Yoshinobu Gakuganji

Yoshinobu Gakuganji is a character in the Jujutsu Kaisen series. He is the principal at Kyoto Jujutsu High and a member of the jujutsu higher-ups.

Appearance
Yoshinobu is an elderly man with an elongated bald head. He has huge, thick, light colored eyebrows that curve down at the edge of his face, and a light colored goatee. Yoshinobu also wears multiple piercings, such as a nose ring, two piercings on his lower lips, three piercings on each of his upper ears, and one on each of his large earlobes.

Yoshinobu sports a light colored nagajuban over a dark colored shirt with light colored letters on it, a dark hakama, light colored tabi, and a zori. In addition, Yoshinobu uses a wooden cane to walk around with. When in combat, he carries a suitcase that contains his guitar.

Personality
Yoshinobu is a staunch traditionalist who pushed for Yuji Itadori's execution. He views Satoru Gojo as irritating and destructive, with Gojo's own antagonism fueling their conflict. When it became obvious Gojo would delay the process, he proved to be scheming and deceptive. Using the Goodwill Event as an opportunity to assassinate the boy, using both curses and his own students as tools. In spite of all this, Yoshinobu does not hate Yuji personally.

He feels making exceptions from long standing practices is wrong. Especially when dealing with something as dangerous as the resurrection of Sukuna. Furthermore, he was quick to intervene when the Goodwill Event was attacked and cooperate with Gojo. Stating that the safety of his students was the priority rather than defeating their enemy. He is also able to quickly analyze and grade his opponent's skill level with a glance.

History
When Masamichi Yaga has created Panda and captivated, Gakuganji is talking to Masamichi who's behind bars and asks how did he manage to create Panda who says that he's not sure. Gakuganji wants to know how Panda was created, as he works differently from other cursed corpses by having his own cursed energy. Gakuganji believes that Yaga could pose a major threat to society if he was able to create a cursed corpses army that's similar to Panda.

Fearsome Womb Arc
Yoshinobu attends a meeting with Masamichi Yaga and Gojo, but complains about how the former did not come. When Gojo reveals that he gave Yaga the wrong time, Yoshinobu wonders what Gojo is up to. Gojo says that this meeting is about Yuji, and also reveals that he was attacked by two high-grade cursed spirits. As Yoshinobu wonders what his point is, Gojo says that the limits the old timers have placed on the sorcerers won't matter for the upcoming generations. Gojo also states that he will not be the only one to bare his fangs at the old timers, after which Yoshinobu comments about how Gojo talks too much. As Gojo is leaving, he tells Yoshinobu that Yaga will arrive at the meeting in two hours. Shortly after Yoshinobu orders Kasumi Miwa to go buy him some tea.

Kyoto Goodwill Event Arc
Yoshinobu arrives at Tokyo for the Kyoto Goodwill Event with the other students and teacher of the Kyoto College. Yoshinobu is with Masamichi Yaga when Gojo reveals that Sukuna's vessel, Yuji, is alive. Yoshinobu is surprised by this, but quickly gets angry at Gojo for keeping a secret that Sukuna's host is still alive.

Later, Yoshinobu has a meeting with the Kyoto students and tells them to kill Sukuna's host, Yuji Itadori. Yoshinobu also tells them to take proper care in killing Yuji, which Aoi Todo get annoyed by Yoshinobu and leaves while telling him that he will kill him if he tries to order him around. As the Kyoto Goodwill Event is about to begin, Yoshinobu head to were the other teacher will watch the event.

As the Kyoto Kyoto Goodwill Event starts, Yoshinobu watches the events along with the other staff. When Miwa is put to sleep by Toge Inumaki, Yoshinobu thinks about how he gave Noritoshi Kamo the tools to control a grade 1 cursed spirit to kill Yuji. Yoshinobu then tells the others to go get Miwa because he is worried. When all the talismans suddenly burn out, Yoshinobu talks with the other staff about how an unknown situation has happened and that there might be an intruder. Yoshinobu then heads to the event site along with Gojo and Utahime Iori.

