One thing was made clear when the Jujutsu Kaisen manga introduced Hana; Nobara was unlikely to return. But who is the angel-like girl, and is Hana replacing Nobara in Jujutsu Kaisen?
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What Happened to Nobara Kugisaki?
Many fans agree that Jujutsu Kaisen has been unfair to Nobara. While she is a funny, likable, and skilled female main character with amazing scenes in Season 1, many feel the character was underused.
Even during her best, she had slightly less screen time than Yuji and Megumi, and she disappears for many episodes during the Shibuya Incident arc.
Yuji and Megumi's subplots in the Shibuya Incident arc are personally meaningful to them on some level.
The former is irrevocably traumatized, first participating in a devastating battle with his 'brother', Choso. While unconscious, he's force-fed so many fingers that Sukuna emerges and wreaks havoc in Shibuya.
As for Megumi, he fights his father, Toji, unbeknownst to him, even earning Toji's approval.
Compared to them, Nobara doesn't have much time devoted to her in Shibuya. Her fight with Mahito's double does have an introspective element and it makes her re-evaluate her life.
However, this battle is likely her last. While her death is never confirmed and other severely wounded characters in the anime re-emerge, Nobara is barely mentioned again.
Yuji and Megumi don't even clearly spell out what happened to her. Could one of the show's most iconic characters be replaced by another?
Who Is Hana Kurusu?
Hana Kurusu is a young girl who shares her body symbiotically with a Heian-era sorcerer known as Angel.
While Yuji has to fight and suppress Sukuna due to their different morals and goals, Hana and Angel are in a harmonious relationship.
Hana is introduced in the Culling Game arc of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga. She joins the game so that Angel can hunt down other incarnated curses, including her nemesis, Sukuna.
While killing Yuji would be in her best interests, Hana ends up working with him and Megumi, but Yuji initially struggles to connect with her due to his grief for Nobara.
Is Hana Replacing Nobara? Her Relationship With Yuji and Megumi Explained
While we definitely think that Nobara deserved much better, the prospect of Hana replacing Nobara in the hearts of Yuji and Megumi is rejected.
In the manga, Yuji mentions to Megumi that he was initially afraid of bonding with Hana as he was afraid of her replacing Nobara in their friend trio.
However, he eventually negates the prospects, finding room in his heart for Hana without forgetting Nobara.
With Nobara's fate still ambiguous, we cannot fully assess the shounen anime and manga's dynamics, but Hana is her own character.
The addition of a new female character shouldn't immediately be seen as a replacement as this would be unfair to both Hana and Nobara.
Besides, the manga damages the Jujutsu Kaisen trio in much, much worse ways.
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