Aoi Todo (
Appearance
Aoi Todo is a tall young man who stands about the same height as Satoru Gojo[3]. He has a very defined, heavy muscular build and relatively tan skin. He has small black eyes and shoulder-length black hair that is almost always tied into a top-knot bun with unusual flyaway strands with rounded ends akin to multiple stamens of a flower, befitting the meaning of his name. One of his most notable features is the large scar running down the left side of Todo's face that he got from harsh training with Yuki.
While Todo sports his jujutsu high uniform, he usually takes his jacket off and rips the undershirt before or during the battle. He usually dons martial arts pants and slippers. Todo's choice of pants is very loose and stops above the ankle with a bright blue sash wrapped around the waist. He wore a tennis-type of outfit while playing ping-pong with Mei Mei, sporting a collared shirt and shorts rather than his normal outfit.
In his fantasy of attending junior high with Yuji Itadori and Takada, Todo wears a school uniform that consists of a black jacket similar to his Jujutsu High one. Like with all his jackets, Todo left it open to reveal the undershirt. Even in these forged memories, Aoi wears his blue sash with his pants.
During the Shibuya Incident, Todo had to sever his left hand to avoid being fully transfigured by Mahito, and severely damaged his right palm by slapping Mahito's hand briefly to swap with Yuji.
Personality
Aoi Todo is a very unique person with an extremely eccentric attitude. He can come off as nothing more than a battle-crazed meathead to all his peers because not only does he enjoy posing and showing off his muscles but revels in the thrill of battle as well. Much of his personality also revolves around his very vocal love for his favorite tall pop-idol Takada-chan. He'll often bring her up in conversation and refuses to be late to any of her shows or meet and greets no matter what. Todo even visualizes talking to Takada sometimes when he has an inner dialogue with himself.
As a child, Todo was exceptionally strong but he felt his life was mundane due to his overwhelming strength. That all changed when he met Yuki Tsukumo and he fondly remembers the feeling of his boredom turning upside-down. Yuki introduced herself to him by asking "what kind of girls do you like?", a catchphrase that Todo would adopt for himself.[4][5]
Todo hates being bored more than anything else. He asks people what kind of girls do they like so he can get a read on them and his reaction to their replies can vary greatly. When Megumi gave a response to this question that Todo deemed as boring, he beat the first-year to a pulp. Todo was especially irritated in this case because Yuta Okkotsu, a worthy opponent, wouldn't be attending Todo's last Goodwill Event, so he felt it would be uneventful.[6][7] He also doesn't like any of his peers at Kyoto Jujutsu High because he's disappointed in their terrible taste in women. During the planning stage for Goodwill Event, Todo took absolutely zero interest in "exorcising Sukuna's vessel" and told his team and Principal Gakuganji that their schemes were stupid and he'd kill them if they tried to order him around again.
Yuji revealed that he has the same taste in women that Todo does, causing Todo's response to be drastically different from his reaction to Megumi. A memory of an event that never even occurred populated Todo's head which he honestly believed to be the truth. The memory was of Yuji comforting Todo after he was rejected by Takada. From that moment on in Todo's mind, he's always been best friends with Yuji and believes no one could beat them in their hometown. Even after coming back to reality, Todo shed tears and told Yuji they're best friends, confusing the first-year.
