Juzo

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Biwa Jūzō (Juzo) 9
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Akatsuki (former); Mist Village, serving covertly as Acting Mizukage 29 33
Occupation/Role	Shinobi; former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen; wielder of the Executioner’s Blade; Acting Mizukage 11 21 33
Status	Alive; publicly reported to Akatsuki as having died during the Three-Tails mission 33 34
First Appearance	Chapter 9

Background

Juzo was formerly a Mist Village shinobi and one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. After defecting, he became an Akatsuki member; despite his regrets about the past, he came to regard the organization as his second home and refused to abandon it lightly 11 28 29.

Pain assigned Juzo to partner with twelve-year-old Uchiha Itachi, crediting Itachi alone for the Uchiha clan massacre while concealing Obito’s involvement. Juzo initially expected a dangerous and unstable child, but Itachi’s polite behavior—and immediate request that Juzo pay for desserts—left him confused rather than reassured 9.

Appearance

Juzo has an intimidating, unconventional appearance that contrasts with his often casual behavior.

• Short black hair and no eyebrows 9
• Sharp teeth and a large cross-shaped scar on his right cheek 9
• Bandages wrapped around his ears and neck 9
• Red markings painted across the lower half of his face 9
• Occasionally wears painted nails 11
• Carries the oversized Executioner’s Blade, which remains recognizable even when he attempts to conceal it beneath bandages 20

Personality

Juzo is blunt, practical, and more comfortable with direct action than elaborate planning. He initially struggles to follow Itachi’s deductions and prefers to resolve threats with overwhelming force, but he gradually accepts that their strengths complement one another 13 20.

Behind his rough demeanor, Juzo is deeply loyal and protective. He purchases supplies for Itachi, keeps watch while he sleeps, offers to confront Orochimaru on Itachi’s behalf, and shields Itachi after Susanoo leaves him weakened 10 17 24 27. He treats affection indirectly—through meals, teasing, alcohol, and practical advice—rather than open emotional statements 15 18 29.

Juzo carries unresolved grief from his defection and former life in the Mist Village. He drinks heavily, carves wooden figures from fading memories, and is disturbed by the thought that he can no longer clearly remember the person he once carved 15 18 21. Although he senses that the Three-Tails mission may kill him, he refuses to flee from his fate or betray the people he considers his home 29.

Abilities & Skills

Executioner’s Blade

Juzo wields the Executioner’s Blade as more than a weapon; he considers it part of his identity and refuses to surrender it even when bounty hunters target him for its value 11.

• Uses the blade for broad, forceful strikes capable of knocking back several opponents 24
• Coats the weapon in chakra when facing armed Mist shinobi 31
• Can moderate his attacks, using the flat of the blade to incapacitate rather than kill 31
• Relies on the blade in close-quarters combat and while breaking through enemy encirclements 23 31

Hidden Mist Technique

Juzo’s Hidden Mist Technique is the foundation of his battlefield control. It conceals his movements and allows him to isolate opponents for assassination-style attacks 11 23.

• Can create dense mist even without a nearby water source, though doing so consumes significant chakra 11 23
• Reduces visibility to less than a meter and can obstruct even Itachi’s Sharingan 11
• Is vulnerable to Wind Release techniques that disperse the mist 23
• Becomes difficult to abandon during a large battle, as ending it can expose Juzo’s position 24

Shinobi Mobility and Combat Instinct

Juzo combines physical strength with practical combat experience gained as a Mist swordsman.

• Uses the Body Flicker and Substitution Techniques to rapidly close distance or evade attacks 23
• Charged alone into more than thirty opposing ninja after they disrupted his mist 23
• Recognizes when a battlefield has become unwinnable and prioritizes Itachi’s safety over pursuit 24 31
• His familiarity with Mist Village initially allows him and Itachi to evade a pursuing force after entering its territory 31

Equipment

• Executioner’s Blade — Juzo’s signature oversized sword and personal “faith.” 11
• Akatsuki ring — Surrendered to Itachi when Juzo assumed a new identity in the Mist Village. 33
• Wooden carvings — Personal carvings linked to memories that have become unclear over time. 17 21
• Liquor and sealing scrolls — Frequently carries alcohol, often to Itachi’s annoyance. 15 21

Relationships

• Uchiha Itachi — Assigned partner, close friend, and surrogate younger brother. Their partnership begins with mutual uncertainty but develops into trust: Juzo serves as the front-line fighter while Itachi supports him, and each repeatedly protects the other 9 13 24 29 33.
• Yagura Karatachi — Former associate from the Mist Village. After being freed from Obito’s control, Yagura entrusts Juzo with protecting his subordinates and serving as Acting Mizukage 33.
• Pain — Akatsuki’s leader, who assigned Juzo to Itachi and later accepted Itachi’s false report that Juzo died on the Three-Tails mission 9 34.
• Obito — Indirect enemy and manipulator. Obito arranged the dangerous Mist mission partly to monitor Itachi, exploiting Juzo’s bond with him as part of the trap 28 31.
• Orochimaru — Juzo distrusts Orochimaru and worries that Itachi may replace him with the former Konoha shinobi as a partner 25.

History

Partnership with Itachi

Juzo meets Itachi in the Hidden Rain Village after Pain orders him to find his new partner. His fear of the reputed clan-killer gradually gives way to curiosity when Itachi proves polite, approachable, and shamelessly dependent on Juzo’s money 9.

During their bounty missions, Juzo becomes Itachi’s guide, supplier, and front-line combatant. He gives Itachi a scroll of kunai and explosive tags after recognizing that the newly defected Uchiha lacks money and equipment, though he insists the support is only for mission efficiency 10. Their teamwork becomes effective in battle: Juzo creates mist and handles close combat while Itachi supplies precise ranged support and tactical analysis 11 13.

Juzo’s concern becomes increasingly personal. He watches over Itachi after Tsukuyomi exhausts him, protects him when Susanoo drains his chakra, and offers to use force if Orochimaru causes trouble 17 24 27.

Three-Tails Mission

After Orochimaru defects, Juzo and Itachi are sent to investigate the Three-Tails in the Land of Water. Juzo is troubled by the prospect of returning to the still-violent Mist Village, while Itachi realizes that Obito has likely arranged the mission to endanger them 28.

Itachi tries to persuade Juzo to surrender his Akatsuki ring and live in seclusion, claiming to have foreseen Juzo’s death. Juzo refuses because leaving Akatsuki would mean another betrayal, choosing instead to confront the mission and whatever fate awaits him 29.

Inside the Mist Village, Juzo fights beside Itachi against Yagura’s forces. Though prepared to die, he attempts to protect Itachi and even spares one Mist shinobi by striking with the flat of his blade 31. He continues fighting nearby while Itachi withstands Yagura’s Tailed Beast Bomb and frees Yagura from Obito’s control 32.

Acting Mizukage

Following Yagura’s liberation, the dying Mizukage asks Juzo to remain in the Mist Village, protect his trusted subordinates, and temporarily serve as Acting Mizukage until a better successor can lead the village 33.

Juzo accepts Yagura’s final request and gives his Akatsuki ring to Itachi. To shield the Mist Village from Akatsuki, he declares that “Juzo” is dead and chooses to govern from behind a new identity 33. Itachi subsequently reports Juzo’s death to Pain, preserving the deception 34.

Notable Quotes

“I won't betray anyone ever again in this life!” 29