Choso Jujutsu Kaisen Guide: The Death Paintings Member Explained

About
Latest Posts

Cody is a writer who was shaped by manga and anime at a young age. From discovering series like Dragon Ball and Gundam, he fell in love with this medium. Though he walked away for a time in his teenage years, he came back in his adulthood to fall back in love with manga and anime. Nowadays, he can be found reading the latest manga series and catching up on all of the new seasonal anime. And, of course, writing about them at the same time.

Bottom Line Up Front

Choso is one of the side villains in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga. At the time of writing, he hasn’t appeared yet in the anime due to making his debut in the Shibuya Incident Arc. He is a member of the Death Paintings group, which includes himself and his two other brothers.

Choso is mainly seen as a minion of Kenjaku and the other main villains, mostly as the main characters’ supporting cursed spirit enemy. However, there is so much more to him than meets the eye, which results in a much larger role for him as the series goes on.

Choso Jujutsu Kaisen Overview

When it comes to my favorite part about Jujutsu Kaisen, it has to be the tropes that it quickly breaks and the unique characters that it offers. Sure, I will be the first to admit that the characters are mostly hit or miss in the series, but I appreciate the massive leap that manga creator Gege Akutami takes with everyone.

This goes for both the main characters in the series and the antagonists, which fascinates me with how trope-breaking they are. One of the most intriguing antagonists is Choso, who I think is by far one of the most underrated Jujutsu Kaisen characters.

It is hard to explain why right now without going too deep into spoilers (more on that below) but know that if you are someone who isn’t caught up with the manga or you are an anime-only Jujutsu Kaisen fan, you are in for a treat with this character.

I fully expect that Choso will be on the level of characters like Yuji, Megumi, Gojo, and Junpei in terms of fan-favorite characters from the series in the near future. If you want to know everything about Choso and why I feel that way, be sure to continue reading below.

Appearance Explained

Choso hasn’t appeared much in the anime series at the time of writing this yet, so the problem with his appearance is that we only have the primarily black-and-white manga version to go off of and some brief impressions of the character in the first season of the anime. That said, we can tell that Choso has a rather unique appearance that is distinct, much like the other members of the cast.

He wears a long white outfit that is loose and flowing. It almost appears like a ritual outfit that covers his top and bottom halves, with long sleeves and pants legs. Over this part of his outfit, he wears a purple garment that appears like a vest in a way and a matching purple scarf.

Choso’s hair is quite wild, looking frenetic and messy but in an almost organized way; it’s odd but cool in a way. He has a mostly unamused face with a black bandaid-looking cosmetic item that goes across his nose.

Key Moments in the Jujutsu Kaisen Series

Choso is a character who arrived later in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga series. He is someone who hasn’t appeared yet in the anime but likely will in the upcoming Season 2. This means that there are some heavy spoilers below that you need to watch out for.

And even for the manga readers out there, if you aren’t caught up on the latest arc in the series, there are likely to be some spoilers ahead for you. Without further ado, here’s what’s happened with Choso in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga so far.

Fighting in the Shibuya Incident

Choso finds himself thrust into the middle of the Shibuya Incident, where he has to work for the two main villains of Suguru Geto and Mahito. Unlike the other villains in the group, he isn’t interested in doing their bidding but only wants to do what pleases himself and his two brothers.

In the end, he is thrown into the Shibuya Incident and fights against the main characters as one of the villains. After a time, his two brothers are murdered and he is the only survivor of the group. He continues to fight in the main battles, including against Satoru Gojo in one of the wildest fights of the incident.

Being a Survivor

Yuji And Choso Fighting — Image from Fandom

Choso’s sole motivation during the Shibuya Incident is to find Yuji Itadori and get revenge for his two dead brothers. This leads to an intense fight between the two, and it appears like Choso is going to win the battle, but he has a surprise encounter when he goes for the finishing blow.

As Choso tries to take out Yuji, he realizes that murdering him would be similar to when his two brothers died. It is at this moment that he starts to see Yuji in a similar light to his siblings and a possible relative. He starts to see Yuji as his little brother and protects him.

The end of the Shibuya Incident sees Choso switching sides and protecting Yuji from Kenjaku and the other villains in the war.

Helping Yuji Itadori

Following the events of the Shibuya Incident, Choso continues acting as a mentor and older brother of sorts to Yuji Itadori. Seeing each other as similar people in how they are without their friends and family, they work together, and Choso joins in the battle during the Culling Game.

Choso enters the games as a way to keep Yuji safe and get final revenge against Kenjaku for doing what he did to him and his brothers. As of the latest manga chapter, Choso is one of the few main characters on Yuji’s side who is still alive and fighting in the Culling Game. He will likely continue to help the main character from here on out.

