Naoya Zenin Explained: The New Big Bad Shaking Up Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 is locked for January 2026, and if you have a Mahito-shaped hole in your heart, good news: the show is about to introduce a new menace who proudly represents the worst parts of sorcerer society. Meet Naoya Zenin, the poster boy for the rot inside the Zenin clan.

Heads up: major spoilers ahead for Itadori's Extermination, Perfect Preparation, and the Culling Game arcs.

Where Season 3 picks up (and where Naoya crashes the party)

Season 2 wrapped by kicking off the Itadori's Extermination arc, so Season 3 opens right there. That is where Naoya steps out of the shadows. He is the youngest son of Naobito Zenin, the 26th head of the Zenin clan, and he strolls in with the kind of entitlement that makes your eye twitch. Despite being last in the succession line, he declares he should be the heir. That attitude fuels his mission to go after Megumi Fushiguro and Yuji Itadori.

The Zenin clan problem (and why Naoya is its purest form)

Quick refresher: the Zenin clan is old-school to a fault, cruelly dismissing women and anyone without cursed energy. Naoya is the clan's worst habits turned up to 11. While Maki was still stuck under their roof, he bullied her for lacking cursed energy. He looks down on basically everyone, including heavy hitters like Ogi and Jinichi Zenin, and he does not hide his misogyny. Even when Naobito is on his deathbed, Naoya cannot resist taking digs at Maki and Mai. Subtle, he is not.

Who exactly is Naoya? The messy family tree and the resume

• Bloodline: Youngest son of Naobito Zenin (the family's 26th head). He is cousins with Maki and Mai Zenin. There are also family ties to Toji Fushiguro, which makes Megumi part of that extended Zenin web.
• Status: A Special Grade 1 sorcerer, which is that awkward half-step between Grade 1 and Special Grade. He also leads the Hei, the Zenin squad made up of their strongest sorcerers.
• Reputation: Praised as a prodigy from a young age, which only fed his superiority complex and his assumption that the clan should be his.
• Grudge targets: Megumi and Yuji, whom he plans to eliminate once the succession does not favor him.

What he can do (and why he is terrifying in a fight)

Naoya inherited his father's Projection Sorcery and turned it into a finely tuned weapon. The ability slices one second into 24 'frames' where he pre-programs his actions, so to everyone else he looks impossibly fast and perfectly placed. Yeah, the 24-frames trick is a very on-the-nose nod for an anime, and yes, it is as nasty in motion as it sounds. On top of that, he is physically brutal, able to overwhelm fighters like Yuji and Choso head-on. Combine that with sharp tactical instincts and you get a nightmare opponent.

But arrogance is part of the package. Season 3 will make it clear that Naoya's ego creates openings, and that blind spot eventually costs him dearly.

Why fans despise him (beyond the standard villain stuff)

Plenty of antagonists in Jujutsu Kaisen are monsters by design. Naoya is different: he is the everyday cruelty of the Zenin system given a pretty face and a smug smile. The way he objectifies Maki and Mai, the way he belittles them while acting like the room's smartest guy — it is infuriating, and very intentional. Considering Maki is a fan favorite, introducing a cousin who openly hates her is a bold button to push. When the story finally lets Maki answer for all that abuse, the comeuppance is as brutal as it is cathartic.

What Season 3 covers and where to watch

Season 3 is set to adapt Itadori's Extermination and Perfect Preparation, and move into the Culling Game, bringing in a wave of new and returning faces from the major clans — with Naoya standing out for all the wrong reasons. When it drops, you will find it on Crunchyroll.