Toji fushiguro

Toji Fushiguro (伏ふし黒ぐろ甚とう爾じ, Fushiguro Tōji?), born Toji Zenin (禪ぜん院いん甚とう爾じ, Zen'in Tōji?) is a recurring character in the Jujutsu Kaisen series. He was a former member of the Zenin clan and the infamous assassin known as the Sorcerer Killer (術じゅつ師し殺ごろし, Jutsushi Goroshi?), contracted by the Time Vessel Association among other groups throughout his time as a non-curse user. He was also the father of Megumi Fushiguro and former enemy of Satoru Gojo. While working for the Star Religious Group, Toji serves as the primary antagonist of the Gojo's Past Arc.

Appearance:

Toji is a tall, muscular man with mid-length straight black hair that reaches to his ears. His eyes are green, just like his son's, and he has thin black eyebrows and a scar on the corner of his right lip.

For casual attire, Toji wears a simple outfit consisting of a long-sleeved black shirt and matching pants with sandals. While fighting, Toji wears a tight-fitting black shirt, sports tan baggy training pants with a black belt weaved through the waist and black martial arts slippers. While still a member of the Zenin clan, Toji had longer hair and he wore a dark colored haori over a black yukata.

After being reanimated by Granny Ogami, Toji inhabits the body of her grandson where he wears a loose white sweater along with black pants and black shoes. After killing Granny Ogami while her Séance technique remains active, Toji's scleras becomes completely pitch black to symbolize how he's lost most of his sense of self before they return back to normal when he impales his own head to save Megumi Fushiguro from his own rampage.

Toji is a cool-headed and confident man who makes a living using his skills and does not sweat the small stuff. He appears to enjoy insightful conversation with others as long as it somehow pertains to himself and can trade witty banter with the highly sarcastic likes of Satoru Gojo. Upon meeting, Satoru asked Toji if they had met before. Toji, on the other hand, reassured him that he was not the type to recall a random man either. In battle, Toji has a crazed expression as if he's lost in the thrill of the fight, but he's always maintaining a cool and calculated head and plotting his next move.

Toji is an assassin who's garnered the name "Sorcerer Killer" and spends his time gambling between assignments from shady clients. Toji even planned on selling Megumi to the Zenin clan he had left behind, believing that this would warrant a better future for his son due the cursed technique he would eventually inherit. Toji doesn't question his client's motives as long as the money is right and generally doesn't do any extra work for free. He's bold and dangerously calculated in his strategies, using his jujutsu knowledge to outwit even the most prophesized sorcerers. This garnered him a reputation large enough to attract the attention of the wealthy Time Vessel Association for such an important job that could ensure their future. While he thought the religious members of the organization were crazy, he got along well enough with their middleman to invite him to eat. As a non-sorcerer raised in the Zenin clan who values cursed techniques above all, Toji is a man who has suffered due to the interests of the sorcerer clans in a very similar manner to Maki Zenin. His evil actions result from his dejection towards the jujutsu world as he attempts to spite it. Born without cursed energy, Toji eventually left the Zenin clan and married a woman, taking her name "Fushiguro". Her kindness helped Toji change his ways. He stopped gambling and hunting sorcerers; it was likely her influence that stopped Toji from taking revenge on the Zenin clan. However, after her death, Toji reverted back to his old, cold, self. He sold their son to the Zenin clan because he believed in young Megumi's potential to be a real sorcerer, naming him "Megumi" because it means blessings.

Toji completed his final mission for the Time Vessel Association and should have cut and run when faced with a rejuvenated Satoru Gojo. However, due to his disdain for the jujutsu world and the sorcerer families, Toji chose to try and cut down the most gifted sorcerer in the world as another way to spite them all. Unfortunately, this pride cost Toji his life. Unable to look past his demons, he deviated from his natural instincts and ignored the uneasiness plaguing him during the fight.

Keeping up with his stoic persona, Toji chose not to utter any final words at first. In his last moments, he thought back to his late wife and their son, and decided to tell young Gojo that Megumi would be sold into the Zenin clan in a few years, urging him to do whatever he wanted with this information. This would eventually lead to Satoru stripping Megumi away from the Zenin clan's hands and becoming a close mentor for Megumi in the future as well as granting Megumi a chance to work as a jujutsu sorcerer.

Granny Ogami's Séance Technique returned Toji's soul from the dead, turning him into a walking manifestation of carnage. He would attack anything in his path, mostly focused on crushing the strongest opponent available. While endangering his own son with this outburst of aggression, Toji chose to return to death by committing suicide to protect him. He also did so without ever revealing their connection to each other. Instead, with his final words, Toji expresses that he's glad to hear that Megumi refers to himself as a Fushiguro instead of a Zenin.

