Jujutsu Kaisen: Akutami's plan to bring back Nobara was tinged with a clever misdirection and it has to do with Yuji recalling the dead

Jujutsu Kaisen has been a series fraught with unexpected twists, turns, and hidden references that were tough to decipher. No one knew what to expect next, and creator Gege Akutami kept viewers guessing. Among all the things shrouded in mystery in the series, one of the biggest ones was Nobara Kugisaki's status. Until chapter 267, she was presumed both dead and alive, like Schrodinger's cat.

But this, again, was a clever play on Akutami's part. The mangaka did extremely well to remain tight-lipped about her till the very end. The only available information was that Arata Nitta got to her during the Shibuya Incident and used his Cursed Technique (CT) Painkiller on her, but did not confirm or deny her safety.

Subsequently, Akutami thrust fans into despair through a certain panel in a previous chapter before finally letting the cat out of the bag in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 267.

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Jujutsu Kaisen: Akutami misleading audiences about Nobara's return was linked with Yuji remembering the dead

Yuji recalls the memories of the ones he lost along the way (Image via Gege Akutami, Shueisha)

Referring back to Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 265, Akutami misled fans into believing that Nobara was dead. For context, the chapter featured Yuji Itadori and Ryomen Sukuna in the former's domain. The boy wanted to chat with the King of Curses, and trapping Sukuna within his domain was the only way he could do it. The teen then began to recollect and share his past with Sukuna.

Towards the end of the monologue, the manga depicted a series of characters who had died, like Gojo Satoru, Kento Nanami, Junpei Yoshino, Choso, and Naobito Zenin. Among them was Nobara. This created a wave of melancholy in the fandom, which was holding onto a shred of hope that the ginger-haired girl would return.

With fans looking elsewhere, Akutami continued the story for another chapter before finally dropping the bomb. Chapter 267 featured a familiar face with an eye patch, equipped with a nail and a hammer, standing before Sukuna's final finger. She had finally returned, and that too at the most vital moment of the Shinjuku Showdown.

Nobara Kugisaki (Image via MAPPA)

This is how Akutami used Yuji's flashback to misdirect viewers into believing that Nobara was dead. It was all the more believable since absolutely no information was divulged about her following the Shibuya Incident. Mahito had blown out her eye, and she lay on the platform motionless after bidding Yuji farewell.

Moreover, even Arata was not sure that Nobara would survive. How she managed to make it through might be revealed in subsequent chapters, but this can only be speculated for the time being. As logic would dictate, Arata's Painkiller likely prevented the wound from worsening before Shoko Ieiri's expertise came into play.

Akutami has proven himself to be a master of deception and detail. Much of what has happened in Jujutsu Kaisen has been hinted at in minor details that have been overlooked.

For instance, Yuji was shown to operate solely on physical attacks, but later, he shocked fans by using Sukuna's Shrine Techniques. This was previously hinted at when Gojo explained that Sukuna sharing Yuji's body meant his CT would get imprinted on him, and soon, he would be able to do the same, which is what happened.

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Related links:

• Is Nobara Kugisaki dead in Jujutsu Kaisen? Explained
• Does Nobara wear an eyepatch in Jujutsu Kaisen after her return? Explained
• Nobara's return in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 267 makes perfect sense, and her role in the series is a key reason why