Summary
- Nobara's fate in JJK 265 confirms her tragic end, with fans left mourning the loss of her character.
- Gege's treatment of female characters in JJK has been criticized, with Nobara's death seen as a failure in storytelling.
- The final battle between Sukuna and Yuji signals the end of the series, with Nobara's return now unlikely.
This article contains spoilers from JJK 265.
Jujutsu Kaisen is currently in the very last arc of the story, and things are incredibly intense at this point in time. Fans have come to love the exciting battles that they have seen, and at the same time, they are also waiting for their beloved characters to receive proper conclusions. These are characters that fans have invested hours upon hours over the course of the last few years, and naturally, they want a proper end for their beloved characters. One such character that fans always wanted to succeed in the world of JJK is Nobara.
Nobara was an incredibly important part of the story at the beginning, and along with Yuji and Megumi, made the main trio of the story. However, after the events of Shibuya, Nobara's character was decimated in more ways than one, and ever since then, fans have been left in limbo about her fate, which has now been seemingly confirmed by the author.
Nobara's Death In Jujutsu Kaisen Came During The Shibuya Arc
Nobara Was Officially Taken Down By Mahito
Nobara was a very important part of the story in Jujutsu Kaisen, at least in the very first few arcs of the story. However, as JJK continued, Nobara's importance dwindled. In the Shibuya Incident Arc, Nobara wasn't involved as much as fans would have liked, and when she did get involved, she was killed off incredibly quickly. This came as a major shock to the fans because Nobara was the main female lead in the story, and for her to simply be killed off so early was absolutely shocking. Given the repercussions of her death, it appears more likely that Nobara's death was just there for shock value and served no real purpose in the story. She was killed off in the most horrific way, during the battle against Mahito. Mahito had split himself into two and was fighting both Yuji and Nobara at the same time. Knowing that Nobara, who was one of his biggest enemies, just like Yuji, was capable of dealing damage to the soul, he immediately switched places with his other body and dealt a powerful blow of Idle Transfiguration to Nobara's face.
What happened to Kugisaki? Oh…I get it!! – Yuji
This essentially destroyed a part of her face and seemingly wrecked her brain as well. Fans got a very graphic shot of Nobara close to her death, but confirmation was never really provided to the fans about her passing. Immediately after she took a blow from Mahito, it was mentioned in the story that her chances of survival were incredibly low, but something could've been done to save her. After Shibuya, fans eventually saw Yuji ask Megumi about Nobara, and he did not answer her question.
The silence that he feigned was considered a confirmation by many. However, in the Shinjuku Showdown Arc, it was also clearly stated that Yuji was not privy to most plans because of the possibility of Sukuna finding out about them through him. For instance, Todo's return to the battlefield was kept a secret from him because of Sukuna and because it served as a wild card later down the line. Similarly, fans had hoped for Nobara's return to be kept a secret and that eventually, in the fight against the King of Curses, she would spring forth and showcase her newfound abilities.
How Nobara's Fate Hung In Balance In The Story
Nobara's Death Was Never Truly Confirmed In JJK
The entire handling of Nobara's character in Jujutsu Kaisen was not up to the mark. This is one of Gege’s biggest failures, and it will continue to hunt him for years to come. In general, Jujutsu Kaisen has one of the worst female casts that fans have seen in Shonen as of late. The bar is already very low, to begin with, as most of the stories don't even treat female characters like normal. The writing for these characters is usually abysmal, with one or two exceptions here and there. Jujutsu Kaisen is no different in this regard, and, in fact, it can be said that it is one of the worst in recent times when it comes to handling female characters.
The main lead, Nobara, was dealt the worst cards and killed off very early in the story. Other female characters got their moments here and there, but their characters were never truly developed.
It's not a zero percent chance that she'll survive, but please don't get your hopes up!! – Nitta
Still, fans had already attached themselves to the main lead, as is the case with most stories. Regardless of whether a character is written well or not, they can and will have fans. But the author didn't seem to care about her much at all. Nobara was hardly even mentioned in the story, and apart from the rage that Yuji suffered in the fight against Mahito, her death didn't pave the way to any significant plotlines. Nobara was essentially killed off just for shock value, which is incredibly sad, no matter what way fans look at it.
With Jujutsu Kaisen’s end close, fans hoped for a grand return from her, just like. But, it appears that now, her return is not going to happen, because the final battle between Sukuna and Yuji has officially begun.
Gege Seemingly Confirms Nobara's Fate
Gege Seemed To Imply Nobara's Fate Is Sealed In JJK 265
In JJK chapter 265, fans got a proper glimpse of Nobara once again. Only this glimpse came through Yuji's memories and not through the character itself being present in the story. Essentially, Yuji was thinking back to everything that he had lost over the years and what shaped him to be the person that he is today. Clearly, the author illustrated every person that Yuji lost in his life. It started with the loss of his grandfather, whom he suffered very early into the series, and then went over everyone else that he lost. The likes of Junpei, Nanami, Gojo, Choso, and even Nobara were present there. The fact that the author drew Nobara with the other dead characters of the series just about confirms that she, indeed, is dead.
Of course, this could simply be Yuji's own assumption about who is dead and who isn't, but given that the author is planning to wrap up this fight as well and has just given fans a montage of the characters who Yuji, the protagonist, lost along the way, it is highly unlikely for her to ever appear in the story again.
At this point, fans simply need to make peace with the fact that Nobara was a brilliant Jujutsu Sorcerer who had hopes and dreams for a better life and that she was dealt with in a horrid manner. Her story, which carried significant potential, was absolutely destroyed by the author. Of course, for fans who love deaths just because they offer shock value and make a series seem more mature, this was everything they could've asked for. For others, who actually care about proper character writing and deep-lying messages within those character arcs, this was a display of the fact that JJK has many shortcomings.
Jujutsu Kaisen is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of JJK, Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 266, is set to be August 18, 2024.
- Release Date
- October 3, 2020
- Network
- TBS, MBS, CBC, Tulip Television, BSN, tys, NBC, HBC, RKK, i-Television, SBS, IBC, BSS, MRO, OBS, TUF, RSK, TUY, tbc, RKB, SBC, KUTV, RBC, UTY, RCC, MRT, atv, MBC
- Directors
- Ryohei Takeshita, Masataka Akai, Chie Nishizawa, Daisuke Tsukushi, Tomomi Kamiya, Kakushi Ifuku, Ken Takahashi
- Writers
- Hiroshi Seko
- Franchise(s)
- Jujutsu Kaisen
Cast
-
Junya EnokiYuji Itadori -
Yuichi NakamuraSatoru Gojo
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio
- MAPPA
- Creator
- Gege Akutami
- Number of Episodes
- 47
