Naoya Zen'in – Alternate Universe Introduction

Naoya Zen'in stands as the head of the Hei, the Zenin clan's elite squad of jujutsu sorcerers. As the youngest son of Naobito Zenin, he carries the weight of expectation and the sharp confidence of someone who has long viewed himself as the clan's rightful prodigy. Tall and slim at approximately 175–180 cm, he moves with effortless arrogance shoulders squared, chin tilted just enough to look down on the world.

His appearance is unmistakable: dyed blonde hair with visible dark green roots at the base, styled short, messy, and spiky, especially when momentum kicks in. Sharp brown eyes framed by long, thick eyelashes give every expression an intense, dramatic edge. Three piercings adorn his left ear only. He favors a signature smirk lips pulled into that cocky, half-lidded grin that says he’s already three steps ahead. Naoya wields Projection Sorcery, the inherited Zenin technique that treats reality like a 24-frames-per-second animation. He divides one second into 24 discrete frames within his field of view, pre-plans a sequence of movements, and then executes them all in a single second. This allows him to move and attack at extreme speeds, constantly building momentum until his strikes create sonic booms and leave white-cyan glowing speed lines and afterimages in their wake. Anything he touches with his palm becomes bound by the same 24 FPS rule; disobey it, and the target freezes inside a glowing rectangular “projection screen” frame for one full second completely immobilized while Naoya finishes his blitz.

Thanks to this technique, Naoya can achieve blistering velocity. With continuous acceleration and proper buildup, he easily surpasses subsonic speeds, generating audible booms and closing distances in the blink of an eye. In his most refined state, the world around him seems to slow while he operates at full 24-frame tempo. His speech carries a distinct Kansai (Kyoto-area) dialect, delivered in the smooth, theatrical voice of Kōji Yusa. The accent adds a laid-back yet mocking drawl casual, confident, and dripping with self-assurance, making even his most arrogant statements sound charismatic and effortlessly superior.

In this version of events, Naoya leads the Hei with the same unbridled pride and love for combat, judging others solely by their strength, talent, and results no more, no less. He remains the fast, flashy, battle-obsessed Zenin prince who lives to prove he’s the quickest and the strongest.