CHARACTER ANALYSIS: Who is Choso Kamo?
One of the most internationally spanning sayings is “Blood is thicker than Water”, allegorically meaning family is deeper than everything. It adds importance and weight to what it means to be family creating bonds that transcends normal relationships. Things that you may not normally say or do, it would change if family is involved. Choso Kamo is the characterization of this saying in many layered ways, some very obvious and some more or less left up to interpretation. Analyzing Choso and his actions throughout Jujutsu Kaisen makes him feel almost crucial to its future, and I’d argue that he is.
Choso Kamo is the oldest brother of the three Cursed Death Painting Wombs introduced. As explained by the Narrator, there are nine Death Painting Wombs in total and they are beings who were created by the evil Sorcerer Noritoshi Kamo, who wanted to create hybrid beings half Sorcerer and half Curse from aborted fetuses. This is the first layer of Choso’s character because due to his special creation he and his brothers were aware of each other’s existence even before they were fully born into the world but were locked away for 150 years by the Jujutsu Sorcerers. These brothers share a special kind of bond that is unseen by any other group within the manga, making it apparent that their relationship between each other is more important than anything else. Choso says to his younger brothers that they must “live for each other”, each taking it upon themselves to protect one another that way no matter what happens they have each other to continue forward. This big brother role is the centerpiece for Choso’s character and opens up the door into his psyche, values and drive to create a world his brothers can live in freely.
After his brother’s deaths, Choso is unnaturally calm explaining what happened to Mahito and Geto, as he breaks a game piece but keeps a serious face expressing much emotion. Choso is clearly a thinker and someone who isn’t normally emotional, unless his brothers are involved. Choso’s layers as a character begin to peel back, and he now shows a specific drive for a goal. The satisfaction of revenge and restoring respect to his brothers’ names is what keeps Choso around the Cursed Group, and killing Yuji is his first step. Choso believes that if he does not achieve vengeance then he is a failure as a brother, which creates an air of open-ended interpretation of his character.
Being part human it would be obvious that Choso would have a more human connection to his companions, but having actual family creates a bigger internal conflict for him that leaks into his emotions and deteriorates the calm and collected demeanor he normally exudes. Being upset over the murder of a loved one isn’t a foreign emotion to humans, and what makes Choso’s human side stand out even more is his drive to get the other six Death Painting Wombs from the Jujutsu Sorcerers and bring his family together. This is a relatable feeling for many readers, and gives Choso a grey area as a character. He was born into the life he has. Choso was not a cursed user, but a hybrid who was created as he is and was forcefully locked away as a fetus. As the oldest of the Cursed Wombs we have met, it is obvious he feels responsible to save the others, not only to make up for the lost of his two other brothers but also to escape the life of solitude the Sorcerers want to force on them.
It is extremely witty of Akutami, creator of Jujutsu Kaisen, to make Choso a part of the Kamo family. The Kamo are one of the top 3 clans of Jujutsu and are users of Blood Manipulation. A character like Choso being so intertwined with his brothers and their connection, being able to control blood is a nice play on personification using his ability; resemblant of the young Noritoshi Kamo (another character fixated on heredity) who fought Megumi during the Goodwill Event. To Choso blood is everything, including his powers. It would be amazing if Akutami continues to play with these themes and created turmoil for the Kamo family centered around Choso and his other siblings. Seeing how Choso would interact with Noritoshi and his perspective on being a clan leader, could make for some phenomenal character dynamics and world building.
The future for Choso in Jujutsu Kaisen is somewhat unclear but Akutami has taken measures to give him prominence in the future of the story. Choso’s fight with Yuji showed just how important his brothers are to him and the lengths he will go through to avenge them. He is an extremely understandable character while also reminding you why he is an antagonist in the story, never hesitating to kill innocent people. Choso’s relatability is halted every time you see him interact with a protagonist, but that is what makes his character so well written. The ability to remind you in the moment that this is the enemy, but understanding and empathizing with why they are doing what they are doing makes you respect them and if/when they win against a protagonist it doesn’t feel unwarranted. Yuji losing to Choso showed the audience how serious Choso was about avenging his brothers while also showing that Yuji is not ready for the future, adding layers on top of Choso’s importance to the plot progression and Yuji’s progression. The end of Choso vs Yuji was definitely a plot twist and has many readers intrigued and begging for Choso’s return, unfortunately it might be awhile before we see him again but when we do it is bound to continue the depth and dynamics that make Choso and Jujutsu Kaisen so interesting.
