being is thinking. I acted this out, thinking that this would be the basis for the scale. The line, 'What they hate isn't gambling, it's 'defeat' and 'ruin',' wasn't played as a catchphrase, but rather as a contrast to Itadori , with a tone that suggested, 'There's a senior who thinks like this,' which left an impression on me."
Nakai said he "really likes the raw atmosphere" of Itadori as portrayed by Junya Enoki , and was looking forward to the dialogue.
"While Hikari is pushing forward with his 'passion,' Itadori doesn't give off any sense of it at all on the surface, but at one point you realize that 'this guy really does have something incredible hidden inside him.' He calmly says things like, 'I'm just an underclassman,' but then he says something bold that's backed by the incredible experiences he's had up until now, so I thought, 'Enoki-kun is so wonderful,' and I also felt that I couldn't lose. I hope I was able to portray in an interesting way the clash between Hikari's passion, which makes him say 'I'm a fever,' and what Itadori hides deep inside."
◇To understand strength, what is the key to patience?
Nakai took on the role of Libra "by mobilizing all the knowledge he had gained up to that point."
"Honestly, I think it will be some time before I know if I've become accustomed to the world of ' Jujutsu Kaisen' as an actor. When I see the finished product, I think, 'Okay, I'll do it like this next time,' so I'm looking forward to my next role soon. I think I need to keep doing this or I won't get better. The cast of ' Jujutsu Kaisen' are all really talented, regardless of whether they're veterans or young. I know it's going to be a tough set, but of course I can't give up, so I think I have to do my best."
Nakai has played "strong characters" like the scales in various works. When asked about the "key" to expressing strength, he answered, "I don't mean enduring hardship, but I think it's about thinking about when to be patient."
"The part that makes you think, 'This person doesn't complain here.' There are a lot of characters who complain verbally, but when they're really in trouble, they just keep quiet. I think you can understand a person's strength by noticing how they endure things without saying anything."
It will be interesting to see what kind of "strength" Kaneji will show in the future. (Shiroinu/MANTANWEB)
