Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 253 starts a Kusakabe vs. Nanami War

Modified Mar 08, 2024 21:46 GMT

Kusakabe and Nanami as seen in the Jujutsu Kaisen anime (image via MAPPA)

Following the release of the Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 253 leaks, hopes of Maki Zen'in's return to the battlefield are gone for good. The chapter not only featured Maki's battle against Sukuna coming to a decisive conclusion, but it also raised some serious doubts about her survival.

With no one else left to challenge the King of Curses following Maki's defeat, the battle narrative seems to be finally shifting its focus to Atsuya Kusakabe, who has recently emerged as one of the series' standout characters.

That said, some fans apparently took issue with the fact that Kusakabe was declared as the strongest Grade One sorcerer, that too, by the fan-favorite character Kento Nanami, in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 253.

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 253: Kusakabe's declaration as the strongest Grade One sorcerer starts a heated debate among fans

Expand Tweet

Atsuya Kusakabe made his first appearance in Jujutsu Kaisen's Shibuya Incident arc, where he infamously proclaimed that he supported Yuji Itadori's execution. While this moment may not have created the best first impression of his character, fans eventually took a liking to Kusakabe after he proved to be one of the most reliable and resourceful sorcerers throughout the series.

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 253 started with a flashback scene in which Kusakabe and other characters, such as Satoru Gojo, Kento Nanami, and Mei Mei, were asked who the strongest Grade One sorcerer is. Surprisingly, everyone declared that Kusakabe was the strongest Grade One sorcerer of Jujutsu High. Kusakabe was the only one who disagreed.

Expand Tweet

The fact that Kusakabe was acknowledged as the strongest Grade One sorcerer by Gojo himself was enough to prove the former's strength and skills. However, this declaration did not go well with some fans, who were visibly upset that Nanami believed Kusakabe was stronger than him.

Whenever a fan-favorite character acknowledges someone to be stronger than them, it mostly doesn't sit well with fans. As such, Kusakabe being confirmed to be stronger than Nanami in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 253 became a heated topic of discussion among the fanbase, as fans started to compare the respective feats of the two characters to determine who was stronger.

Fans engage in a heated Kusakabe vs. Nanami discussion following Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 253

Fans believe that Nanami should be the strongest Grade One sorcerer (image via Sportskeeda)

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 253 featured a callback to fan-favorite characters like Satoru Gojo and Kento Nanami, with the latter emerging as a major topic of discussion among the fanbase. Apparently, Nanami declaring that Kusakabe is the strongest Grade One sorcerer didn't sit well with some fans, who went on to have a heated debate regarding who's stronger between the two.

So far in the series, Nanami has been shown to be an incredibly powerful Grade One sorcerer who could more or less hold his own against Special Grade Curses. That said, it's important to remember that Nanami intentionally stepped away from Jujutsu sorcery after graduating.

Fans argue that Nanami has been proven to be weaker than Kusakabe (image via Sportskeeda)

On the other hand, Kusakabe has probably been a sorcerer for a long time. Despite his fearful and lazy attitude, he has been shown to be a pretty capable fighter and a proficient swordsman. So far, he has successfully defended himself against Kenjaku and Sukuna's strongest attacks and continues to fight against the latter in the current storyline of the series.

Furthermore, the fact that pretty much everyone holds him in high regard due to his strength and reliability makes it clear that he is worthy of being acknowledged as the strongest Grade One sorcerer.

Final thoughts

Now that almost every other sorcerer is down for the count following the events of chapter 253, Kusakabe will finally get his opportunity to shine. However, seeing how even Special Grade sorcerers were disposed of quickly by the King of Curses, things may not look very good for Kusakabe's fate in the series.