Why did Jujutsu Kaisen fail with Nobara while My Hero Academia succeeded with Bakugo?

Although Jujutsu Kaisen is famous for the deaths of many main characters, few people expected Gege Akutami to kill off a main character early in the story. Nobara Kugisaki was said to have died at the hands of Mahito during the Shibuya Incident arc.

Since then, she has been absent from the story without any updates on her condition for nearly 150 chapters. Until chapter 267, she suddenly appeared to help Yuji take Sukuna's life.

And this seems very similar to Bakugo's return in My Hero Academia at the end of the Final War arc. However, despite the similarities, the two events are very different.

Nobara and Bakugo's return looks alike

Before we look at the differences between Nobara and Bakugo's resurrections, let's talk about their similarities. Like Nobara, Bakugo 'died' in the middle of the final battle at the hands of Shigaraki. His 'death' was tragic and fueled Deku's determination to stop the villains.

In Nobara's case, it made Yuji more heartbroken and determined that fateful day. After Gojo was sealed, Nanami died, and countless people were massacred, the protagonist faced another tragedy when he witnessed his friend being murdered. This led to him swearing to destroy Mahito in cold fury.

While their 'deaths' have similar effects, their returns also serve similar roles. Bakugo returns at a crucial moment when All Might is about to be killed by All For One, similar to how Nobara returns at the last moment to finish off Sukuna.

Bakugo then not only saves his idol, but also defeats the biggest villain of the series. At the same time, saving Deku from the trouble of facing the villain (at least for the time being).

So what’s the difference between these two events? Well, the difference lies in the execution and the impact it has on the plot. In short, it’s all about meaningful storytelling.

Nobara's return was too late.

Bakugo's return, as controversial as it was at the time, was as unexpected as it was expected. It could have easily turned ugly if not timed well. He returns at a moment that's important enough to make us hold our breath, but not so climactic that it takes the focus away from the main character.

The same can't be said for Nobara. She returned just before Yuji could defeat the series' final villain. This seems out of place since Jujutsu Kaisen doesn't often put the main character front and center, especially in the Shinjuku Showdown arc.

So when Yuji finally gets the spotlight, it should be all about him and Sukuna. As the main character, that's his role, and we, as readers, have been waiting for that big moment from the start. There's also a lot of promise, as Yuji finally asserts his turf and threatens to end Sukuna if he doesn't release Megumi.

That great moment followed by Nobara's support completely ruined the point of it. What good is it when we know Yuji needs someone's help to defeat Sukuna?

It's like Bakugo was dead for most of the story before suddenly reappearing, right when Deku was about to defeat Shigaraki and All For One. Doesn't sound very interesting, right?

Nobara's return opens up a series of plot holes.

Another complaint about Nobara's return is that it's insignificant to her character's overall storyline. Aside from having 'aura', it adds nothing but plot holes. Why bother hiding her condition from Yuji, especially after Sukuna left his body?

If Yuta and everyone else knew about Nobara and had included her in their contingency plans, then keeping it a secret from Yuji seems completely unreasonable. And why didn't Sukuna, who knew about Nobara's Resonance and her fate, plan ahead to avoid this possibility?

We've seen the Curse King overcome powerful techniques like Hollow Purple and Jacob's Ladder multiple times, not to mention his handy array of binding oaths. But when it comes to avoiding a technique from a not-so-powerful mage, Sukuna somehow fails.

But that's not even the biggest question for Nobara's return. For example, what would Yuji do if Nobara didn't return. He would have had a way, given the confidence with which he threatened Sukuna. What would Yuji do without Resonance's help? We'll never know the answers to those questions.

It's sad that a character as interesting as Nobara was reduced to an eleventh-minute surprise resurrection. Hopefully Jujutsu Kaisen's ending will be satisfying enough to overlook this poor decision in the future.