Overall Skill Level: While Toji is technically a non-curse user with no innate talent for jujutsu, he was one of the most elite fighters in the jujutsu world when he was alive. With innate physical prowess far superior to all others in his path, Toji contended with the most dangerous and highly ranked jujutsu practitioners this era had to offer.

Toji slashes Satoru's leg (Anime)

Toji cutting down Satoru Gojo, the most powerful sorcerer alive, in brutal fashion.

He was able to defeat the strongest jujutsu sorcerers at the time without sustaining any injuries beyond a small cut around the ear, one of which was a young Satoru Gojo, a prodigy who possessed the Six Eyes and Limitless cursed technique.[16] The other was the curse manipulator Suguru Geto, a powerful grade 1 sorcerer that would reach special grade a year later. Toji was able to effortlessly take down Suguru along with several of his strongest cursed spirits. Toji referred to Suguru's abilities as rabble compared to his own strength.[17]

Toji used the jujutsu knowledge from the Zenin clan and turned it against sorcerers, earning him the moniker of "Sorcerer Killer." During the Star Plasma Vessel Escort Mission, an assignment given to the two strongest sorcerers by Master Tengen, Toji was hired by the Time Vessel Association to assassinate the Star Plasma Vessel. Toji was able to completely derail the escort through a series of tactical moves over a few days. This wore down the escort team and lured them into a false sense of security before he abruptly made his move.

Toji exorcises Rainbow Dragon (Anime)

Toji exorcising powerful curses with a single stroke of his blade.

Toji's elaborate planning led to him successfully pulling off a surprise attack on a user of the prestigious Six Eyes, ocular jujutsu that grants god-like perception. Toji took full advantage of his lack of cursed energy, making him the perfect assassin thanks to his status as an "invisible man". The culmination of all Toji's talents allowed him to successfully defeat the Star Plasma Vessel's escort team and assassinate the girl, completing his assignment while nearly killing both of Jujutsu High's most blessed sorcerers in the process.

Toji was only defeated when he pitted his pure physical prowess against the awakened Limitless technique wielded by Satoru Gojo. Even in the face of this power, Toji was able to create clever ways to combat the abilities of the Limitless that were known to the Zenin clan.[23] Only the secret Hollow Purple technique was powerful enough to put down Toji once and for all.

Toji cuts down Suguru (Anime)

Toji cutting down Suguru Geto in short order.

Yuki Tsukumo, another special grade sorcerer, found that Toji was the only case where a Heavenly Restriction has eradicated someone's cursed energy completely. By eliminating all cursed energy, Toji's body was sharpened to the point where he developed a resistance to curses and could detect them with his highly refined five senses. This also allowed him to dominate and utilize a cursed spirit capable of storing his wide arsenal of weapons. Yuki considered him to be truly superhuman and told Suguru that he shouldn't be ashamed to have lost to him in a fight.[25]

When resurrected by Granny Ogami's Séance Technique, Toji's body was able to overwrite her technique and acted purely on fighting instinct. At the start of his out-of-control rampage, Toji killed Ogami with a single blow[26] and nearly beat grade 2 sorcerer, Takuma Ino, to death with his bare hands.[27]

Toji Fushiguro vs. Dagon continued (Anime)

Toji brutalizing Dagon without sustaining a single injury.

He also took on a special grade cursed spirit, Dagon, and single-handledly dominated him. Dagon was a powerful curse that Maki and grade 1 sorcerers Kento Nanami and Naobito Zenin could not defeat together. In comparison, Toji made exorcising Dagon look effortless, cementing his own status undeniably on the level of that of a special grade.

Shortly afterward, Toji confronted Megumi, and the latter compared Toji to a fully realized Maki. He also recognized Toji as a "monster" capable of taking out a special grade cursed spirit and assessed his shikigami were no match for him If Toji had not chosen to sacrifice himself, Megumi, too would have been another victim of Toji's rampage.

Physical Prowess

Toji using his curse to store weapons (Anime)

Toji using his cursed spirit's ability to store his weapons.

Master Weapons Specialist: The Sorcerer Killer is capable of employing a wide variety of weapons in battle. His entire fighting style is based around using weapons to substitute for jujutsu. He keeps a vast arsenal in his cursed spirit, allowing him to efficiently switch weapons out based on necessity.

Toji has used non-cursed tools such as swords to perform a sneak attack, so no cursed energy will be detected. Armed with a normal handgun, he's also an expert marksmen with extremely precise aim.[30][31]

Toji wildly swinging his chain (Anime)

Toji's versatile weapon dexterity in action.

