Abbot Jikei is a high-ranking Buddhist priest who serves as the primary target for the assassin Ogami Itto in the film Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons. He is a trusted spiritual advisor to Lord Kuroda of the Kuroda clan, which places him at the center of a dangerous political conspiracy. Lord Kuroda has secretly decided to bypass his true heir, his son Lord Matsumaru, in favor of raising his mistress's daughter as a boy to succeed him. This explosive secret is detailed in a document that Lord Kuroda entrusted to Jikei for safekeeping. However, Jikei betrays this trust; he is in fact a spy working for the evil Yagyu clan, the mortal enemies of Ogami Itto. His mission is to deliver the incriminating document to Lord Yagyu Retsudo, an act that would give the Yagyu clan the leverage to destroy the Kuroda and seize their power.

Personality-wise, Jikei is depicted as a calm and spiritually formidable figure. He is not a warrior in the conventional sense, but his deep Buddhist training has granted him a unique and unsettling presence. When Ogami Itto finally confronts him, Jikei shows no fear. He speaks of having achieved a state of nothingness, or Mu, where he has erased his ego and merged with the universe. He explains to the assassin that one cannot kill that which is essentially naught, claiming that Ogami's bloodlust finds no target to lock onto. This spiritual attainment is so profound that even the hardened killer Ogami is momentarily frozen and unable to strike, sheathing his sword and departing without completing his mission at their first meeting.

The character's primary motivation appears to be political, acting as an agent for the Yagyu clan, though his philosophical dialogue suggests a deep immersion in Zen concepts. His role in the story is that of a lynchpin antagonist. The entire mission for Ogami, hired by five self-sacrificing retainers of the Kuroda clan, is to intercept Jikei and retrieve the document before it reaches the Yagyu. He serves as an unusual obstacle not because of his combat prowess, but because of his spiritual mastery, which challenges the very foundation of Ogami's way of the assassin.

In terms of key relationships, Jikei is defined by his betrayal of Lord Kuroda, his service to Lord Yagyu Retsudo, and his philosophical opposition to Ogami Itto. The encounter between Jikei and Ogami is notable for its inversion of the typical samurai film duel; it is a battle of wills and spiritual enlightenment rather than one of sword skill. The development of their conflict is unique in the series. Ogami is forced to abandon a direct confrontation and instead stalks his target. He eventually kills Jikei not in a temple or on a road, but through a stealthy and brutal aquatic ambush, cutting a hole in the bottom of Jikei's boat as it crosses a river and slaying the priest from below.

Abbot Jikei's most notable ability is not a physical one but a spiritual state known as Mu, or the gateless barrier. This is a state of self-annihilation where the subject and object become one, making the individual impossible to perceive as a target for an attacker. This ability, which he uses to disarm Ogami's aggression, marks him as a master of a profound level of martial and spiritual understanding, a level that even the demonic assassin acknowledges. This concept of Mu is a significant element in the lore of Lone Wolf and Cub, as it represents the ultimate void which a master of the way of the assassin must also confront.