Warning: Contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen chapters #265-#267.One of the biggest points of contention in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga has been the ambiguity of whether Nobara is dead or alive. The Shibuya Incident arc ended with a heavy emphasis on how there was a small chance she was still alive after Mahito’s attack, but there has yet to be a direct statement on anything surrounding her fate in the four years to follow.

Nobara’s fate in Jujutsu Kaisen has been a major question for years, but it might have finally been resolved. Jujutsu Kaisen chapter #265 initially seemed to confirm that Nobara died in the Shibuya Incident arc by how she was contrasted with other dead characters in the series, but in a surprising twist, Jujutsu Kaisen chapter #267 revealed that Nobara really was alive the entire time.

How that came to be is easy enough to explain, and while it doesn't erase all the problems with Nobara's handling, it still made for a great twist in Jujutsu Kaisen's final act.

How Jujutsu Kaisen Hid Nobara’s Death

Nobara Was Juxtaposed With Other Dead Characters

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter #265 was focused primarily on Yuji using his Domain Expansion to try appealing to Sukuna’s emotions one more time before killing him, and part of that involved Yuji talking about how he’s realized the importance of life and has moved past his mentality of being a cog. That idea was further contrasted by a montage of people who were important to Yuji that died throughout the series, and Nobara was included in that montage, so Jujutsu Kaisen chapter #265 seemingly confirmed Nobara’s death by putting her together with other characters who have died in the series.

How Jujutsu Kaisen Brought Nobara Back To The Story

Nobara's Return Explained

In Jujutsu Kaisen chapter #267, a flashback revealed that Gojo refused to let Rika eat Sukuna's final finger because there was something they could do with it, leading to Rika eating one of Yuji's fingers to give Yuta a copy of Shrine. While Gojo didn't explain his plan, it was revealed halfway through chapter #267: Gojo's final gambit was for Nobara, after awakening from her coma, to use her cursed technique to attack Sukuna's soul through his finger, and Nobara doing just that prevented Sukuna from opening his Domain again and giving Yuji the chance to finally defeat him.

Naturally, Nobara being involved with anything conflicts with Jujutsu Kaisen chapter #265 all but confirming her death, but an earlier chapter established that people were keeping things from Yuji in case Sukuna still had a mental link with him. Therefore, if Yuji thought Nobara was dead, it's because Yuji was deliberately led to believe Nobara was dead so Sukuna would have no way of learning she was alive. Nobara’s the only other person who can directly attack Sukuna’s soul, so it makes sense that Gojo and other characters kept her hidden as another possible trump card.

Jujutsu Kaisen Continues Its Poor Handling Of Female Characters

Nobara's Return Was Too Late To Fix A Big Problem

A constant point of criticism of Jujutsu Kaisen's handling of its female characters has been how they never get as much screentime, development, or overall good showings as the men. As great as it was for Nobara to return, it still came about after the story spent years barely acknowledging her, and more importantly, it doesn't change how Jujutsu Kaisen used Nobara to invoke the cliché of killing off a female character for the sake of a male character’s development. Jujutsu Kaisen only has four chapters left, and unfortunately, Nobara's unlikely to get any meaningful development in that time.

One other instance where this trope presented itself was in Tsumiki's death; Tsumiki, after being possessed by Yorozu, died without ever contributing as a character, meaning that Tsumiki only existed as a means of furthering Megumi's character development, both positive and negative. Similar complaints have been voiced about characters like Hana, Mei Mei, and Yuki; each of them garnered interest from viewers who hoped to see them fleshed out and developed in the story, but they were all either quickly killed off or received very sparse moments of screen time when compared to the series' male heroes.

One of the Biggest Problems With the Series Is How It Treats Its Heroines

Nobara’s Death Is Another Example of Jujutsu Kaisen Failing Its Female Characters

Throughout Jujutsu Kaisen, its portrayal of female characters has been its massive sticking point. Missed opportunities occur again and again with Jujutsu Kaisen's heroines, who often die before realizing their potential or receiving the same development as male characters. Even with Nobara now confirmed to be alive, it doesn't change how little development and screentime she received before spending years barely being acknowledged, a period that was even longer than the time she spent involved with the story, and with Jujutsu Kaisen about to end, there are few opportunities to change that.

By spending so long neither confirming nor denying Nobara's death, Jujutsu Kaisen has again failed another one of its female heroes, even with her long-awaited return. The series is often praised for its powerful and engaging female heroes, but as wonderful as Jujutsu Kaisen's female characters are, the story never uses them properly. These stellar women too often become mere plot devices, shock value deaths, or tools to prove another character's power or develop their character arc. As amazing of a story as Jujutsu Kaisen is, this is one area in which it continually falls flat time and time again.