Special Abilities

The cursed spirit known as Choso has a couple of special powers in Jujutsu Kaisen. The bulk of his powers has to do with the Death Paintings status that he has. He is able to manipulate blood and do various moves with his powers, plus connect with his brothers in fascinating ways.

Blood Manipulation

Choso is a special grade cursed spirit, so he is known as one of the strongest enemies in Jujutsu Kaisen. The bulk of his powers has to do with blood manipulation, which is said to be much stronger than his father in Noritoshi Kamo.

His blood manipulation is varied and capable of several different implementations. Though he has only been in a few fights, we can see in the manga that Choso is capable of using his powers for a variety of attacks, including poisoning enemies and destroying barriers. He is one of the most potent blood users in the world.

Connections to His Brothers

Perhaps far more important than the blood manipulation powers that Choso has is his connection to his two brothers. As they were created together as cursed spirits, they are essentially one and the same. They can communicate well with one another and sense what is happening with the others.

Together as the paintings, they are even able to sense danger and see a glimpse of the future with regards to them. This is why (super duper spoiler alert!) he is able to know precisely when his two brothers were murdered, even though he wasn’t present when that happened in the manga.

This even connects him to Yuji, another person similar to Choso and his brothers. His connection extends to Yuji, allowing him to see why the main character’s death would be problematic, which is the main factor behind his vital decision in their fight.

Anime Voice Actor

Choso has only been briefly seen in the anime version of the Jujutsu Kaisen series. That said, his brief appearance has at least led to a voice actor for the character’s English and Japanese dub versions. When it comes to the English dub, I honestly like this version, so it is a brilliant option for those who prefer anime in English or have issues with reading subtitles.

The impressively talented Ray Chase is the voice of Choso in the English dub version of Jujutsu Kaisen. You might know Chase from his beloved anime and video game roles in the past, such as Noctis in Final Fantasy XV, Eve in Nier Automata (both the game and anime), and Alphen in Tales of Arise.

On the other hand, Daisuke Namikawa is the voice of Choso in the original Japanese voiceover version of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime.

You might know Namikawa from some of my favorite anime characters of all time, including Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter, Jellal from Fairy Tail, and Yu Narukami from Persona 4. Ironically, he was also in Nier Automata like his counterpart Ray Chase, but he played Adam rather than Eve.

Key Relationships

Cursed Womb Death Painting — Image from Fandom

There are only a few key relationships that we have seen for Choso so far in the manga series. But these relationships are crucial to his character and what has happened to him so far. Usually, I try to keep spoilers out of this section, but it is inevitable here, so here is yet another spoiler warning.

Choso is a fascinating villain in his relationship with his brothers. Together with his two siblings, the three of them make up the Death Paintings trio of cursed spirits. They are one with one another, and their powers go well with each other. Choso’s siblings are at the heart of his motivations, and what happens to them is the reason behind the sudden change in his character.

Speaking of the sudden change in him, Choso hates Noritoshi Kamo, one of the evilest Jujutsu Sorcerers in the history of Japan. As the body in which Kenjaku currently reigns, once Choso learns the truth about Kenjaku and essentially his father, he hates both and wants to take down each.

Lastly, there is Choso’s relationship with the main character, Yuji Itadori. He sees Yuji as his younger brother and takes him under his wing as a mentor of sorts for the character. They even ally together and become teammates during some of the fights and moments that happen during the Culling Game. They act like legit brothers and have a surprising relationship with one another.

FAQs

Question: Are Choso and Yuji actually siblings?

Answer: No, Choso and Yuji Itadori aren’t actual siblings. That said, they are seemingly related to one another in some way, but not as actual brothers. Even still, they act like siblings at a certain point in the manga.

Question: Is Choso a good guy?

Answer: This is a rather complicated scenario. I would argue that Choso is a good guy, but there is no denying that he is a bad guy for much of the manga until certain events in the series lead to a change of heart.

Question: How did Choso get his body?

Answer: Choso got his body as one of the three members of the Death Paintings trio from his “father,” Noritoshi Kamo, who created the three villains and set them in their new bodies as cursed spirits.

Time to Check Out Another Jujutsu Kaisen Villain

Choso is one of the most fascinating villains in Jujutsu Kaisen, which is already a massive manga and anime series with plenty of characters to check out. Part of the reason behind his unique position is his status as only a third of the Death Paintings trio, which is quite different.

Choso’s place in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, later on, is also quite impressive and unique for a character of his status. I won’t spoil it here, but you need to either read the manga or wait patiently if you are an anime-only fan because you’re in for a treat with this character.

In the meantime, while we wait for more Choso action, there is another Jujutsu Kaisen villain that you should check out. For another quite unique enemy of the main characters in Jujutsu Kaisen, you should check out Mahito, one of the most disturbing and alarming villains in manga and anime history.