Why the Jujutsu Kaisen fandom hates Nobara's death more than Nanami's explored

The past couple of episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 saw the heartbreaking deaths of Kento Nanami and Nobara Kugisaki, two of the series' most beloved characters. Although most fans on social media seemed to agree that Nanami's death gave the character a perfect sendoff, the same cannot be said for Nobara.

Episode 19 of Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 saw the tragic demise of Nobara at the hands of Mahito. Despite a valiant effort, she dropped her guard against the Cursed Spirit when he swapped places with his clone and touched Nobara's face. As a result, half of her face blew apart, which seemingly resulted in her death.

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Exploring the reason behind fans' disdain for Nobara's death in Jujutsu Kaisen

With each passing episode, Kento Nanami's death became increasingly certain to fans, as the 9-5 sorcerer suffered grave injuries in his fights against Dagon and Jogo. After taking out a horde of transfigured humans despite being at death's door, Nanami fell victim to Mahito's Idle Transfiguration, which ended his life right in front of Yuji Itadori.

In his final moments, Nanami imagined the life he had always wanted as he revealed his wish to settle in Kuantan, Malaysia. Although his death was extremely emotional and a major turning point in the series, fans were more or less satisfied with how he went out.

According to fans, Nanami's character had the perfect sendoff, as he seemingly died with no regrets. His death also served as an important catalyst for Itadori's character development, as the death of a mentor usually has a major impact on a character.

Nobara Kugisaki as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2(image via MAPPA)

In the following episode, the series bid farewell to another major character, Nobara Kugisaki, who was also killed by Mahito. Although her death was certainly emotional and left the whole fandom in tears, most people seemed to agree that her death was not as much of a great sendoff as Nanami's.

It is a popular opinion that the reason behind Nobara's death was nothing other than shock value and wasn't necessary to the overall story. Furthermore, she was merely a first-year student at Jujutsu High who started as a sorcerer not too long ago. As per fans, her character had a lot of unrealized potential, as she was not as refined in battle as her friends.

Despite being one of the series' main characters, her character wasn't nearly explored enough. Many people feel the Shibuya Incident wasted her character by killing her too soon. Fans would have undoubtedly loved to see her character develop and grow throughout the series.

Fans argue that it often feels like Gege Akutami, the mangaka of Jujutsu Kaisen, killed Nobara off just to give more development to Itadori's character. That, in itself, is considered unnecessary by many, as Itadori had gone through enough by that point. Killing off one of the main characters before she could have any significant character-defining moments or battles didn't sit well with fans, who openly expressed their dislike for the decision.

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Final thoughts

Nobara's death in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 proved one thing: Death may come to anyone in the series, be it a smaller character or one of the main characters. Although her return has been speculated for years in the manga, it seems unlikely as of now.

It's safe to say that even though the decision to kill Nobara may not have been right, her final moments resonated with every viewer and left an indelible mark on the series.