Jujutsu Kaisen has firmly established itself as a leading name in contemporary anime, garnering an enormous fanbase that spans from those who started with its 2020 debut, embraced the 2021 film Jujutsu Kaisen 0, to long-time readers of the original manga. The highly anticipated third season of Jujutsu Kaisen premiered on January 8th, thrusting viewers into The Culling Game arc immediately following the catastrophic Shibuya Incident.
As Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 unfolds, we had the exclusive opportunity to interview two pivotal English voice actors from the series: Adam McArthur, the voice of Yuji Itadori, and Kayleigh McKee, who portrays Yuta Okkotsu. Our conversation focused on their characters’ current trajectories in the season, the significant lessons they’ve learned, and the actors’ own theories behind Jujutsu Kaisen‘s widespread appeal.
© Gege Akutami-Shueisha, JUJUTSU KAISEN Project
Could you introduce your characters in Jujutsu Kaisen and describe their starting points in Season 3?
Kayleigh McKee: I am the English voice for Yuta Okkotsu. As Season 3 begins, Yuta is returning after nearly a year spent in Africa, where he sought solutions to help Japan—unfortunately, without success. However, he now has a renewed purpose: protecting those he cares about. This mission manifests in various ways at different times. Rest assured, he’s a good person and on the right track. If you haven’t seen enough episodes, you’ll soon understand.
Audiences will surely be won over by him in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3!
Adam McArthur: I voice Yuji Itadori. We encounter Yuji at the start of Season 3 immediately after what has been fittingly called the “Shibuya Incident,” a period marked by overwhelming tragedy and profound loss. Our formerly cheerful protagonist is now trying to redefine his path forward.
We quickly join him as he navigates this new reality alongside Megumi and Yuta, soon discovering that The Culling Game is the next major challenge. So, he’s grappling with mental recovery and attempting to establish a new normal after the devastation of the Shibuya Incident.
© Gege Akutami-Shueisha, JUJUTSU KAISEN Project
Given the profound events that have transpired in Season 3 of Jujutsu Kaisen, how do you both access and portray the emotional depth of your characters through your voice work?
Adam McArthur: The interesting aspect is that as actors, we’re essentially experiencing these events alongside our characters. Entering the recording studio now is unique because I, as an actor, have lived through the entire recording process of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2. So, I’ve been with Yuji every step of the way.
When we go into those recording sessions now, it’s impossible to simply disregard everything that has happened. In a strange sense, when you’re as connected to the characters as we are, you’re living a parallel life to them and undergoing those experiences concurrently.
Kayleigh McKee: It’s fascinating because there’s a significant portion of Yuta’s journey that I didn’t get to experience directly, and neither does the viewer, during his time away. However, the core I focused on was the continuous thread connecting his personality in the first movie to who he is becoming now. He transforms from being timid and needing protection from his new friends to fiercely valuing them, as they showed him how to find his own strength. He now passionately wants to use that power to protect them, and anyone else he can—he’s truly coming to terms with the profound responsibility that accompanies his power.
I try to tap into moments in my own life when I’ve felt that shift in responsibility, like growing up and realizing that others might now depend on me. I believe that truly fuels the performance.
© Gege Akutami-Shueisha, JUJUTSU KAISEN Project
How do you think Yuji and Yuta have evolved from their initial appearances in Jujutsu Kaisen to where we find them in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3? What critical lessons do you believe they have absorbed?
Kayleigh McKee: As I mentioned with Yuta, he learned about his power and the imperative to use it responsibly to help people, just as powerful individuals once helped him when he needed it. He quickly realized that this can sometimes entail incredibly difficult situations. At the end of the movie and upon his return in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, he had to confront and fight his mentor and best friend, who was harming his friends and nearly killed them. I believe that experience taught him some unfortunate but ultimately vital lessons very quickly.
Adam McArthur: [Laughs] Yes. Never trust anyone. No, I’m just kidding.
Indeed, he has endured significant trauma.
Adam McArthur: Exactly! What I love about Yuji is that he remains fundamentally the same character from Season 1; he’s still a good kid, despite everything he’s been through. Have all his beliefs been challenged? Absolutely. In Season 1, he stated something to the effect of, “I’ll never kill anyone. I just wouldn’t do that.” That conviction was swiftly tested when Mahito transfigured humans, confronting Yuji with unthinkable horrors.
Then, of course, all the trauma from the Shibuya Incident, with Sukuna taking over his body and causing widespread devastation, for which Yuji feels immense responsibility. So, the very thing he swore he would never do is now happening through him, beyond his control.
I think all of that undeniably changes Yuji, but at his core, he remains a good person, and I believe that’s what makes him so captivating as a main character. If you consider the experiences he’s undergone in almost any other story, that character would likely become a villain, perhaps thinking, “If I can’t beat them, I’ll join them.”
But not Yuji. He stays steadfast in his commitment to helping people and, in a way, to fulfill his grandfather’s request from Season 1, Episode 1: “Even if you help one person, help that person; don’t die, not surrounded by other people.” So, I think that’s probably my favorite part about playing Yuji—he continues to make choices for good, even when they are difficult, challenging, or put him at risk.
© Gege Akutami-Shueisha, JUJUTSU KAISEN Project
Even individuals unfamiliar with anime often recognize this show or Jujutsu Kaisen to some degree. Why do you think that is?
Kayleigh McKee: Honestly, I hadn’t realized its reach was quite so extensive. But I do know it’s incredibly popular, and I think it’s simply because it’s so compelling in its portrayal of relationships, struggle, conflict, and action. It’s cinematic; that’s as simply as I can put it.
Adam McArthur: I believe a significant factor was the timing of its release. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 debuted in October 2020, a period when many were at home, eagerly consuming media. It was, frankly, a perfect storm of factors: everyone was home, and the show is genuinely amazing—I apologize if that sounds self-congratulatory; I often feel a disconnect, as if I’m observing a friend’s incredible journey rather than being directly involved. My intention isn’t to boast, but rather to express that, even if I weren’t part of it, I’d still consider it an outstanding series. I needed to clarify that. I think that, paired with the fact that everyone was at home consuming media at that time, Jujutsu Kaisen masterfully incorporates classic shonen tropes while simultaneously subverting them a little bit. I think it’s just got people hooked.
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 began airing on January 8th, with new episodes available weekly on Thursdays via Crunchyroll.