Who is Junpei From JJK & What Happened to Him?

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Anime expert Dr. Applesauce explains who Junpei is and why he’s important

Co-authored by Dr. Applesauce and Marcus Pruitt, BS

Last Updated: March 23, 2026 Fact Checked

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Who is Junpei?

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What happened to him?

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Powers & Abilities

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Why He’s Well-Written

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Jujutsu Kaisen is full of relatable characters, tragic stories, and moments that make you want to jump out of your chair. Junpei Yoshino was arguably the first character to encompass all of these moments and traits, making him beloved among early watchers. But who is Junpei and what is his role in the story? We partnered with anime experts to find out more—so read on to learn all about it, including what happened to him after he met Mahito.

An Overview of Junpei Yoshino from JJK

Anime expert Dr. Applesauce says that Junpei Yoshino is a timid kid who befriends Yuji Itadori. After meeting Mahito, who killed his bullies, he was granted access to cursed energy. Junpei was manipulated into attacking Yuji and his classmates by Mahito, who later killed him. This set Yuji on the path of sorcery.

Section 1 of 5:

Who is Junpei Yoshino in Jujutsu Kaisen?

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Junpei Yoshino is a tragic Jujutsu Kaisen character from season 1. In the first season of Jujutsu Kaisen, Junpei was introduced as a 17-year-old high school student who was in love with movies and indifferent towards people. He was relentlessly bullied by three classmates, but after meeting the evil cursed spirit Mahito (who killed the kids who were bullying him), he became a sorcerer and gained access to powers.^{[1]
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- Dr. Applesauce notes that Junpei started to hang out with Mahito, but Mahito is a really bad guy.^{[2]
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- According to anime expert Nicole Favarelli, Mahito is an evil curse who can “change the shape of someone’s soul by touching them.”^{[3]
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- Rather than being surprised at Mahito’s killing of his classmates, Junpei was intrigued. This caused Mahito to take him under his wing and later transfigure his brain to give him access to cursed energy.
- Junpei’s English voice actor is Nicolas Roye. His Japanese voice actor is Yoshitaka Yamaya.
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Dr. Applesauce is an anime expert.

Nicole Favarelli is a film and video director and branded content creator based in London, England. She specializes in blending psychological horror with emotionally driven storytelling.
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Junpei became friends with Yuji Itadori until Mahito intervened. Dr. Applesauce notes that Itadori and Junpei were friends.^{[4]
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Expert Interview} They became friends when Itadori was sent to investigate the murders of Junpei’s bullies, with the two bonding over their shared love of movies. However, this came to an end when it was revealed that Mahito was the source of Junpei’s powers and had been manipulating him. Yuji knew the evil that Mahito posed, but Junpei continued to stand by his side.^{[5]
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- This led to the death of Junpei’s mother after Mahito had convinced him to plant a cursed object in his home. This attracted curses that ended up killing her, but Mahito convinced him that a classmate was responsible.
- Mahito later influenced him to get revenge on his classmate after convincing him that he had killed his mother.
- He even pushed Junpei to hate humans when he learned about his feelings of indifference, showing how deep his manipulation ran.

Section 2 of 5:

What happened to Junpei in Jujutsu Kaisen?

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Junpei died after being transfigured by Mahito. After being pushed to believe his classmates were responsible for his mother’s death, Junpei prepared to attack them with his supernatural powers. However, Yuji Itadori intervened, determined to talk him down and help him keep his humanity. Unfortunately, Mahito took it away from him after using his cursed technique, Idle Tranfiguration, to kill him.
- Idle Transfiguration transfigured Junpei, turning him into a small, mutated human whose soul soon collapsed due to the stress of the transformation.
- This moment was a crucial turning point for the show, as Mahito and Sukuna (who Yuji initially believed would help him) cruelly laughed as he held the body of Junpei in his arms.
- Sukuna laughing at this moment showed that the King of Curses residing in Yuji’s body was not there to help, and would gladly laugh in the face of death and destruction.
- Dr. Applesauce says that Junpei’s death helps set up the rest of the story in JJK. He says it sets Yuji on the path to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer after he eats Sukuna’s finger. “It motivates Itadori to keep moving forward into this new world of Jujutsu society that he didn’t know existed.”^{[6]
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Section 3 of 5:

Junpei’s Powers & Abilities

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Before meeting Mahito, Junpei was weak. A core element of Junpei’s story arc is that he isn’t strong. Before he met Mahito, he was relentlessly bullied by his classmates and unable to fight back. The bullying went so far that they even burned his face with cigarettes, causing him to grow a long bang to cover the right side. Junpei did have an innate technique, but it wasn’t brought out until he met Mahito.
- Dr. Applesauce agrees, saying that at the beginning of JJK, Junpei is “timid.”^{[7]
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When Junpei witnessed Mahito murder his classmates, he was intrigued. Mahito then transfigured his brain so he could have access to cursed energy. This unlocked his innate technique, Moon Dregs. Moon Dregs are big jellyfish shikigami that paralyze their enemy with poison from their tendrils and pierce them with sharp stingers.

Section 4 of 5:

What makes Junpei so well-written?

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Junpei is well-written because of his relatable story and tragic end. As a target of bullying, a fan of movies, and someone who prefers staying inside, Junpei is very relatable. You can’t help but feel bad for the guy, and when you see him befriend Yuji, you just hope that it all turns out right for him. But his interactions with Mahito really showcase how much manipulation can shape your beliefs, and you know that doesn’t end well.^{[8]
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- His character arc also gives insight into the mind of someone who is bullied and manipulated relentlessly, how that shapes their beliefs, and what happens when it goes unchecked.
- Junpei’s death was also unexpected. He appeared in the first opening of the anime and was given more screentime than he had in the manga, leading many anime-only watchers to believe that he’d be more important.
- Reddit user u/Tarkik_Vasta says that “[Junpei’s] interactions with Mahito were brilliant. He was indeed a really well-written character and I wasn’t actually expecting him to die (especially because of his 1st OP).”