Yu Haibara: The Death in Jujutsu Kaisen that changed Nanami and Geto forever

Yu Haibara's death in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 was one of the significant moments that changed the lives of Suguru Geto and Kento Nanami and altered their outlook toward the Jujutsu world. From time to time, Mangaka Gege Akutami has shown how unforgiving the world of Jujutsu Kaisen is. This miasmatic world full of hopelessness seldom sees characters like Haibara, who exudes optimism, perish.

In the Premature Death arc, Yu Haibara was introduced as an optimistic Jujutsu Sorcerer full of high spirits. He was the polar opposite to characters like Geto and Nanami. Despite being a side character, his positive energy rubbed off and gave Geto and Nanami a sense of purpose.

However, his death marked a dynamic shift in their psyche, and they realized the futility of being a Jujutsu Sorcerer. His death affected not only Geto, who spiraled downward into a moral regression but also Kento Nanami, whose outlook toward the Jujutsu World and his job changed completely.

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Yu Haibara's death in Jujutsu Kaisen altered the ideals of Geto and Nanami

Yu Haibara was introduced in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2, episode 5. As mentioned, he was portrayed as an optimistic and upbeat sorcerer with an immense sense of righteousness. His passion and excitement for his job as a Jujutsu Sorcerer made him an extremely likable character.

Apart from being a classmate of Kento Nanami, Haibara also looked up to upper-grade sorcerers like Suguru Geto. However, he was nipped from the bud before he could fully blossom into a proper Jujutsu Sorcerer.

Yu Haibara's death in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via MAPPA)

Yu Haibara's death immensely affected Suguru Geto, and it became one of the reasons behind his moral regression. Geto had admired Haibara's positive approach to being a sorcerer. While on the verge of descending into a spiral of darkness, Haibara's positive perspective towards being a Jujutsu Sorcerer kept Geto's righteousness somewhat alive.

Even though Geto questioned his duty as a Jujutsu Sorcerer, Haibara's positiveness made him feel that humanity was worth saving. In other words, Haibara's optimism kept a lid on the chaos that Geto harbored inside.

Suguru Geto on the verge of moral regression (Image via MAPPA)

However, he was pushed to the edge when he learned the news of Haibara's death. Geto realized his friends' bleak future as long as cursed spirits existed. He believed that his friends were eventually destined to become a pile of corpses in this marathon game of being sorcerers.

There were a series of incidents that resulted in Geto's moral corruption. He was flabbergasted to see the horrific side of the Jujutsu World. The very people that Geto was saving from the cursed spirits could cruelly kill an innocent girl like Riko Amanai.

Geto and Yuki (Image via MAPPA)

Later, Suguru learned from Yuki Tsukomo that it is the negative energy of the non-Jujutsu Sorcerers that give birth to the cursed spirits. He began to see them as stinking monkeys and developed a deep despite to eradicate all the Non-Jujutsu Sorcerers from the world.

Knowing this fact from Yuki Tsukomo and the sight of Yu Haibara's corpse had grown the maggot inside his head, which ate away his sense of righteousness. Haibara's death opened Suguru's eyes, and he wanted to prevent his friends from meeting the same fate as Yu Haibara. As a result, he descended into a dark spiral of no return.

Haibara's death in Jujutsu Kaisen also affected Nanami, but he didn't follow the path Geto took. Instead, he began to detest his job as a Jujutsu Sorcerer. To him, being a Jujutsu Sorcerer became a burden that he had to carry, and the ultimate fruit of carrying this burden is nothing but despair.

As a result, he left being a Jujutsu Sorcerer and became a salaryman. However, Nanami realized the monotonous life as a salaryman and came back to the Jujutsu World.

Kento Nanami as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via MAPPA)

Even though he detests being a sorcerer and finds it a pain, he didn't morally regress like Suguru Geto. However, it has to be said that Haibara's death in Jujutsu Kaisen also affected his psyche greatly.

One could say that the Premature Arc in Jujutsu Kaisen wasn't just the premature death of a budding sorcerer, Yu Haibara, but also the death of Suguru Geto's righteousness and Nanami's hope as a Jujutsu Sorcerer. However, unlike Geto, Nanami could retain his moral righteousness.

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