The Sorcerer Killer can counter jujutsu users because he is also a master of wielding cursed tools. He's used a cursed tool broadsword to counter and slice open giant cursed spirits. Toji has employed knives and daggers, sometimes one in each hand. Additionally he employs his special grade cursed tool: The Inverted Spear of Heaven with a mastery worthy of that ranking. He could capitalize on the dagger's powerful nullification technique to negate even the most powerful sorcerer's abilities.

Toji successfully complements his physical gifts with high adaptability and dexterity with all his weapons. By attaching a chain to the Inverted Spear of Heaven, Toji changed his entire fighting style to suit a long ranged battle.[35] When he first confronted Dagon, Toji took Playful Cloud, a weapon that Megumi stated was difficult to use, from Maki and used it to its maximum potential.[36]

Enhanced Senses: Thanks to his Heavenly Restriction, Toji's lack of cursed energy resulted in his five senses being heightened to their absolute peak. He was able to see curses and jujutsu with just his elevated senses and even developed a resistance to them. This also allowed Toji to track sorcerers without the use of residuals, as he was able to follow human footprints and odors.

Immense Strength: Toji possesses a superhuman degree of physical strength, enough so to effortlessly yank Playful Cloud from Maki's hands, another person with great physical gifts. Using Playful Cloud, a tool that depends on physical strength, Toji was able to easily smash through Dagon's hardest shikigami. With another cursed tool, he was able to cut through Suguru's toughest curse, and used his bare hands to beat Takuma Ino's face so badly he almost died.

Toji rushing towards Satoru (Anime)

Toji's superhuman agility.

Immense Speed and Reflexes: Toji has been noted to have superhuman speed, so much so that his opponents can't read his moves. He could dodge Satoru's cursed technique Lapse: Blue, completely avoiding the field of attraction before Satoru even realized it.[41] Megumi also stated that Toji was ridiculously fast, even faster than Sukuna with three fingers.[42] In their fight, Toji could avoid a point-blank stabbing attack despite getting his foot caught in Megumi's shadow, thanks to incredible agility and reflexes.[43] He also stated that seeing Toji while he moves is near impossible and was impressed his speed rivaled that of Sukuna's without cursed energy.[44]

Toji rushes to strike Satoru (Anime)

Toji moving quickly and unpredictably.

Toji's speed was enough to easily counter Suguru's curses in exchange. He quickly avoided Suguru's Rainbow Dragon by moving on top of a building despite the swift curse in front of him. His reflexes were also quick enough to counter Kuchisake-Onna's scissor blades, which were already so close to him that they cut his flesh when he first noticed them. As soon as Suguru came in close range, Toji cut him and the Imaginary Vengeful Curse down in a flash.[45]

Inside Dagon's Domain, Toji was so fast that he could run on water like it was nothing, shocking the special grade. He only got faster as their fight went on, allowing him to plow through the endless stream of shikigamis with ease.[46]

Intelligence

Great Tactical Intellect: When it came to his assignments, Toji approached his missions with careful calculation, caution, and patience. Toji has retained a plethora of information from being a member of the Zenin clan, including understanding the workings of the Limitless and the Six Eyes.

Toji caught in Kuchisake-Onna's domain (Anime)

Toji quickly recognizes he's been caught in Kuchisake-Onna's Domain and analyzes her abilities.

Using this information, Toji could plot out a way to slowly wear down Satoru and his escort team. With connections to the curse user community and funds from the Star Religious Group, Toji put a bounty on the Star Plasma Vessel's head.[47] By posting it on a website for curse users with a time limit, evil sorcerers flocked to collect the bounty.[48] He knew they'd be unable to win, so this was free labor, a smart way to use his resources. The time limit also worked in his favor, luring Satoru into lowering his guard once the mission was over. Once Satoru deactivated the Infinity, the Sorcerer Killer immediately acted and only then jumped in to fight the sorcerer directly.

Toji is clever in battle and quick to analyze his opponent's abilities. He correctly assumed Suguru's technique early in their battle.[40] He quickly recognized his Kuchisake-Onna's ability within her Domain.[40] He also came up with several ways to counter Satoru's Limitless in their final bout. When he was brought back by Ogami, Toji instantly created a theory that was correct on how exactly he was able to keep his individuality despite his technique.

Cursed Energy

Zero Cursed Energy: Unlike any other known case, Toji possesses no cursed energy. His Heavenly Restriction completely eliminated cursed energy from his body. This makes Toji undetectable to other jujutsu sorcerers, making him capable of moving through barriers undetected or even sneaking past the Six Eyes. This aided his unpredictability in battle and caused others to underestimate him based purely on cursed energy.

