Panda

Panda—a key supporting character in *Jujutsu Kaisen* and a protagonist of the prequel *Jujutsu Kaisen 0*—is not an actual panda but rather an "Abrupt-Mutation Cursed Corpse." He is the masterpiece and most advanced creation of Masamichi Yaga, the then-principal of the Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College; Yaga raised him like a son, imbuing him with three compatible soul cores (or soul information) that stabilize one another and generate their own cursed energy. This makes Panda fully sentient, autonomous, and capable of producing cursed energy without an external sorcerer—a unique trait compared to ordinary Cursed Corpses, which possess only one core and rely on external control. A second-year student at the Tokyo Jujutsu High alongside Maki Zenin, Toge Inumaki, and (formerly) Yuta Okkotsu, Panda resembles an adult giant panda—standing over 190 cm tall with a robust, bear-like build and black-and-white fur—though he was reduced to the size of a cub following a devastating battle against Hajime Kashimo during the Culling Game arc, in which he lost his "brother" and "sister" cores. His personality is cheerful, calm, sarcastic, and level-headed; he possesses a distinct sense of humor, deep loyalty to his friends, and a maturity that allows him to act as the group's voice of reason. He rejects the notion of being a mere doll and openly identifies as a Cursed Corpse, while viewing humans as strange yet respectable creatures. As a Semi-Grade 1 sorcerer (with potential for promotion), he primarily engages in hand-to-hand combat using superhuman strength, and his technique relies on switching between three cores: the Panda core (balanced, his default form, offering good strength, speed, and durability with low energy consumption); the "Big Brother" core (power type), which transforms him into a muscular gorilla that is extremely strong and fast—though energy-intensive—enabling the "Unblockable Drumming Beat" attack, which transmits shockwaves through the opponent's body even if blocked; and the "Shy Sister" core (Triceratops), which turns him into a bipedal triceratops with a sleeker, presumably defensive appearance, the full capabilities of which have barely been explored. Created in the early 2000s and raised by Yaga since childhood (a time when he spoke in a robotic, formal manner), Panda has actively participated in events such as the Kyoto Goodwill Event (facing Mechamaru/Kokichi Muta and empathizing with him), the Shibuya Incident, and the Culling Game (recruiting Kinji Hakari and narrowly surviving a fight against Kashimo thanks to Hakari's intervention). Throughout these events, he consistently demonstrates empathy, protectiveness toward his comrades, and resilience—as he is only truly defeated if all three cores are destroyed, allowing him to recover the others as long as at least one remains. Following Yaga's death and the loss of his extra cores, Panda continues to exist in a limited capacity—eventually being kept safe by Yuta—and remains a symbol of affection, humor, and complexity in a world of curses, proving that, despite being "just a panda," he is far more than he appears.