Jujutsu Kaisen has proven time and again that it’s not afraid to kill off some of its major characters, like Kento Nanami. A fan-favorite character, viewers witnessed his shocking death in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 18, titled Right and Wrong, after a battle in Shibuya with Mahito. However, if the series creator Gege Akutami were to ask, he didn’t want Nanami to die and revealed the real reason why he had to.
During the special art exhibition for Jujutsu Kaisen in Japan, Akutami gamely answered some questions about the series, including Nanami's demise. As translated by X user @soukatsu, he talked about the fight between Mahito and Nanami and admitted he didn’t plan to kill off the latter at that point. It was just that the story asked for it to give Yuji Itadori the motivation he needed.
“Sometimes it feels like the script progresses and evolves depending on the characters,” he said. “I didn’t want Nanami to die at that point, but I was thinking that maybe there was no way around it, but then Itadori burst in and well, you know how it went.”
The famed mangaka added that Nanami had surpassed his story from the script. However, if he were the one to describe it, it would be Nanami motivating Itadori, and the protagonist would be the one who had overcome the script, exceeding his expectations when the characters finally got into action.
How did Kento Nanami die in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2?
In Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, the Jujutsu sorcerers Gojo, Nanami, Yuji, Megumi, and others were deployed to control the situation in Shibuya after the city was isolated using several barriers. Kenjaku sealed Gojo while Nanami fought transfigured humans with Megumi and Takuma. When Nanami heard Gojo was sealed, he moved to assess the situation but met Haruta Shigemo and gave him the beating of a lifetime.
Later, Nanami, Maki, and Naobito were absorbed into Dagon’s Domain Expansion. Megumi found an opening where they could escape, but it let Toji enter the Domain and exorcise Dagon. When they thought they were already safe, Toji separated Megumi from the group for a one-on-one battle. Nanami went after Megumi but was stopped by Gojo, who burned him alongside Maki and Naobito.
Nanami miraculously survived the fire and started roaming the halls of the station. There, he met a familiar foe, Mahito. His body began to disfigure, but Nanami still had a smile on his face. He looked at Itadori, and his body started to explode after being touched by Mahito. When Mahito asked Nanami his final words, he told Itadori, “You take it from here.”
This shocking death gave Jujutsu Kaisen fans a lifetime of grief. And though there are several theories as to how Nanami can return alive, it looks like there’s no way for him to have survived his injuries and death.
Jujutsu Kaisen Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Crunchyroll. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, which will adapt the Culling Game Arc, is now in the works.