Inventory Curse (格かく納のう型がた呪じゅ霊れい, Kakunō-gata Jurei?): Toji has a cursed spirit that can store many different objects within its body. Toji can freely interchange his weapons by putting them in and taking them out of the curse's mouth. The curse can shrink itself within its own body, allowing Toji to ingest it so people can't detect the curse energy it emits. The inventory curse contains Toji's entire wide arsenal, including his cursed tools and even a swarm of Fly Heads Toji can use as a chaff grenade. Toji and the curse had established a master-servant relationship, which is why Suguru Geto was unable to absorb it while Toji was alive.

Conventional Weaponry

Toji's katana pierces Satoru (Anime)

Toji used a normal katana to stab Satoru through his back during his initial surprise attack on the escort team. Using a non-cursed tool allowed him to stab Satoru without being detected.

Toji's combat knife (Anime)

Toji used a small combat knife with a thin blade in dual-wield alongside his Inverted Spear of Heaven to cut down Satoru, finished off the slashing flurry and stabbing him in the forehead with the knife.

Toji's handgun (Anime)

Toji used a standard handgun to assassinate Riko Amanai. He also fired several bullets at Suguru while avoiding his Rainbow Dragon.

Trivia

Toji's surname he inherited from his late wife, Fushiguro, has the kanji for "prone, prostrated, bend down, bow, cover, lay (pipes)" (伏, fushi?) and "black, darkness" (黒, kuro/guro?) while his given name has the kanji for "serious, tremendously, very, great, exceedingly" (甚, to?) and "you, thou, second/second person" (爾, ji?).

Toji's rankings in the Popularity Polls are as follows:

Toji ranked 9th in the second Popularity Poll with 3,384 votes.

Toji ranked 11th in the third Popularity Poll with 1,258 votes.

Toji ranked 10th in the fourth Popularity Poll with 3,218 votes.

According to Jujutsu Kaisen Official Fanbook:

Hobby: Gambling.

Favorite dish: Meat and Offal.

Least favorite dish: Alcohol (He doesn't get drunk).

Cause of stress: The Zenin clan.

The Zenin Clan exposed Toji to abuse as a child. He received his scar after the Zenin clan threw him into the disciplinary pit of grade 2 cursed spirits.

Toji has never personally met Maki Zenin and Mai Zenin.

Toji does not have a grade because the Jujutsu world does not have interest in grading those who are physically gifted by Heavenly Restrictions.

Despite his lack of money, Toji acquired expensive cursed tools after he left the Zenin Clan. He did so by taking jobs from private and shady individuals.

Toji was able to establish a friendly relationship with his inventory curse by earnestly training it like a pet.

Toji didn't have much money, so he wandered from woman to woman. But he'll earn a ton of money from one job and spend it until it's gone.

Toji became unstable with the Zenin household but calmed down thanks to Megumi's mother. However, she died soon after Megumi was born, causing Toji to return to that state.[67]

Toji can fight effectively against jujutsu sorcerers even without cursed tools. However, he can't exorcise cursed spirits. Because of this, he was ostracized by the Zenin clan.

Toji and Junpei Yoshino are both voiced by Nicolas Roye in the English dub.

(To Shiu Kong) “I don't go by Zen'in anymore. I got married and took my wife's name. I go by Fushiguro now. Sounds good. I accept your offer.”

(To Suguru Geto) “The Tombs of the Star and the Cursed Warehouse are barriers for hiding. You can't leave guards at the entrance. So as long as you know where the entrance is located, there should be no problems finding it. Jujutsu sorcerers are busy around this time of year. Plus, fly heads have infested the school and things are hectic outside. As someone who possesses no cursed energy, I'm the invisible man. But there is one problem… as soon as I hold a cursed tool, the cursed energy from it means I am no longer invisible. […] You see, I've got this cursed spirit that can store objects. I use it to carry my cursed tools. Now I know what you're thinking… shouldn't the cursed energy from the spirit make him visible?! The spirit shrinks by storing itself within its own body. Then I ingest it and keep it inside my stomach. An invisible man's gonna have invisible guts, right? That's why I can move through barriers while carrying cursed tools! And that's why I didn't use a cursed tool at first. I need to stay invisible if I'm gonna pull off a surprise attack on the Six Eyes. I could have started with the Star Plasma Vessel. But it's risky to reveal myself to the Six Eyes.”[69]

(To Suguru Geto) “But you guys, with all your blessed talents, lost to a monkey like me who can't even use jujutsu. Don't you dare forget that if you wanna live a long life.”

(To himself) “‘I don't work for free.' That's what I would always say before making a run for it. But now the awakened power of the Limitless stands before me. He's probably the greatest sorcerer alive. I wanted to discredit it. To crush it. The pinnacle of the jujutsu world and the Zen'in family. I wanted this for self-affirmation. And I deviated from my true self. At that point, I had already lost. I thought I had set aside such petty pride. To be proud neither of myself nor others… I chose that path, didn't I?”