Jujutsu Kaisen fans will disagree, but I don't think anything could have saved Nobara's return

JJujutsu Kaisen has been one of my top favorite series of all time. Out of all the characters, Nobara Kugisaki was the one I rooted for most. She was effortlessly cool and had the potential to become truly powerful. It was amazing to see a shonen female lead with bite. So, when I read the chapter during the Shibuya arc where she was seemingly killed, I held onto the age-old anime logic: No body, no death.

For a while, that hope was enough. But now that Nobara’s return has officially happened, long after the story has lost most of its emotional balance, I can’t help but feel like nothing could’ve saved it. Not the timing, not the execution, not even the chapter where we finally meet her mother. And believe me, I wanted to feel something. But I didn’t. And here’s why.

But before I get into her return, I want to reflect on how she was written off. Nobara’s brutal confrontation with Mahito in Jujutsu Kaisen ends with her face half blown off. It was shocking, painful, and emotionally heavy, but her death was not confirmed for the longest period of time. And I strongly believe that it was left out to be ambiguous on purpose. Gege Akutami didn’t show a body. And in anime (and manga) terms, that’s a big deal.

There were multiple chances for the creator to get her back in Jujutsu Kaisen, and I was one of the many fans who were hoping for her comeback. Instead, we were overwhelmed with a lot of new characters and their powerups and got caught up in that part of the story. It was as if I stopped hoping for her, especially when the stakes were at their highest and it would not make sense to see her again.

Because honestly, in my opinion character who makes a comeback needs perfect timing, or the charm is lost. Remember Goku’s return on Namek? Or Naruto arriving during the Pain arc? Those moments hit me the most because they were timely and meaningful. But in Nobara’s case, it’s been over 140 chapters.

Moreover, frankly speaking, Jujutsu Kaisen has been moving at breakneck speed ever since the Culling Game arc started. Gege could have taken some time to set the stage for her return by taking the option to extend the story or pause the action to give Nobara the space she needed for a meaningful reentry.

But unfortunately, she arrived during the series finale fight, a chaotic, high-stakes battlefield where any subtlety or emotional exploration was doomed to get lost. Personally it felt like fan service because I didn’t even get a conversation explaining how she recovered or what she’s been doing.

Was Nobara’s return planned to make up to fans after Gojo’s death in Jujutsu Kaisen?

I have a theory as to why she was introduced to the story again. After Gojo died in chapter 236, fans like me were utterly devastated. The whole fandom was tipped over, and no one was ready to believe what had just happened in the storyline.

So, bringing Nobara back in Jujutsu Kaisen could be seen as Gege’s way of throwing the readers a bone. I can understand that it mightund far-fetched, but think about it: the series needed something to lift the emotional weight of Gojo’s sudden, anticlimactic death. And Nobara’s long-awaited comeback could have done that.

These two moments are separate, as they exist in completely different emotional zones. Gojo’s death deserved its aftermath. Nobara’s return deserved a buildup and emotional payoff.

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Finally, a lot of fans were thrilled to see her return in Jujutsu Kaisen. The panels where she reappears are cool. Her reentry was dynamic; for a second, her dialogue was quintessential Nobara. It was sharp, confident, and deadly. At the end of the day, I’m happy my comfort character is alive. But with just a little more care, a little more time, her return could’ve meant everything. Instead, it felt like nothing could have saved it.

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