The latest episode of Jujutsu Kaisen once again leaves us in pain, as another major character is made to suffer horribly in this malevolent world of Jujutsu. In the previous episode, we bid farewell to Kento Nanami as Mahito, the monster blew him to pieces. Later, Kugisaki Nobara met up with a clone of Mahito, and the two went to battle as Itadori Yuji fought Mahito’s real body underground.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Was Nobara Avoiding Mahito’s Hands?
Last we saw of Mahito, he’d split into two, and the second body had come across Kugisaki Nobara over at Dogenzaka Station. While Itadori tried his best to take down the curse that took a sickly pleasure in harming people, Nobara gave it her everything to make sure that the enemy before her didn’t make it out of there alive. However, she didn’t go into the battle recklessly and recalled what Nitta had warned her of. Under no circumstances could Nobara let Patch-Face put a hand on her, lest she blow up like a gross doll. Mahito had the twisted ability of soul transfiguration; he could change the shape and size of his victims’ souls, making him one of the most lethal opponents of the sorcerers.
How Did Nobara Hurt Mahito?
Nobara fought back with everything, firing at Mahito with the nails loaded with cursed energy, but to no avail. The clone was too fast and too cunning to fall into her traps. However, he did realize that Nobara was purposefully avoiding his hands, even though the clone had no powers of idle transfiguration; he was but a weak double. The clone wouldn’t let Nobara realize that she was exhausting herself in vain and smiled to himself when he was surprised to see Nobara overhead. She used the nails that had fallen to the floor previously to paralyze Mahito’s clone and brought down her hammer like the heavy baton of justice on the monster’s forehead. The ‘Resonance’ sparked through the clone’s body, striking the real Mahito, who was moments away from smashing Itadori with a makeshift hammer. The resonance of the cursed energy traveled through both the Mahito bodies, and the original was impacted worse by it.
How Does Itadori Punish Mahito?
Realizing that Nobara was behind the attack, Itadori hardened his resolve and subsequently, his fists. Knowing that he’d failed to save so many people and had to watch many more die before his eyes, Itadori couldn’t let the maniac Mahito run free. Thus, with his fists charged with cursed energy, Itadori battered on into Mahito’s gut, making him bleed from every orifice. The punches didn’t stop, even though the pillar behind Mahito cracked and creaked from the impact of those thunderous blows, as the heroic music hit a crescendo. For a short while, the audience could take pleasure in watching the most despised anime villain receive a much-needed thrashing, even though Mahito would split into multiple blobs to run away.
Meanwhile, Nobara had realized that the Mahito she was fighting was not the original. She’d felt her cursed energy resonate elsewhere and that her current opponent didn’t make any attempts to grab her. However, she couldn’t let this one go and had to exorcize the monster. The clone wasn’t stopping, though, and he started running, with Nobara in tow. She knew a sorcerer’s duty wasn’t over until curses were exorcized, and a curse like Mahito couldn’t be allowed to escape. She saw Mahito’s clone jump into Dogenzaka underground and followed, hoping to catch up with the rest of her team after she was done with this nuisance.
The real Mahito fled from Itadori, and on his way out, he crossed paths with the clone coming his way. Itadori spotted the two side-by-side, and seconds later, his heart stopped, watching Nobara appear at the end of the corridor. He screamed at the top of his lungs for his best friend, the girl with whom he’d spent some of the best moments in Jujutsu High, one of his only two closest people in this cruel world, and pleaded with her to run away. But he was too late. Itadori watched Mahito, the real one, place his hand on Nobara’s face and run away. Itadori rushed in and smashed the curse against the wall with a thunderous punch, but by then, Nobara was standing with a hand on her face and a faraway look.
What Do We Learn About Kugisaki Nobara’s Childhood?
It was the year 2009. Nobara was a rowdy child, always getting into trouble, beating up boys, and competing in video games with her friend Fumi’s father. In the small town where they lived, Fumi was a meek little child who’d often get bullied by the other students in their school. There, she met an orange-haired girl named Nobara who stood up for her, got her things back from the bullies, and beat them up for good measure. She’d be chased by the groundskeeper, but she was too fast for the elderly man. Fumi often found Nobara complaining that the people in their town were crazy and weird. However, the girl quietened down and became a lot more docile after she met an older, very beautiful girl named Saori. She was 7 years older than both Nobara and Fumi, but she never hesitated to host them and always had the best snacks ready.
What Happens To Nobara?
Nobara changed a lot after meeting Saori; she fought less, was a lot more soft-spoken, and even braided Fumi’s hair multiple times a day. Saori’s place was their happy place, which they visited whenever they could. However, one day, Saori left the town and moved away with her family. Nobara bawled her eyes out in sadness as Fumi realized that someone as rowdy and loud as Nobara could also cry. Years later, Fumi was bidding farewell to the Nobara we knew as she left for a high school in Tokyo. The teenage Nobara reminded Fumi to leave the town at her earliest convenience, and before the train left, she wanted the three of the girls to reunite when they met again sometime in the future. Somewhere in an office far away, an exhausted Saori remembered how the two little girls looked up to her years ago and how she doted on Nobara as her little sister. Saori hadn’t given her contact number to them, and now she wishes to meet the girl she so fondly remembers. Unfortunately, the girl she thought of as a sister was seeing her friends sitting in front of her, and everyone from Gojo, Itadori, Megumi, Inumaki, and Panda were there. She regretted not being able to keep her promise to Fumi, and she turned back to Itadori to let him know that she’d lived a good life. Half of Nobara’s face exploded, and she collapsed to the ground in a pool of blood. Itadori had a blank expression on his face, and he could only say her name.
There’s no certainty whether Nobara is dead or not, but we all know how malicious and vile Mahito is. If he placed his hand on Nobara, there’s a high chance that the impact was severe, and even though we only watched her face explode, who’s to say that her brain didn’t either? In any case, by now Itadori Yuji is too far gone in rage to be able to think of anything with the slightest clarity. Usually, anime protagonists are made to go through hardships to build their characters, but Akutami Gege needs to go easy with how horribly Itadori has been suffering for a while. Mahito’s fate and that of Nobara remain to be seen for the next week, so make sure to tune back in, but be ready to be hurt, because this is Jujutsu Kaisen.
