Side Note: Due to the exclusivity of the panel, video, photography and audio recording were prohibited.
July 5th marks the fourth and final day of Anime Expo 2026, as well as marking the 5th anniversary of Jujutsu Kaisen, and what better way to celebrate five years of curses than with the cast at the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles. With an estimated 20,000 fans packed the house to show their love of one of the most influential anime to date. Not exactly the best place to expand one’s domain, but definitely a time to cheer for what’s to come in the world of JJK.
The Cast Panel
For this panel, we had for the first time the voice actors of both English and Japanese together not only for the panel, but in the same country: Junya Enoki (Japanese voice of Yuji Itadori), Adam McArthur (English voice of Yuji Itadori), Takashiro Sakurai (Japanese voice of Suguru Geto / Kenjaku) and Lex Lang (English voice of Suguru Geto / Kenjaku), hosted by TOHO Animation with Aleks Le as the moderator. They regale each other over the past 5 years working with their peers, commemorate their passion with awkward introductions, and show their unbridled excitement for the future of the show and their roles.
A Dream Come True
Since this was the first time ever both the Japanese and English voice cast of Jujutsu Kaisen would appear together on a panel, the audience was super stoked to be a part of the experience. Enoki-san had but one word to describe the feeling, “Amazing!” This being Sakurai-san’s first time appearing at a Jujutsu Kaisen panel at Anime Expo, he was initially shocked by the sheer size and scale of the arena, but more than that was the energy of all the fans. Lex said Wow, it was a lifetime highlight for him being with these amazing actors there on stage… and Adam. Everyone was just so talented; he was pinching himself because it was such an honor and a joy being there.
The Culling Game
Aleks shifted their attention to Season Three: The Culling Game, Part One. With the story moving into the Culling Game, every episode brought new battles and challenges, which brought even higher stakes than before. Every week, fans experienced intense and unforgettable moments, and the excitement around the season was incredible, blowing away the fans. He asked what stood out the most when you’re looking back on fan reactions towards the season at the time?
Adam responded that he works a lot of conventions, and when talking to a lot of people, the resounding feedback about season three was the amazing animation that they got to witness. Every single episode felt like a movie. Enoki-san had a similar answer to Adam’s about the animation being on a whole new level, and when they saw it all come together, the finished animation was so good. Looking at that animation almost compelled them to rise to the occasion, get their performance to that level, and match what the animators were doing.
New Faces, Same Awkwardness
We were introduced to many new characters in season three, so Aleks had to ask them which new character was their newfound favorite. Without hesitation, it was Takaba for Lex; with what he’s witnessed, he was absolutely blown away by what’s to come with that character. Adam says Higaruma, but Enoki-san chose Naoya because he actually met the actor who played him, Koji Yusa, whom he believed was such a perfect casting he couldn’t imagine the character being played by anyone else.
And when he saw Yusa-san in the studio, he walked up to him with such energy he said, “Hey, I think you’re the perfect person to play Naoya.”, but given the nature of the Naoya character, Yusa-san had mixed feelings about being the perfect typecast for the character. Sakurai-san finally added Kirara. Kirara’s ability to just move so quickly instantaneously- he thought to himself when he was late from the morning commute and had to catch one train earlier: if only he could sprint to it and make it before the doors close, how useful that would be.
Thinking Before Speaking
Now that new cast members have joined the series, we imagine the third season must’ve felt different compared to seasons one and two. Aleks directed his question to Sakurai-san. What were the emotions in the air like at the recording studio, and did he have any funny stories to go along with it?
Sakurai-san, having played Kenjaku, didn’t get a lot of screen time in season three, so he tried to recall maybe two sessions that they recorded together. And when they recorded, Haraki was played by Kazuya Nakai. That too he also thought that was a perfect cast; he walked up and said, “I think you played the role perfectly; you were the only person to play this.” Nakai-san also gave him a kind of weird grin. Also, the way he approached him, maybe that wasn’t the best, but he still had a lovely time being there.
However, in season three, it’s a huge shift in the phase, and like the whole anime in general, there are a lot of characters that get swapped in, so they go to the recording session, and they’re not looking at the same people anymore. He thought they created this good kind of nervousness among the actors that comes across in their performance that you see in the anime, which I think worked out very well in season three.
Aleks reflected the same question to Lex, and he responded with how he thought what’s interesting about season three is that most of the characters are reacting to the Culling Games where as Kenjaku was more of the orchestrator, and it was more about his curiosity as to what did happen and that it was nice to be able to take that standpoint and juxtaposition for the rest of the cast.
More Fingers to Eat
With the panel winding down, it’s time to do the announcement wrap-ups. Each announcement sends the crowd into a flying frenzy of excitement. Aleks announced that work is already underway on season four with the release of the teaser trailer. The animation, the atmosphere, everything was incredible, with the story only getting bigger and better. He asked what they thought about the teaser. Enoki-san knew one thing about the trailer: with all of their reactions, including the audience, all the scenes, they can feel the expectations that brought tears to their eyes.
Introducing Jujutsu Kaisen Rumble: Survival! Brought to you by Poncle Creators, a local indie sensation such as Vampire Survivors, published by Shueisha Games. Play as 20+ iconic characters from JJK in a chaotic survivors royale. Battle endless waves of cursed spirits and rival sorcerers. Collect points to activate game-breaking new additions and rise through the ranks. Finally, the top two players clash at an epic 1v1 duel. Who will emerge victorious?
Jujutsu Kaisen Season Three Part 1 will begin streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime will start at 5 pm Pacific time on July 22. Season one and two of Jujutsu Kaisen are also available for screening now.
Last but not least, if you’re caught up in the anime, you can get ahead with the manga. All 30 volumes are available in print and digitally in a complete boxset that includes a double-sided poster, available in October. Now, if you’ve already read the manga, make sure to also pre-order the spin-off series, Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, which comes out in print and digital next January.
JJK in Concert Tour: this performance was presented exclusively at the London, Rotterdam and Paris concerts. So, the journey of the JJK in Concert is far from over, so make sure you check their official sites for future tour dates and more updates.
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