Fumihiko Takaba

Fumihiko Takaba is a character in the Jujutsu Kaisen series. He is a failing comedian who was one of many normal people turned into a sorcerer by Kenjaku in order to participate in the Culling Game.

Appearance
Fumihiko is a tall, adult man with short, slicked back, dark hair, and long tapered sideburns that reach past his nose. He has thick eyebrows and eyes with small light-colored pupils. As a professional comedian, Fumihiko wore a business suit with a checkered tie.

As a player in the Culling Game, Fumihiko wears the costume of the first superhero that ever made him laugh hysterically. It is a skin-tight uniform that is split down the middle. The left side is dark where there are two light stripes on both the arm and leg. The right side of his uniform is missing entirely, revealing his bare chest, leg, and occasionally his genitals (covered in the manga by a circular text bubble bearing the word "curse"). On the chest area there is also half of a smiling heart. The collar and belt of the uniform both feature smiley faces as well. Matching gloves and boots complete the costume.

Personality
Fumihiko is an exceptionally goofy individual whose jokes aren't funny, but he still lives to entertain above all else. He found himself failing as a comedian and was down on his luck. A co-worker encouraged him to keep going because there's always a demand for comedians who think they're funny. Takaba acts on those words and has a very energetic attitude. He's very outspoken and comedy-focused in everything he does.

Fumihiko is the only person who thinks he's funny, but he'll still tell jokes in serious situations and get no laughs in response. This is precisely the reason that he failed as a comedian, but he's able to prosper, nonetheless. Despite the awkwardness or seriousness of any situation, Fumihiko will always try to make it fun for everyone around, often only serving to irritate them.

Fumihiko is completely unphased by the fact he's participating in the Culling Game. He hasn't killed anyone, but he helped Megumi because the young man was being attacked two-on-one. Fumihiko saw his attackers as cowards and fought by Megumi's side despite their stark contrast in personalities. The thirty-five-year-old claims he can tell if someone is good or evil by their face. He actually thinks Megumi has a bad face but decided to help him anyway because beauty is "revisionist".

In a dangerous fight with Iori Hazenoki, Fumihiko made jokes the entire time and frustrated his opponent, which played a part in him eventually giving up on the skirmish altogether.

Perfect Preparation Arc
Fumihiko is at a comedy club where he closes his show to a bored audience who slowly clap. In the dressing room, his manager scolds him for his poor performance and tell Fumihiko he should quit comedy or find something else, saddening him. His coworker, Ken tells him his jokes aren't bad, but there are two types of comedians, ones who are funny and ones who think they're funny. He asks which of them is he, and Fumihiko replies he's about 50:50, but then rephrases by saying 70:30.

Culling Game Arc
When Megumi Fushiguro is cornered by Reggie Star and Iori Hazenoki, Takaba arrives at the last minute and protects the teenager, taunting his opponents and calling them cowards for going two against one.

Abilities and Powers
Overall Skill Level: Fumihiko Takaba is unsuspectingly strong and his zero score in the Culling Game does not reflect his actual strength. Fumihiko's goofy attitude leads people to heavily underestimate him. He's a self-proclaimed old-school entertainer who is pro-violence and his resolve translates into battle. When he's determined to entertain, Fumihiko's strength increases dramatically. Reggie Star was surprised by this surge in power as Fumihiko was able to overwhelm Iori Hazenoki in a swift exchange. Reggie recognized Fumihiko's elite speed and considered him a strong opponent. After seeing Fumihiko initial attacks against Hazenoki, Fushiguro stated that he was glad Fumihiko was not his enemy.

Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Fumihiko may not seem like a fighter but he's exceptionally adept at close-quarters combat. He was able to overpower Hazenoki with an expertly performed surprise drop kick. In their next exchange, Fumihiko parried his opponent and landed a "blow" from behind, before following up with a powerful roundhouse kick. Later toward the end of their battle, Fumihiko was easily able to avoid Hazenoki's punches after covering himself in ankake sauce.

Battles & Events
Culling Game Arc Shinjuku Showdown Arc
 * Culling Game
 * Fumihiko Takaba vs. Iori Hazenoki
 * Kenjaku vs. Fumihiko Takaba

Trivia

 * Fumihiko's rankings in the Popularity Polls are as follows:
 * Fumihiko ranked 31st in the third Popularity Poll with 132 votes.


 * His surname has the Nanori reading of "tall, high" (髙, taka) and the rendaku pronunciation of "feather, wing" (羽, ba). Takaba's given name has the Kun reading of "record, history" (史, fumi) and "accomplished young man, prince" (彦, hiko).

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Fumihiko Takaba