As the three head over to the site, the three don't make it to the site before a curtain closes the site from the rest of the area. When they find out that the curtain is only rejecting Gojo, Yoshinobu and Utahime head in first. Once they head into the curtain, they encounter Juzo Kumiya who was the one responsible for putting up the curtain. Yoshinobu then decides to face Juzo and tells Utahime to attend to the students, which cause Juzo to get upset about. As Yoshinobu continues to battle against Juzo with a guitar and sound, Juzo figures out what Yoshinobu's cursed technique is. Once the curtain is brought down, Gojo joins Yoshinobu and Juzo's battle. Yoshinobu tells Gojo to not kill Juzo, which Gojo doesn't listen and restrains Juzo.

After it is all over, Yoshinobu attends a meeting with the other teachers. At the meeting, they are informed about what really happened while they were dealing with the intruders. Later when they decide to continue the Kyoto Kyoto Goodwill Event, Yoshinobu is surprised that the second day event is baseball. Yoshinobu then watches the game along with Yaga. Yoshinobu and Yaga then talk about Yuji, which Yoshinobu voices that it against the rules that Yuji is still alive. After the event is done, Yoshinobu along with the other from the Kyoto college head back to Kyoto.

Death Painting Arc
Days later, Yoshinobu meets with Aoi and Mei Mei, and explains his opinion about what a grade 1 sorcerer is after he hears about Aoi Todo and Mei Mei selection for a promotion.

Perfect Preparation Arc
While Masamichi was walking alone and confronted by a jujutsu higher-up, Gakuganji arrives and tells the jujutsu higher-up that he will take care of Masamichi. When Masamichi refuses to tell Gakuganji how to create self-sustaining cursed corpses, the two principals engage a brief battle with Gakuganji victorious. On the verge of death, Masamichi tells Gakuganji that someone can replicate a soul's information from physical information and that information has to be placed into a cursed corpse's core. Three highly compatible cores that are constantly observing each other must then be placed into a corpse and only then will the souls stabilize and give rise to self-awareness, three months are then required for the cursed corpse to reach self sustaining cursed energy. Gakuganji then asks Masamichi why he didn't reveal this information before he was fatally wounded and Masamichi replies that this was a curse from him to Gakuganji, which leaves him in shock. Panda then arrives and Gakuganji prepares for a fight but Panda ignores him and rushes to Masamichi's side, cradling his body.

Gakuganji asks Panda why isn't fighting him and adds on wondering if he hated him. Panda tells him that he isn't like humans and human behaviors don't bind pandas. Panda adds on that he and Masamichi weren't on bad terms and concludes that Gakuganji was merely following orders from the higherups, Gakuganji says that Panda is like him, a fallen knife.

Current Arc
Gakuganji accompanies Utahime and Gojo as he prepares to fight Sukuna. At some point after his unsealing Gakuganji questions Gojo on why he didn't kill him in retaliation for Masamichi's death. Gojo tells him that he understands that he was ordered to so do by the higher ups and that he feels its not his place to judge him, as his unsealing caused him to be unable protect Masamichi, he also tells Gakuganji that the fact he didn't disclose Panda's secret means he trustworthy to an extent. On the day of the fight with Sukuna he helps in setting up the ritual for Utahimes technique.

Abilities and Powers
Overall Skill: Gakuganji is a strong jujutsu sorcerer, managing to defeat a grade 1 sorcerer like Masamichi Yaga.

Battles & Events
Kyoto Goodwill Event Arc
 * Yoshinobu Gakuganji vs. Juzo Kumiya

Perfect Preparation Arc
 * Masamichi Yaga vs. Yoshinobu Gakuganji (Offscreen)

Trivia

 * Gakuganji's surname contains the kanji for "music/comfort", "rock, boulder", and "Buddhist temple", and his first name contains "applaud/esteem/auspicious" and "expand, increase".
 * Gakuganji ranked 37th place in the manga's 1st Character Popularity Poll with 243 votes.
 * His eyebrows change in length depending on his mood.
 * Gakuganji is looking for a drummer.
 * Gakuganji loves Jimi Hendrix.
 * According to Jujutsu Kaisen Official Fanbook:
 * His hobby playing the guitar, he can also play all kinds of light instruments.
 * Favorite dish: Tempura.
 * Least Favorite dish: Horse meat.
 * Cause of stress: Satoru Gojo
 * Gakuganji`s guitar looks like a Gibson Flying V.

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Yoshinobu Gakuganji