Explaining Nanami’s Character Arc and Fate in Jujutsu Kaisen
This article contains spoilers from the Jujutsu Kaisen anime
The Shibuya Incident Arc, which was the main focus of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime’s second season was filled with many painful deaths. However, one of the most heartbreaking of them all, for both Itadori Yuji and the audience was the death of beloved mentor and Jujutsu Sorcerer Kento Nanami.
Kento Nanami, voiced by Kenjiro Tsuda in the anime, was one of the fan-favorite characters, not just because of his handsome design, but also his personality. Despite being serious and gruff, unlike Gojo, he had an incredible bond with Yuji and tried to protect him and the other young students till his last breath. This made his death even more impactful in the story.
How did Kento Nanami die in the Shibuya Incident Arc
Despite his calm, collected, and serious personality, Kento Nanami was a beloved character due to his kind and gentlemanly nature. His personality was also a great contrast to Satoru Gojo’s as the latter’s mischievous nature often drove Nanami to anger but they were good friends and colleagues nonetheless. We also found out that, unlike Gojo, Nanami left the destructive world of Jujutsu Sorcery and started a 9 to 5 job, only to come back later because he hated that life as well. When Nanami met Yuji Itadori, the two of them grew a very strong bond as mentor and student and the latter started to call him Nanamin, which the audience found adorable. Nanami’s relationship with Gojo and Yuji was some of the sweetest in the first season of Jujutsu Kaisen.
However, as the series got darker in season 2, we found out how Nanami lost his only classmate Yu Haibara when they were students at the Jujutsu Tech, a year junior to both Gojo and Geto. During the Shibuya Incident, he was stationed outside the inner barrier and was fighting transfigured humans with Ino and Megumi. But when Itadori told him that Gojo had been sealed by Kenjaku, Nanami moved inside to get a hold of the situation better but saw Haruta, rather creepily, attacking Nobara and Nitta. Angered, he attacks Haruta to get some information out of him, but it does not lead anywhere. Soon after, we see Nanami meeting Naobito and Maki meeting, and they all get absorbed into Dagon’s Domain Expansion. However, thanks to Megumi opening a hole in the Domain and Toji finally defeating the powerful Dagon, the three of them are able to come out of it.
But soon afterward, they are brutally attacked by Jogo and his extremely powerful fire technique, which burns the entire left side of Nanami. Despite his severe injuries, Nanami fights, defeats, and kills numerous humans that were transfigured into curses by Mahito. In the end, he is caught by Mahito, who takes a perverse pleasure in blowing the man to pieces right in front of Yuji Itadori, who could do nothing but watch his mentor die. In his last moment, Nanami turned to his student and said that he would leave the rest to Yuji.
The effect of Kento Nanami’s death
As mentioned earlier, due to his tendency to always put his students before him and protect them with his life, Nanami was one of the most beloved characters in the fandom. Naturally, his death was devastating for everyone, especially anime-only watchers who did not know this would happen so soon. However, the one character who took Nanami’s death the hardest was Yuji Itadori, especially because of the last words his mentor uttered to him.
Itadori was the only one present at the moment when Mahiro mercilessly massacred Nanami in front of him. When the two of them had fought Mahito in the first season, Yuji was able to save Nanami from Mahito’s powerful Domain using his Black Flash, but this time, he could not and had to watch his mentor die. This not only drove him mad with rage but also brought back memories of Junpei being killed in a similar way by Mahito in season 1. Moreover, a little after Nanami’s death, Mahito also blows the left side of Nobara’s face, causing her to die in front of Yuji as well, even though her death has not been confirmed yet. Faced with the loss of so many people he loved at the hands of Mahito, Yuji is able to unleash his potential and along with Aoi Todo, he finally defeats Mahito at the end of the Shibuya Incident arc. However, before he can kill Mahito, the curse is swallowed by Kenjaku, who uses his Idle Transfiguration to kickstart the Culling Game.
Nanami is understandably a big loss in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen as he was a powerful first-grade Jujutsu Sorcerer who could have been a big help to Itadori and the others during the Culling Game and also in their fight against Sukuna. Unfortunately, his character was not meant to last and remains a good memory for both Yuji and the audience who hope that he can finally live out his afterlife on a beach in Malaysiaase he had wished in the end.
ALSO READ: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2: A Look At The Character Deaths In Chronological Order