JJK Disappoints Fans With Yuri Lowenthal Cast as Kinji Hakari’s English VA

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In late January 2026, Crunchyroll announced the English dub cast for Season 3, with Yuri Lowenthal taking on the role of the popular character Kinji Hakari. This decision quickly led to a lot of discussion online, as many Jujutsu Kaisen fans believe Lowenthal doesn’t quite fit the tough, rebellious personality that Kinji is known for.

Yuri Lowenthal is a well-known voice actor, but many fans believe he isn’t the right fit for this character in the Jujutsu Kaisen arc. It seems the production team may have chosen him more for his popularity than for his ability to capture the character’s harsh personality as it was originally portrayed in the manga. This feels like a chance to make the English dub stand out that was unfortunately missed.

Hakari’s New Voice Is Known For Drastically Different Roles

I’ve noticed Yuri Lowenthal is really famous for bringing characters like Peter Parker in the PlayStation Spider-Man games and Ben from Ben 10 to life – roles that needed a really hopeful and genuinely heroic sound. But his new character, Kinji Hakari, is totally different. Hakari is a much darker character, involved in underground fight clubs and always going against the grain. He needed a voice that felt rougher, more lived-in, and a lot more powerful to match that reckless energy.

As a long-time fan of Yuri Lowenthal, I’ve always thought his Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto was a peak performance. But honestly, while Sasuke was definitely cool and a bit brooding, it’s so different from what he’s doing with Kinji Hakari in Jujutsu Kaisen! Hakari just has this wild, unpredictable energy that Sasuke never quite had. It’s a little strange hearing Yuri play such a hardened character, because he’s so known for those more controlled roles – it doesn’t quite feel like a natural fit, you know?

Some fans have also criticized Yuri Lowenthal’s casting, suggesting he was chosen for the role of Kinji more for his popularity as a voice actor than for being a good fit for the character. Many viewers of Jujutsu Kaisen anticipated a rougher, more world-weary voice for Hakari, someone who sounded like a tough street fighter. Therefore, casting the voice of a cheerful superhero feels like a misstep.

Zoro’s Voice Sets an Impossible Standard For JJK’s Dub

I was so excited to finally hear Kazuya Nakai as Kinji Hakari in episodes 5 and 6 of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3! Honestly, he was the perfect pick. You might know him as the voice of Roronoa Zoro from One Piece, and that really shines through. Nakai-san totally nails Kinji’s character – that rebellious, doesn’t-play-by-the-rules vibe – and really shows why he’s such a unique figure in the jujutsu world. His performance is just fantastic!

Kinji Hakari’s character needs a very particular energetic performance to convincingly portray him as a captivating fight club owner. This makes the difference between the English and Japanese voice actors—specifically, Yuri Lowenthal’s younger-sounding voice compared to Kazuya Nakai’s deeper tone—quite noticeable. Fans are worried the English dub won’t capture the same powerful presence that made Hakari’s original Japanese performance so impactful.

Yuri Lowenthal is a truly talented voice actor, and many fans of Jujutsu Kaisen would love to see him join the show. However, when he was cast, a lot of fans felt his skills would be a better fit for the character of Hajime Kashimo, an ancient sorcerer who desperately wants a challenging fight, rather than the role he was given.

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2026-02-13 05:39