Jujutsu Kaisenis, at its heart, a heavy meditation on themes like loss, moral uncertainty, and worthy death which can feel hard to grasp for the average viewer — but one key character shows how (and why)Jujutsu Kaisen’s central messages are so important. Kento Nanami wasoriginally intended to be an antagonist. He’s starkly different from characters like Satoru Gojo and Itadori Yuji, whose whole lives are enveloped by sorcery’s demands.Nanami showcases a different struggle, which is easier for many readers and viewers to identify.
Not every story necessarily needs an element of realism to be good. In fact, popular series likeOne-Punch Manbend the rules by showing a sort of “emotional realism” alongside a fundamentally unreal setting, to great effect.
ForJujutsu Kaisen, though, the plights of its characters are so unlike what fans know, and its themes so complex, that the element of realism that Nanami brings to the storyactually has the effect of bringing relatability to otherwise far-fetched backstories.
10 Shocking Deaths From Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2
The deaths of various seemingly important characters from Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 will leave any longtime fan stunned.
Jujutsu Kaisen Gives Nanami Its Most Realistic Backstory
Jujutsu Kaisen Takes The Time To Establish A Character Who Quits His Day Job
In a world punctuated with complex intra-clan politics and characters who abandon everything immediately to join the fight against curse users, Nanami appears in startling contrast. A graduate of Jujutsu High, Nanami was once the underclassman of Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto. After graduating,he would become a salaryman, falling into conventional social roles.
How, then, did Nanami become such a strong sorcerer and unforgettable mentor to Itadori Yuji? The story comes down to the fact that during his time as a “working Joe”, he was still able to see cursed energy burdening those he came in contact with. Ultimately, he felt like his work as a salaryman led to himbeing unappreciated and not bringing real value to the world. Although returning to the jujutsu life would be thankless,as the backstory of Gojo and Geto explored, he still felt like he could contribute more by doing so.
Nanami represents a unique perspective inJujutsu Kaisen. He sees his childhood as something that was stolen from him because of his abilities, and he tries to prevent Yuji from losing his own youth (until Yuji “proves himself”). Far from the typical shōnen line where characters' abilities are seen as an inherent opportunity which sets them apart, Nanami’s aptitude for sorcery isdepicted as a calling which he is, essentially, forced to answer— the best of his possible options, according to his own desire to make a difference.
Nanami Reflects A Major Theme’s Real-World Implications
Nanami MakesJujutsu Kaisen’s Questions Of Roles In Life Deeply Relatable
This perspective bringsJujutsu Kaiseninto the real world by drawing a line between “the path of least resistance” and one’s “calling”. It’s unquestionable that Nanami sees his “calling” as a burden, but it also is something irresistible. His ability to see and dispel cursed energy sets him apart from the “normal” people who adopt the path that, in many ways,he wished that he could have for himself.
In a way, this reflects a common experience for many viewers who find themselves on paths they want to embrace but which nonetheless feel like a “poor fit”. A would-be fashion designer might see patterns in textiles others miss, or — as an example — a would-beScreenRantwriter might find themselves set apart from others by the little nudges in the stories only they seem to see. Likewise, Nanami literallyseescursed energy that the average person doesn’t. This is the driving force thatleads him to begrudgingly accept his (ultimately fatal) role as a jujutsu sorcerer.
As a result, Nanami showcases a core theme ofJujutsu Kaisen:certain people are driven to fill certain roles in ways that can look a lot like fate, even if those roles aren’t glamorous. Recent chapters ofJujutsu Kaisendove further into the implications of this sort of “role-playing” in society, and avoiding spoilers, it turns out to be a massive turning point for the protagonist Yuji.Jujutsu Kaisenboldly shows that fate isn’t something set in stone, but itiswritten into one’s character and aptitudes as something very difficult to avoid.
Nanami Shows The Universal Appeal Of Jujutsu Kaisen
Nanami Bridges The Gap Between Shonen and Seinen Demographics
Jujutsu Kaisenis nominally a shōnen manga, intended to appeal to younger boys. However, by being a former salaryman who eventually gave into his “calling”, Nanami showsprecisely what makesJujutsu Kaisenuniversally appealing. Readers and viewers of all ages certainly identify with the core incongruence that founds his character arc: the expectation that, while one is supposed to fit certain molds, sometimes one has abilities or tendencies that make it hard to accept such rigid demands — despite one’s most sincere attempts to fight back against them.
Nanami’s eventual death is truly tragic. However, the fact that he diedplays effortlessly into one ofJujutsu Kaisen’s primary messages: whatever role one plays, all that can be asked is that they do it well — there is no “good death”, but the fragments one leaves behind form the core of the “character” others remember one by. While other series are content to show characters and their powers one-dimensionally, Nanami’s unfortunate fate being thrown into the conflict between sorcerers and curses is a vital element ofJujutsu Kaisenensuring its singular legacy among shōnen.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisenis a Japanese anime and manga series created by Gege Akutami. The story is set in a world where Cursed Spirits, born from negative human emotions, prey on humanity. It follows high school student Yuji Itadori as he becomes entangled in the world of Jujutsu Sorcery after swallowing a cursed talisman—Ryomen Sukuna’s finger—and becomes the host for one of the most powerful curses. Yuji joins the Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical College to learn how to combat curses while searching for the remaining fingers of Sukuna to exorcise him permanently.
