Jujutsu Kaisen is a popular Shonen manga known for its exploration of dark and supernatural themes along with gore. It is popular in its depiction of Japanese folklore along with urban legends. Of all the deaths in the series, Satoru Gojo’s death is established as the saddest. While Gege Akutami is notorious for killing off fan’s favorite characters they aren’t exempt from the hatred and backlash.
Although Gojo’s death in the manga was a horrifying sight, Nanami’s departure takes the cake. While he may not be as popular as Gojo he was in a league of his own. From being a salaryman to a grade 1 sorcerer, he played a pivotal role in shaping Yuji Itadori’s character growth. Moreover, his death in the series was a death more brutal than the honored one.
Nanami Kento is Gege Akutami’s favorite character
Nanami Kento appears as a former salaryman turned jujutsu sorcerer in Jujutsu Kaisen. He was a close mentor of Yuji Itadori before his death. In addition to that, he’s also one of the most popular and celebrated characters of the show ranking 5th on the Jujutsu Kaisen popularity polls. He’s revealed to be Bleach author Tite Kubo‘s favorite character in an interview.
Gege Akutami‘s favoritism toward Ryomen Sukuna in the series led many fans to believe that the Demon King might be the author’s favorite. However, it was revealed later on that Nanami is the author’s favorite character. Apart from being the character that was the most fleshed out, his stoic and aloof personality made him stand out along with his practical and mature aura as a salaryman.
Nanami’s reserved and stoic nature is set in contrast with Gojo’s upbeat personality. Both characters are the same yet different. They are similar in their shared goals to protect and train Yuji yet different in their personas. Moreover, his death in the series was brutal, terrifying, and heartbreaking to many fans, especially his voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda.
Brutal is an understatement when it comes to Nanami Kento’s death in Jujutsu Kaisen manga
While the series showcased some horrifying and brutal deaths, the intensity and brutality of the character deaths impacted the viewers and readers. However, the fans take the madness to a whole new level with their obsession with the characters. This didn’t extend to Nanami Kento’s death even though his end was quite brutal.
Nanami Kento’s end in the manga was shocking and heartbreaking. Although the author gets hate for killing off fan-favorite characters including Toji Fushiguro and Nobara Kugisaki, he didn’t spare his favorite character from the same fate. Although his death is a gore fest, the author deemed it necessary to trigger Yuji’s strength as a Jujutsu sorcerer.
Moreover, Gege Akutami went against their own bias and killed his favorite character. From the graphic and gory visuals to Nanami making peace with his death, all of it makes the ending devastating and shocking not just to the readers but Yuji Itadori himself. Being his protege, Nanami’s death impacted the latter and pushed him to become stronger. Furthermore, this catalyzed the development of Yuji’s prowess as a Jujutsu Sorcerer.
Jujutsu Kaisen is available for streaming on Crunchyroll. The manga is available for reading on Viz Media.
