Jujutsu Kaisen fandom is in tears after creator Gege Akutami draws Nobara for a side story

Nobara Kugisaki is undoubtedly one of the most popular characters in Jujutsu Kaisen, and one of the most beloved female characters in modern Shonen anime. However, manga readers have been yearning for any news on Nobara since she was last seen in chapter 126. Every mention of her since then has been cryptic at best and misleading at worst.

However, the spoilers leaked today showed that mangaka Gege Akutami surprised fans by drawing Nobara recently. Sadly, it is only for the side story presented in the upcoming Jujutsu Kaisen volume 20. Nonetheless, fans are elated that Akutami “still remembers that he created a character named Nobara.”

Disclaimer: This article contains heavy spoilers from Jujutsu Kaisen manga.

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Jujutsu Kaisen mangaka Akutami draws Nobara after over a year for volume 20 extra page

Today, several leakers posted the raw scans of the side stories that accompany Jujutsu Kaisen volume 20. One of the side stories is about Nobara, Yuji, and Megumi when they were forced to babysit on Shoko Ieiri’s request. The trio discovers a story about Yuji’s childhood, after which hilarity ensues.

Needless to say, while Nobara was barely portrayed in four straight panels, it was enough for the fandom to be nearly moved to tears. It has been more than 21 months since Nobara was last seen in a Jujutsu Kaisen chapter, and fans have been desperate for any concrete information on her.

Many fans have jokingly remarked that Akutami may have forgotten how to draw her, while others have raged against the mangaka for doing injustice to their favorite character.

Nobara Kugisaki was last seen in a conscious state in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 125. After being affected by Mahito’s technique, she visibly lost her right eye and fell unconscious. She was not seen after chapter 126, and while Arata Nitta did promise Yuji that he would do his best to save her life, he very strictly reminded Yuji not to hold out any hope.

Afterward, the final mention of Kugisaki comes in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 144, where Yuji asks Megumi what happened to her, and the readers are presented with a symbolic, non-verbal conversation between the two boys that could be interpreted in innumerable ways. However, the fandom, against Arata’s caution, held out hope for Nobara’s return since Akutami never confirmed her death, which is both unusual and telling for the mangaka.

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Current state of affairs

In such a state of affairs, bringing Nobara back for an unrelated side story is both a blessing and a curse. While this side story gives readers plenty of wholesome nostalgia about their favorite trio, it also brings out the stark contrast to the three students’ current whereabouts. Nobara is injured and her status has been suspiciously unclear for nearly 2 weeks (October 31 to November 14) in the manga timeline.

Yuji has lost nearly all will to live and is hanging on by a thread simply because he has to save others and keep Sukuna away from Megumi while dealing with the fact that he might be a Death Painting. Megumi is currently unconscious and at the mercy of the mysterious Hana Kurusu while his sister is in danger, his teacher is imprisoned, and his best friend can die at any moment. Needless to say, this reminder of a happier time in such conditions makes a melancholic gift.

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Omake

Should Akutami bring Nobara back in the near future, it will be one of the most popular entries in the Culling Game so far. Logically, the amount of effort the mangaka has put into making Nobara’s disappearance suspicious and obscure makes it clear that he plans to bring her back at some point. The return of Naoya Zen’in has opened up the possibility of Nobara’s return in a different form. Hopefully, Jujutsu Kaisen readers won’t have to wait very long for any substantial information on her.