Does Nanami come back in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga? Character's fate, explained

Jujutsu Kaisen anime-only are asking if does Nanami come back (Image via MAPPA).
Jujutsu Kaisen anime-only are asking if does Nanami come back (Image via MAPPA).

Jujutsu Kaisen anime-only fans are finally beginning to see Nanami Kento's sad fate during the Shibuya Incident arc, which has led to people questioning whether Nanami comes back in the manga. This is because the character is a massive fan-favourite and his fate in Shibuya was extremely painful to witness, especially considering the man's philosophy.

Nanami was perhaps one of the sorcerers with the most realistic take on their job in the Jujutsu Kaisen universe. He understood that his role was to protect others but also knew that this job was bound to ruin young people's lives if they managed to survive. Seeing him meeting such a dreadful end at the hands of Mahito was something that struck a chord with a lot of fans worldwide, which is why many of them want to know if he will come back in the manga.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen manga.


Nanami's fate after the Shibuya Incident arc in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga

Nanami in the Shibuya Incident arc (Image via MAPPA).
Nanami in the Shibuya Incident arc (Image via MAPPA).

A lot of Jujutsu Kaisen characters suffered during the Shibuya Incident arc, and Nanami Kento was no different. He was one of the sorcerers who were sent to deal with Kenjaku and his Curses, but he was slowly weakened after each fight, especially after dealing with Dagon and being burnt alive by Jogo. Near the arc's conclusion, half of Nanami's body was burnt, and he was barely holding onto life. Tragically, he was killed by Mahito right in front of Yuji Itadori's eyes.

Therefore, this begs the question, does Nanami come back in the manga? No, he doesn't. Nanami was torn to shreds by Mahito in Shibuya, and his body couldn't be put back together. It's also worth pointing out that Mahito only needs to touch a person to destroy them, which is exactly what he did here, adding to Yuji's traumatic experiences in the series.

Nanami is one of the many casualties in the series, making Jujutsu Kaisen a true shonen in the sense that characters can die, regardless of their popularity. This was shown with Nanami but also with the likes of Satoru Gojo and Nobara Kugisaki, which proves that author Gege Akutami has no fear of killing his characters regardless of the circumstances.


Should Akutami have done more with Nanami?

An argument has been made that Nanami could have played more important roles in the narrative after the Shibuya Incident arc. However, his death also proved to be a major catalyst for Yuji Itadori. They had developed a strong bond, and Yuji decided to use this motivation to put an end to Mahito, which proved to be one of the biggest highlights in the series.

Perhaps a big issue with the series is the fact that Akutami tends to pace it quite fast, so there is very little room for the story to breathe and linger on these significant moments. Yuji didn't have the time to mourn for Nanami, and that is a shame, considering that their relationship was quite endearing to see and had been worked for quite some time in the manga.

Nevertheless, Nanami died, and there is no hope for his return in the manga, given the manner in which he was killed by Mahito.


Final thoughts

Jujutsu Kaisen has a lot of popular characters, and Nanami is certainly one of the most prominent. However, his time in the series ended when he was killed by Mahito in Shibuya, and he is not going to come back any time soon.

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Edited by Yukta Baruah
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