Summary
Nobara's ambiguous death in Jujutsu Kaisen left fans disappointed with the lack of closure. Evidence suggests that Nobara may not be dead, but the lack of follow-up adds to the confusion. Nanami's legacy is honored, while Nobara's fate remains uncertain in Jujutsu Kaisen.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen
IN Jujutsu KaisenThe apparent death of a character is, for some reason, kept absurdly vague. Nobara Kugisaki met her supposed end during the Shibuya Incident, after Mahito used Idle Transformation to mutilate her face and gouge out one eye. However, it was never explicitly stated that Nobara was actually dead. She's almost certainly dead, considering how much manga is left for her to appear in, but Gege Akutami just refuses to give her closure.
It becomes one of the most annoying plot points of the series, especially as it heads towards the finale. Despite starting the series as one of the 'main trio' along with protagonist Yuji Itadori and their wizard friend training Megumi Fushiguro, Her unclear death seems to have been completely blown away by the fight that followed immediately.. She received a few brief mentions, but was largely brushed off.
Why Gege Akutami did this remains unclear. Perhaps they had intended for her to return at some point, but time was running out for Nobara to do so. Even if she turned back now, it might be too late.
Evidence shows that Nobara is not really dead
Some fans are still clinging to hope
As mentioned, Nobara was never actually said to be dead. Just before Yuji and Todo go to fight Mahito and avenge Nobara, another training witch named Arata Nitta is also there. Arata has a weak reverse curse technique that doesn't patch wounds but prevents them from getting worse. He explicitly tells Yuji that she may not be dead, but so as not to arouse his hopes. To the reader, this will indicate ninety-nine percent of the time that a character is not, in fact, dead and will likely recover.
Nobara was Mahito's second victim during the Shibuya Incident – the first was Kento Nanami, who was completely destroyed by the curse. In comparison, her injuries really weren't that terrible. A character losing her eye is also quite a common phenomenon in the media, so thinking that she will still return is not as hopeful as one might think. However, when Yuji met Megumi after the Shibuya Incident, he asked about Kugisaki, only to receive a sad look from his friend in response. Nobara never appeared again. She is also rarely mentioned anymore.
Gege Akutami still has to watch
Kugisaki is forgotten for the rest of Jujutsu Kaisen
Strangely, Nobara was almost completely forgotten after Yuji asked about her. Now this might seem obvious – after all, if a character died, they wouldn't sit around lamenting it, especially in a fast-paced manga like Jujutsu Kaisen. However, the characters who should be discussing her death don't talk about it. The most serious case is when Satoru Gojo is finally freed from the Prison Kingdom.
Gojo had been Nobara's teacher, and although they did not have a deep relationship, one might expect that Gojo would say something about her death. Gojo talked about Nanami's death. But Nobara is not mentioned. Since Nanami has a rather intimate relationship with Gojo, being friends but not really interacting on a long-term basis, it is it was completely strange that his student's death was written off in Nanami's place. Unless, of course, Nobara isn't dead, but for all intents and purposes, she might as well be.
The only time Nobara is actually mentioned
Kugisaki received a single reference
To Gege Akutami's credit, they mentioned Nobara later in the manga. It is compared to another character, Hana Kurusu, the host of the 'Angel' that the protagonists have been searching for since the Annihilation Game began. Yuji says he's worried that she'll replace Nobara in their 'threesome'. This is by far the last reference to Nobara in Jujutsu Kaisen. Perhaps Hana's lack of relevance after the Killing Game is what Yuji is referring to, since both she and Nobara are contributing equally to the plot right now.
Hana doesn't even really have a chance to replace Nobara. She was introduced along with a bunch of other witches participating in the Killing Games and didn't get much development. Megumi helped her when they were both children, but other than that, little is known about her or the 'Angel'. Although it was unfortunate that Hana was intended to replace Nobara in the trilogy, this was never realized. The plot quickly removes Megumi from the picture after that, dashing any hope of a new trio properly forming.
Nanami gets the legacy, Nobara doesn't
Nanami's death had more severe consequences than Nobara's
However, Nanami's death is still continued. As mentioned, Gojo paid his respects to the Sorcerer, but more importantly the fact his technique and cursed tools were combined. The iconic cloth-wrapped sword was imbued with his 'weakness' technique and entrusted to Nanami's close associate Takuma Ino. This was a satisfactory sequel and featured his death, so even though he was destroyed by Mahito, Nanami still helped in some way from beyond the grave.
Nobara, as the title above states, received no such honor. Although her Straw Doll technique is unique and interesting, the hammer-wielding witch is forgotten. Due to Itadori having received several other powers before the final battle was taking place, such as Blood Manipulation, Yuji receiving a straw doll that recreates Nobara's technique could be a perfect way to show how he will continue her legacy. But no such tool was given to Yuji, which puts her status in further question.
The reappearance of another witch could hint at an imminent return
Nobara can still come back
Nobara shows only relative promise, so to keep up she must become stronger off-screen. That would be a very unsatisfactory way to make her relevant again.
For a long time, Jujutsu Kaisen recently brought back a character who was almost as departed as Nobara, Aoi Todo. Todo was seriously injured in his battle with Yuji against Mahito, losing one hand and having the other burned. Since Todo needed to clap his hands to activate his technique, his career as a wizard should have ended. But he came back with a new way to activate his technique in Chapter 260, mentioning “resonance”, which is also the name of Nobara's cursed move. Todo's return could be a sign of Nobara's surprising return.
However, Jujutsu Kaisen is getting very close to its conclusion. With so little left, fans may see her return as fake. Todo has proven himself to be an expert sorcerer, but Nobara only shows relative promise, so to keep up, she had to grow stronger off-screen. That would be a very unsatisfactory way to make her relevant again. As it is now, NobaraGege's death and its complete ambiguity and Gege Akutami's constant refusal to follow it culminated into a frustrating plot point that would have otherwise never been satisfactorily resolved. . Jujutsu Kaisen end.