While mentoring Yuji during the Goodwill Event, Todo showed a much more intelligent and even philosophical side of himself. Todo found much enjoyment in fighting with Yuji and took pride in helping foster his potential. He showed Yuji how to properly channel his cursed energy by effectively explaining how it's supposed to flow. Todo understands most people think of their body in disproportionate parts, but that every individual actually exists in the world with their entire mind, body, and soul, something most people take for granted.[8] This philosophy is what trigged Yuji to step up his level of jujutsu considerably, eventually even learning to unleash Black Flash.[9]
Todo is supremely confident in himself and revels in heated combat even when the situation is extremely dangerous. He made light of his own achievements during the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, revealing to Megumi he only needed his cursed technique to defeat a special grade.[10] Despite undoubtedly possessing more cursed energy than Todo, Hanami was wary of him before they ever exchanged blows just based on his intense presence and supreme confidence.[11] Todo's peers recognize that he's the most powerful out of all of them but they don't get along at all and everyone finds him irritating. In the baseball game, it was made abundantly clear that Todo is seriously hated by all the other students. Maki hit him in the face with the baseball and everyone other than Yuji praised her for the "nice pitch".[12]
In a situation as dire as the Shibuya Incident, Todo was able to maintain a completely serious composure and intelligently assess what his best course of action was. Once he noticed Prison Realm was already moved, Todo immediately moved on and prioritized rescuing his allies over rescuing Satoru Gojo. He was confident that his "brother" Yuji would be in the center of the chaos and went to go find him.[13]
By the time Todo found him, Yuji's body and mind were both battered and beaten by Mahito. Upon rescuing Yuji, Todo confidently stated that they were the exception to the rule that the prosperous must decline. Despite Yuji's condition, Todo encouraged him to get back up because their fight had just begun.[14]
Yuji explained to Todo that he couldn't fight anymore because he couldn't forgive himself for allowing his allies to die. Todo told him not to constrain himself to conventional thinking because all of their allies together are jujutsu sorcerers. He believes as long as one of them lives to fight, those who have fallen will never have been truly defeated. To Todo, it's not about punishments because jujutsu sorcerers can't afford to limit themselves to such misfortune. He knows that looking back on the memories of friends who've died can be disheartening, but even so he encouraged Yuji to try and remember what his friends entrusted him. Todo didn't require Yuji to figure it out right away but told him to never stop pushing forward until he finds that answer. Todo believes that this is the only punishment sorcerers must endure.[15]
Abilities and Powers
Overall Skill Level: Aoi is an exceptionally powerful sorcerer, undoubtedly one of Jujutsu High's strongest students. He obtained the rank of a grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer as a student despite coming from a non-sorcerer family.
Aoi single-handedly defeated five grade 1 cursed spirits and 1 special grade during Geto's Night Line attack in Kyoto. He only used his cursed technique to defeat the special grade. This feat became well known around the jujutsu community and caused the rumor that Aoi defeated all six curses without his cursed technique.
Aoi possesses physical strength that surpasses Maki and Panda's by rivaling Yuji's prowess. Using brute force and fierce martial arts, Aoi was able to easily overwhelm Megumi as well as pummel Yuji in the early stages of their bout. Even after beginning to guide Yuji on how to become stronger, Aoi maintained the upper hand while fighting due to his experience and cleverness.
Aoi and Yuji turned out to be a good match and Aoi showcased his intelligence and knowledge surrounding jujutsu sorcery and battles. Aoi's understanding of cursed energy allowed him to teach Yuji how to properly use it alongside his superhuman speed and strength. While fighting alongside Yuji, Aoi was very nearly able to defeat Hanami, one of the most powerful special grade cursed spirits to have appeared.
During the heat of battle against Hanami, Aoi was able to analyze all his moves and instantly create ways to counter them using his own cursed technique. Hanami initially analyzed Aoi to be weaker than himself, but the careful planning and precise teamwork with Yuji allowed Aoi to dominate the fight.
Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Aoi prefers close quarters combat to anything else, normally relying on brute force to overpower his opponents rather than jujutsu. He completely outclassed Megumi when trading blows, easily able to outmaneuver and brutalize the first year at every turn. Even against Yuji, who's extremely talented in hand to hand fight, Aoi was able to effortlessly overpower at the start of their fight. Even as the fight went on and Yuji began to adapt to Aoi's moves, he was still able to surprise Yuji and stay one step ahead thanks to his combat experience.
He generally employs a mix of direct and crushing blows such as punches, forearm smashes, stomps and other brutal strikes. This type of fighting was effective against Hanami, mainly while being used alongside his cursed technique.
Enhanced Strength: Against most opponents, Aoi is more than capable of relying on raw physicality to win fights. A single strike against Megumi was able to send him reeling back several meters. His fighting style includes a barrage of powerful blows, stomps, and suplexes in quick succession.
A cursed energy infused strike from Aoi is capable of obliterating a lower grade curse completely while still damaging Yuji, his intended target before the curse suddenly inhibited his punch. Alongside Yuji's enhanced punches, Aoi was able to hit Hanami's guard hard enough for the special grade to acknowledge the weight of the hit.
Combined with his cursed technique, Aoi's strength becomes even more difficult to deal with. It allows him to exploit openings in his opponent's defense which allows him to land lethal strikes using his physical strength.
