Who is Saori in Jujutsu Kaisen? Nobara’s childhood friend, explored

Watchers of Jujutsu Kaisen’s second season may have just been blindsided by the introduction of a character with a connection to Nobara’s past, Saori. Who is this mysterious woman, and what does she have to do with the hammer-wielding girl’s otherwise quiet past? As stakes rise ever higher in Shibuya, people might be wondering where Saori is.

Saori was a childhood friend of Nobara, despite being seven years older than her - living in the same village as her and Nobara’s other childhood friend, Fumi. While Saori seems to live a pretty normal life, her mother was apparently into spirituality and organic foods, implicating that she is perhaps the daughter of a Sorcerer herself. However, she soon left the village to move to Tokyo.

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Saori in Jujutsu Kaisen - Nobara’s big sister figure

Nobara as a child. (Image via Studio MAPPA)

Saori, Nobara, and Fumi met in their youth in the village in which the latter two grew up. Despite their large age difference, the three became good friends. Some fans initially believed Saori had been killed in an incident involving Curses, due to Fumi only recalling Nobara crying as Saori left town. However, this wasn't the case, as viewers later got a confirmation that Saori was alive and well.

In the wake of the massive Shibuya Incident, there is a small scene involving Saori, who has become a regular office worker in her adulthood. She and a coworker speculate on the attack in Shibuya, whether or not it was a terrorist attack - a rare glimpse into civilian life in Jujutsu Kaisen.

In this time, Saori also reflects on those days with her friends in the village, and how she wanted to impress them. Of course, Saori grew up to be a completely normal person, and she fears that Nobara and Fumi would think she had become another boring adult.

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How Nobara’s friends are important to her

Saori as she appears in the latest episode. (Image via Studio MAPPA)

Nobara had moved away from her small village hometown in her teenage years after longing for city life. She promised both Saori and Fumi that they’d all reunite in Tokyo one day, but unfortunately, as most Jujutsu Kaisen fans know, that may be difficult. Nobara suffered a grievous wound during the Shibuya incident, courtesy of Mahito.

The scene with Saori in Jujutsu Kaisen is to provide another look into Nobara’s friends outside her main group of Yuji, Megumi, and other attendees of Jujutsu High.

Fumi has a similar scene where she reminisces on her time with Nobara - playing video games and seeing Nobara leave her hometown.

Saori is a childhood friend of Nobara who has no attachment to curses. She might be related to a sorcerer, but she herself seems to be living a more ‘normal’ civilian life, speculating on the world of curses with an outsider’s perspective. Serving as a parallel to Nobara, who got the high-octane life she had always sought, Saori seems to think her city life is quite boring.

Nobara’s been missing in Jujutsu Kaisen ever since the Shibuya Incident, so making good on her promise to Saori and Fumi may become difficult. But who’s to say she’s gone for good? Nobara could be waiting to make her proper return to reunite with her friends.

Readers know Saori still treasures that childhood friendship - and if Nobara makes her return, she’ll make that reunion happen.