Jujutsu Kaisen's biggest injustice to Nobara's character has nothing to do with her return (or her absence)

Nobara Kugisaki quickly became a standout in Jujutsu Kaisen, praised for refreshing the shonen genre. While debates rage over her fate after the Shibuya Incident, the real issue lies in her underdeveloped character arc. Despite being part of the main trio with Yuji and Megumi, she lacked sufficient screen time, meaningful growth, and backstory depth.

Her potential remained largely unexplored before she was sidelined, preventing her from achieving the legacy she deserved. More than her possible return, the real disservice is how Jujutsu Kaisen failed to develop one of its most promising female characters fully.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the writer.

---

Wasted potential: How Jujutsu Kaisen failed to develop Nobara Kugisaki fully

The initial appeal of Nobara's character extended beyond simply avoiding s*xualization and romantic storylines. The character's resonance with audiences went beyond her refreshing surface-level traits. Nobara stood out because she displayed fearless self-assurance alongside genuine emotional depth.

Nobara naturally exhibited emotional depth and physical strength in the anime. The "pretty privilege" speech Nobara delivered during the Death Painting arc demonstrated her complex character, embracing femininity as her power source while dismissing the myth that women cannot be feminine and strong.

Nobara Kugisaki as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via MAPPA)

However, Akutami never fully capitalized on this promising foundation. While Yuji and Megumi received substantial character development through multiple arcs examining their philosophies, motivations, and growth, Nobara's development remained comparatively static. Her countryside background and relationship with Saori were briefly mentioned but never thoroughly explored.

While visually distinctive, her cursed technique didn't evolve with the same deliberate progression as that of her male counterparts. Even her significant moments—fighting alongside Yuji against Eso and Kechizu or her confrontation with Mahito—served primarily to advance other characters' arcs rather than her own.

This pattern of neglect represents a missed opportunity in a series that initially positioned itself as progressive in its character treatment. Jujutsu Kaisen introduced Nobara as an equal member of the first-year trio yet gradually relegated her to a supporting role.

The stark contrast becomes evident when comparing her character arc to Megumi's philosophical journey or Yuji's evolving relationship with suffering and death. While these male characters grew through carefully constructed narrative challenges, Nobara's growth was primarily implied rather than explicitly developed.

---

A promising protagonist undermined by Jujutsu Kaisen’s narrative choices

The inequality is further highlighted by how her techniques were presented. Resonance and Hairpin remained relatively static compared to Megumi's expanding Shikigami arsenal or Yuji's mastery of Divergent Fist and later Black Flash.

Despite her technique's intriguing applications and symbolic significance—connecting distant points much like her connection to her past—these thematic elements were left as mere subtext rather than fully realized narrative threads.

This stagnation limited her combat evolution, denying her the power progression that typically defines shonen protagonists and keeps audiences invested in their journeys.

---

Conclusion

The true injustice to Nobara isn't just her uncertain fate but the unfulfilled potential of her character. She offered a fresh take on female leads in Jujutsu Kaisen, breaking free from outdated shonen tropes—neither reduced to romance nor forced to reject femininity. Her story had the groundwork to explore themes of rural displacement, female friendship, and the balance of strength and vulnerability.

However, she became a victim of narrative prioritization, sidelined in favor of other arcs. Fans don't just mourn her absence but the lost opportunity to see her fully developed—a standout female protagonist whose journey was cut short, not by an enemy's attack, but by the author's shifting focus.

---