Using Boogie Woogie to switch out his partner for a special grade cursed tool, Aoi delivered a strike so powerful it shattered Hanami's weak point, the branches growing out of his face, in a single blow. A hit so strong, Aoi believed it should have ended the fight altogether. The cursed tool, Playful Cloud relies on the strength of its user, further cementing Aoi's near-superhuman levels of physical power.
Enhanced Speed: To match his incredible strength Aoi possesses extreme speed. He incorporates his frightening speed in his fighting style by continuously striking with quick succession before his opponents can react. He blitzed clean through Megumi's every defense in their fight and landed blow after blow to overpower him.
At the very beginning of the Goodwill Event, it took Aoi just a few seconds to reach the opposing team. He was even able to surprise Yuji with his speed and momentarily overpower him with sheer physical prowess. Aoi's speed also allows him to move unpredictably when utilizing his cursed technique, as shown while fighting Hanami.
Great Tactical Intellect: Aoi's oafish demeanor fools most people, but he's actually incredibly intelligent; claiming to have an IQ of 530,000. Using his own experience and vast understanding of jujutsu, he was able to transform Yuji from a sub-par jujutsu sorcerer to a fighter capable of taking on special grade cursed spirits. Aoi even has a deeper philosophical side that was able to help Yuji grasp the understanding of jujutsu. Additionally, his thinking speed is unmatched, able to review Hanami's entire move set within just 0.01 second and accurately determine the correct way to defend against his attacks.
Jujutsu
Equipment
Battles & Events
Trivia
- Aoi's rankings in the Popularity Polls are as follows:
- Aoi ranked 8th in the first Popularity Poll with 7,791 votes.
- Aoi ranked 14th in the second Popularity Poll with 1,024 votes.
- Aoi ranked 20th in the third Popularity Poll with 290 votes.
- His surname has the kanji for "east" (東, to) and "hall" (堂, do). His given name means "hollyhock, hibiscus, scarlet rosemallow" (葵, aoi).
- Akutami likens Aoi to a highly skilled gorilla, as he became a grade 1 sorcerer as a student despite being from a non-sorcerer family.[2]
- Aoi takes his appearance very seriously. He makes sure to shower, put on deodorant, and be well-groomed. He always smells nice, which infuriates the girls at the Kyoto school.[2]
- He wants to marry Takada immediately, so he's not a fan of the rule that bans idols from dating.[2]
- According to Jujutsu Kaisen Official Fanbook[1]:
- Enrollment method: Scouted.
- His hobby is watching Takada.
- Favorite food: Skirt steak.
- Least favorite food: None.
- Cause of stress: Boredom.
Quotes
- (To Mahito) “The sound of gion shoja bells echoes the impermanence of all things. The color of sala flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline. However! We are the exception!”[16]
- (To Yuji Itadori) “Brother, you’re a man amongst men. Don’t limit yourself to such narrow-mindness. We are jujutsu sorcerers. You and I! Kugisaki! Mr. Nanami! All of our allies. Together, we are jujutsu sorcerers!! As long as we live, our friends who have passed away will not truly have been defeated! It’s not about sin or punishment. The moment we become jujutsu sorcerers, our lives cannot be limited to such misfortunes. Looking for meaning or logic in death can at times defile the memories of those we’ve lost! Even so! What have you been entrusted with? You don’t need to answer right now. However, until you find your answer, never stop moving. For those of us who live as jujutsu sorcerers, that is the punishment we must endure.” [17]
- (To himself) “Even this cursed spirit uses Black Flash. The one who is now being left behind is me. You’ve gotten strong, brother. Are you gonna just sit still, Aoi Todo?! Are you gonna let your brother feel alone again, Aoi Todo?!”[18]
- (To Mahito) “Listen closely, cursed spirit. There is no way you do not know this. An arm is merely a decoration. The act of applause is an acclamation of the soul!”[19]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jujutsu Kaisen Official Fanbook: (p. 36-37).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Vol. 5, Profile
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Vol. 5 (p. 26).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 50 (p. 1-2).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 34 (p. 19).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 16 (p. 10).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 17 (p. 3).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 37 (p. 10-12).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 48 (p. 19).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 17 (p. 9).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 48 (p. 6).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 54 (p. 15-16).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 133 (p. 1-3).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 126 (p. 17-19).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 127 (p. 10-12).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 126 (p. 16-17).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 127 (p. 10-12).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 128 (p. 11).
- ↑ Jujutsu Kaisen Manga: Chapter 132 (p. 5-7).