For Nobara fans, the ride couldn’t have been crazier. The die-hard supporters who staunchly believed Nobara wasn’t dead were derided and looked down upon for nearly 100 chapters.
Their hopes were crushed, and their logic was questioned. However, in the end, it wasn’t logic, but pure determination and “copium” that emerged victorious.
In JJK 267, Akutami, perhaps as a parting gift to his readers, brought Nobara back from the dead, now sporting an eyepatch.
Yes, you read that right. Nobara has finally been confirmed to be alive, and she has returned in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga. After all, in fiction, if a character is never confirmed to be 100% dead, then they’re definitely alive, right?
But that’s not all—with her return, Nobara also fulfilled a long-running fan theory: that she would damage Sukuna by using her Resonance on Sukuna’s last finger.
And no, this theory didn’t just stem from the ending of the previous chapter. It has been around since Chapter 222, ever since Sukuna mentioned that Gojo had hidden away one of his fingers.
That finger turned out to be the Chekhov’s Gun in the story, and ultimately Sukuna’s downfall! If you’re confused about Sukuna’s finger and where it came from—take a look at this article!
JJK 267: Nobara comes back to the rescue!
To be honest, it’s still hard to digest Nobara’s return. Since the Shibuya Incident, updates on Nobara’s status had been scarce, with only hints suggesting that she might never return.
However, not only did she come back from the dead sporting an eyepatch in JJK 267, she also turned out to be the one who will – for the last time – turn the battle in Itadori’s favor.
As Gakuganji and Utahime noted, Nobara had only be awake for a very short time (30 mins or so). While we don’t have exact details of what happened, she was probably healed and is fit as a fiddle.
Naturally, she wasted no time, and immediately attacked the last Sukuna’s finger which was being held in a secret location.
Ideally, special grade cursed objects like Sukuna’s fingers are indestructible. Meaning, cursed techniques won’t have any damaging effect on them. This should have limited the efficiency of Resonance.
However, Nobara made a binding vow, which made it possible to simply transfer the effects of the cursed technique to Sukuna, while the finger itself won’t face any issues.
And so, with an ingenious move (which was thoroughly speculated and predicted by the majority Nobara fanbase), she announced her return.
But, that’s not all – she signed her short appearance with the catchphrase “Oppapi”. This was a very wholesome callback to what Itadori said during his surprise entry at the Kyoto Sister School event.
Honest opinions:
To be honest, Nobara’s return was a complete 180 from what I had been expecting.
I blame Akutami for keeping us in limbo for so long regarding Nobara’s death, and even more so for making us believe multiple times that the character wouldn’t be coming back!
The more I didn’t see any information about her, the less I believed in her chances of returning. So, even though the moment of Nobara’s return was full of hype, part of me feels that her character arc could have been handled better.
I mean, there were multiple hints, and even the author’s words suggested that Nobara might be dead.
I wish we had been given more clues and foreshadowing about her status. Otherwise, there are going to be asspull accusations thrown at the development which will be hard to not justify.
What are your thoughts on Nobara’s return? Let me know in the comments below!