Jujutsu Kaisen At its core, it's a profound meditation on themes like loss, moral uncertainty, and worthy death that the average viewer might find difficult to understand—but one protagonist shows how (and why) Jujutsu Kaisen's core messages are so important. Kento Nanami was originally intended to be an antagonist. He's completely different from characters like Satoru Gojo and Itadori Yuji, whose entire lives are consumed by the demands of magic. Nanami shows another struggleThis is more easily identified by many readers and viewers.
Not every story needs realism to be good. In fact, popular series like One-Punch Man break the rules by showcasing a kind of “emotional realism” alongside a fundamentally unrealistic setting, to great effect.
However, for Jujutsu Kaisen, the characters' circumstances are so different from what fans know, and its themes are so complex, that the element of realism that Nanami brings to the story really works to bring the distant past stories into perspective.
Jujutsu Kaisen gives Nanami the most realistic storyline
Jujutsu Kaisen takes the time to build a character who quits his day job
In a world filled with complex internal politics and characters who would give up everything at a moment's notice to join the fight against curse users, Nanami stands out as a striking contrast. A graduate of Jujutsu High, Nanami was once a junior to Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto. After graduating, he will become an office workerfall into conventional social roles.
So how did Nanami become a powerful magician and unforgettable mentor to Itadori Yuji? The story revolves around the fact that during his time as a “Working Joe,” he could still see the cursed energy that weighed down on the people he came into contact with. Eventually, he felt that his salaryman job had led him to underappreciated and of no real value to the worldAlthough returning to a life of martial arts would be pointless, as the backstory of Gojo and Geto explores, he still feels he can contribute more by doing so.
Nanami represents a unique perspective in Jujutsu 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 typical shōnen where characters' abilities are seen as an inherent opportunity to set them apart, Nanami's aptitude for magic is described as a calling that he was essentially forced to answer. — the best possible choice, according to his own desire to make a difference.
Nanami reflects the real-life implications of a major theme
Nanami Makes Questions About Roles in Jujutsu Kaisen's Life Deeper
This perspective brings Jujutsu Kaisen into the real world by drawing the line between the “path of least resistance” and one’s “calling.” There’s no doubt that Nanami sees his “calling” as a burden, but it’s also something that cannot be resisted. His ability to see and dispel cursed energy sets him apart from “normal” people who follow a path that, in many ways, he wished he could have it all to himself.
In a way, this reflects a common experience for many viewers when they find themselves on a path they want to pursue but still feel “out of place.” A future fashion designer might see patterns in fabrics that others miss, or—for example—a future ScreenRant writer might find themselves set apart from others by little nudges in stories that only they seem to see. Likewise, Nanami actually sees cursed energy that normal people don’t. This is the driving force. causing him to reluctantly accept his (ultimately deadly) role as a jujutsu wizard.
As a result, Nanami introduced the core theme of Jujutsu Kaisen: Certain people are driven to take on certain roles in ways that can seem like destiny.Even if those roles aren’t glamorous. Recent chapters of Jujutsu Kaisen have delved deeper into the implications of this kind of “role-playing” in society, and without giving away the plot, it turns out to be a major turning point for the main character Yuji. Jujutsu Kaisen has boldly pointed out that fate is not something fixed, but rather written into a person’s personality and aptitude as something that is very difficult to avoid.
Nanami shows the global appeal of Jujutsu Kaisen
Nanami bridges the gap between the Shonen and Seinen demographics
Jujutsu Kaisen is nominally a teen manga, intended to appeal to young boys. However, as a former office worker who eventually gave up her “career,” Nanami shows What exactly makes Jujutsu Kaisen appealing worldwide?. Readers and viewers of all ages can certainly empathize with the core irrationality that makes up his characters' personalities: the expectation that, while a person is supposed to fit a certain mold, sometimes that person has abilities or tendencies that make it difficult for them to accept such rigid demands—despite that person's most sincere efforts to resist them.
Nanami's ultimate death was truly tragic. However, the fact that he died easily incorporates one of the key messages of Jujutsu Kaisen: no matter what role a person plays, all that can be asked is that they do it well — there is no “good death,” but the fragments that person leaves behind form the core of the “character” that others remember. While other series are content with presenting characters and their powers one-dimensionally, Nanami’s unfortunate fate of being thrown into the conflict between witches and curses is a key element of Jujutsu Kaisen ensuring its unique legacy among shōnen.
