Jujutsu Kaisen 0's Kayleigh McKee had no idea they were auditioning for lead role: 'I didn't know...

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&34;You do realize that's the main character of the movie, right?&34; Kayleigh McKee recalls her agent asking, during a panel at New York Comic Con. Jujutsu Kai

"You do realize that's the main character of the movie, right?" Kayleigh McKee recalls her agent asking, during a panel at New York Comic Con.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0's Kayleigh McKee had no idea they were auditioning for lead role: 'I didn't know who Yuta was'

"You do realize that's the main character of the movie, right?" Kayleigh McKee recalls her agent asking, during a panel at New York Comic Con.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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October 9, 2025 4:25 p.m. ET

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Yuta Okkotsu in 'Jujutsu Kaisen 0'. Credit:

*Jujutsu Kaisen* fans haven't known Yuta Okkotsu for very long, but the young sorcerer has already made a big impression.

To be fair, Yuta made quite the emotional entrance as the protagonist of his own prequel film,* Jujutsu Kaisen 0*. But after briefly entering the present timeline in season 2, it's clear that Yuta has a huge role to play in the story to come — a fact that voice actor Kayleigh McKee was totally unaware of when she sent out her audition tape for the movie.

While joining forces for a panel at New York Comic Con, McKee and fellow* Jujutsu Kaisen *english cast members Adam McArthur (Yuji Itadori), Robbie Daymond (Megumi Fushiguro), Anne Yatco (Nobara Kugisaki), and Kaiji Tang (Satoru Gojo) recalled the excitement of landing their roles — or, in McKee's case, the confusion.

"I had watched season 1 — I had actually auditioned for Yuji," McKee shared at the panel. "I got the sides for Yuta and, I'll be honest, I wasn't reading the manga at that point. I didn't know who Yuta was."

Yuta Okkotsu in 'Jujutsu Kaisen 0'.

Believing she was submitting for some side or background character, McKee didn't stress too hard over the tape. "I recorded it in like 10 minutes and sent it out," she admitted.

That doesn't mean she didn't pour her heart into it. While McKee had no idea that Yuta would become a major protagonist — and occasional antagonist — of the show, she still formed an immediate connection with the young Jujutsu sorcerer.

"I was like, 'Oh, this character is just like me,'" she recalled thinking. "I have a similar background — I went through troubles in high school and a tragedy of my own — so I just pulled from that, recorded it in 10 minutes, and sent it out."

McKee eventually got a call from her agent, who said, "Hey, you got cast in this and also...You do realize that's the main character of the movie, right?"

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In the end, McKee says it was for the best that she had no context for Yuta's importance.

"I want to approach every audition strictly from 'what can I bring to this' not 'what can this do for me,'" she said. "If I had known, I think I would have been more nervous and wrapped up in it because I'd already seen some of the hype that season 1 generated."

*Jujutsu Kaisen 0* traced Yuta's evolution from disheveled and depressed high school student to a powerful Jujutsu sorcerer. After the emotional rollercoaster of his big-screen introduction, Yuta was largely absent from the second season, only appearing at the very end — a tease of his role to come in season 3.

Yuta Okkotsu in 'Jujutsu Kaisen'.

As *Jujutsu Kaisen* begins its battle royale-style Culling Game arc, McKee doesn't want fans to be too afraid of what's to come from Yuta, especially considering his impending clash with series protagonist Yuji.

"If you're worried about watching season 3 because of the clash between our characters that you see in the trailer, don't hold yourself back," she teased. "I think you will really enjoy how it turns out."

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As for what comes next for Yuta, besides a fierce and bloody battle as Yuji's would-be executioner, McKee noted that much has changed in the time between *Jujutsu Kaisen 0* and season 3.

"He's way more confident in his abilities, way more confident in his life," McKee said, adding that Yuta is in a place where he knows, "Yeah, I know how to kick ass."

As for finding Yuta's voice ahead of the new season, McKee said she worked to showcase his growth without straying too far from the compassionate kid that fans know and love. "That core of him is still there," she said, "but he's built upon himself and has that confident and badass aura now."

*Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution* hits theaters on Dec. 5, while the show's third season is set to begin streaming in January 2026.**

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