Highlights

• Nobara's death in JJK was unexpected, but her return is still possible, leaving fans hopeful for her return in the story.
• The fact that Nobara's death was never explicitly confirmed in the series increases the possibility of her survival and return in future chapters.
• If Nobara were to return, she could play a crucial role in the battle against Sukuna, given her ability to damage enemies' souls, making her valuable to the story.

Nobara Kugisaki was one of the main characters in JJK right at the beginning. Alongside Yuji and Megumi, she was part of the main trio of the series that fans followed, under the guidance of none other than Gojo Satoru, the strongest sorcerer. Nobara was on her way to becoming one of the strongest sorcerers of the modern era, however, her journey JJK was, unfortunately, cut short. This is because Gege loves to kill off his characters, regardless of how it affects the plot, as he himself has explained before.

Sometimes this isn't the smartest decision and leaves many character arcs incomplete. Nobara's character arc was certainly far from complete, and fans were devastated to learn she would no longer be involved in the story's future. However, the door for her return is still open, now more than ever.

Nobara's death in JJK

Nobara lost his life to Mahito in Shibuya

Nobara has been in many battles in Jujutsu Kaisen since the beginning of the series. This isn't a surprise to fans, given that it's a story heavily focused on combat. In fact, it could be said that JJK is much more battle-focused than most Shonen out there, which is a blessing in many ways, but also a curse in some others. For Nobara, she had plenty of opportunities to show off early in the series, and she did so effortlessly on many occasions. Nobara, like the other two characters in the main trio, Yuji and Megumi, grew consistently with each passing arc.

However, in the end, things didn't go as fans expected for this character. In the Shibuya Incident Arc, Nobara met her end. This was an unexpected turn in the series, and one that left fans utterly shocked, given the character's importance to the plot. The Shibuya Incident arc gave fans their first glimpse of Gege Akutami unleashing his inner monster. He began killing characters left, right, and center, and Nobara also ended up caught in the vortex. Just as the battle between Yuji and Mahito was getting intense, Nobara also joined the fray. At this point, Mahito split in two.

I will bring her corpse to Yuji Itadori and destroy her soul!

One part of him was fighting Yuji, while the other was fighting Nobara herself. The one fighting Nobara couldn't use the power of Idle Transfiguration, so it was at a disadvantage against her, as her techniques directly targeted the soul of an individual using Resonance, making her a perfect counter to Mahito. Realizing the threat she posed, the other half of Mahito began to run toward the main body fighting Yuji and switched places. Essentially, Nobara, who was chasing Mahito at the time, didn't realize the switch had taken place and was struck by Idle Transfiguration when she least expected it.

With a single palm strike, Mahito was able to destroy the left side of Nobara's face, essentially leaving her dead. This deeply shocked Yuji, and at the same time, fans were also left in disbelief. Fans even had a brief flashback of Nobara afterward, which pretty much solidified the fact that she had died. However, even after suffering this traumatic injury, there is still hope for this character, against all odds.

Why Nobara's return is still possible

Nobara's death was never openly declared to have happened.

The first thing fans need to keep in mind is that Nobara's death was never explicitly confirmed in the series. Nobara suffered a very serious injury, and it's highly likely she died. However, the chances of her surviving this event still exist, due to the fact that her death was never confirmed. When Nobara was struck by this powerful technique, it was immediately clear that there was a small hope for her and that she would receive immediate treatment. However, what also became clear to Yuji was that nothing was certain. After Aoi Todo and Yuji collaborated to defeat Mahito, and the Shibuya Incident arc concluded, Yuji learned from Megumi that Nobara did not survive.

Ever since I joined you, I've been afraid she'll replace Kugisaki.

Instead, it would be more accurate to say that Megumi feigned silence at this point, which, once again, only implied that Nobara had died. However, proper confirmation of her death was never provided to fans. Megumi never said that Nobara was essentially dead, nor did any other character in the series. While the implication was certainly that Nobara died, the author could easily be misleading fans here, setting Nobara up for a big return later.

This is truer now than ever. In the previous JJK chapter, Todo returned to battle. Now, Todo's situation is slightly different from Nobara's. On the one hand, fans know that Todo was alive and well after Shibuya. The only thing he supposedly lost was the power to use Boogie Woogie, as he himself mentioned at the time. However, in the previous JJK chapter, Todo entered the battlefield with Boogie Woogie intact, claiming that he began to feel the heartbeat of the cursed technique again.

Essentially, this also sets up Nobara's return to the story. If Todo, who was also hit by Idle Transfiguration, managed to survive, then so did Nobara. Granted, her injuries were more severe and could easily have resulted in death, but if her injury somehow managed to be non-fatal, then there's absolutely a chance she could have survived and honed her powers since then. When it comes to Nobara's survival potential, it certainly exists, and that's something no fan of the series can deny.

In fact, Nobara's return to the story now makes perfect sense. This is because she would be a great asset in the battle against Sukuna. Fans know that Nobara has the power to directly damage enemies' souls. This is a skill she shares with Yuji, who possesses punches that can damage his enemy's soul. Nobara can do something similar with her strikes. This is precisely why Mahito feared her to some extent and why she would be crucial in the battle against Sukuna. If Todo can make it to this battle, Nobara can too, and there's nothing stopping her other than the author himself.

Of course, the question of whether Nobara should return or not is a completely different one. Even if she did return at this point in the story, the sad thing is that she would have missed more than half the series, and her character progression would be very lazy and cheaply written. It would be a cool moment, and that goes without saying. However, it certainly wouldn't make her a well-written character, and that aspect should be taken into consideration as well.

Jujutsu Kaisen is available to read from Viz Media. The series can be read officially and for free by fans in Shonen Jump and Manga Plus application. The release date for the next chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen, JJK chapter 260, is set for May 19, 2024.