Nobara Kugisaki

Lore & Background

Nobara's innate Cursed Technique, the Straw Doll Technique, has two primary abilities: Resonance, which allows her to use a straw doll in conjunction with a piece of her opponent to inflict long-range damage by striking a nail into the effigy with a Curse Energy-imbued hammer, transferring and amplifying the impact to the actual target's body; and Hairpin, which detonates embedded nails remotely using Cursed Energy to directly kill her opponent. Her abilities are based on the ushi no toki mairi, a traditional method of inflicting curses. Nobara is also highly adept at using her hammer to fire nails at opponents, causing both physical and Cursed Energy damage to her target. In addition to her standard abilities, she has demonstrated the use of Cursed Energy Manipulation—Black Flash, which creates a spatial distortion when Cursed Energy is applied within 0.000001 seconds of a physical hit. It is later revealed that Nobara's grandmother is a sorcerer possessing the same abilities and raised Nobara due to a strained relationship with her mother. In the second official Jujutsu Kaisen light novel, Nobara is shown to be capable of improvising her technique when deprived of her standard tools. In one instance, she uses her heel as a substitute nail and creates a makeshift doll from rope to successfully perform the Straw Doll Technique and defeat an opponent.

In Their Own Story

Nobara first appears in chapter 3 of the manga after arriving in Tokyo by train. She is introduced to her fellow first-year Jujutsu Sorcerers by Satoru Gojo and aids Yuji Itadori in rescuing a child from a Cursed Spirit in an apartment complex. Although initially dismissive toward Yuji and Megumi Fushiguro, the trio quickly become friends as they train together. After training with the second-year students in preparation for the Goodwill Exchange Event against Kyoto Jujutsu High, Nobara is upset upon learning Yuji had been secretly been alive for weeks after his apparent death. During the battle against the Kyoto students, Nobara voices frustration over gender expectations in the Jujutsu world and her desire to define her worth, but is rendered unconscious after being shot with a rubber bullet by Mai Zen'in. Later, while investigating the special-grade Cursed Wombs known as 'Death Paintings' alongside Yuji and Megumi, Nobara helps defeat one of the attackers, but realizes too late that they were not Cursed Spirits but had human origins. Despite this, she tells Yuji she has no regrets about having to kill humans. Following the incident, she and Megumi discuss the danger Yuji poses to others, as Ryomen Sukuna's presence within him continues to attract Cursed Spirits drawn to his fragmented fingers. Nobara is among the many Jujutsu Sorcerers dispatched to stop Cursed Spirits from launching a large-scale attack on humans. She aids her fellow sorcerers in battle and eventually encounters Mahito, a powerful Cursed Spirit capable of reshaping souls and causing fatal disfigurement merely through physical contact. In the ensuing battle, Nobara miscalculates her attack, allowing Mahito to touch the right side of her face. She experiences a series of vivid memories with her closest companions, as well as her unresolved regret over being unable to reunite with Saori, a girl from her childhood who had been ostracized and forced to leave their hometown. In what appears to be her final conscious moments, Nobara bids farewell to Yuji and asks him to tell their friends that 'it wasn't so bad', before her face is blasted open due to Mahito's transfiguration. However, Arata Nitta can partially halt Mahito's technique, leaving her with a chance of survival. Near the end of the battle against Sukuna, Nobara awakes from her coma and uses her Resonance technique on Sukuna's last finger, which had been hidden by Gojo. This weakens Sukuna and allows Yuji to land a final Black Flash. Megumi is freed from Sukuna's possession. After the battle, Nobara reunites with the two, and the trio reads letters left to them by Gojo. In the epilogue, she is shown reuniting with her estranged mother and grandmother.

Reader's Guide

Nobara is depicted as a logical, creative, authentic, and versatile but judgmental, unempathetic, and irritable fighter. When she meets people, she tends to criticize them because she assumes the worst. She remains calm in stressful situations and can compartmentalize her emotions. Despite her impolite and antagonistic demeanor, she is skilled and cunning, and she cares for her allies. Her combat style relies on the Straw Doll Technique, which requires a straw doll and a piece of her opponent to activate Resonance, or embedded nails for Hairpin. She also uses her hammer to fire nails at opponents for physical and Cursed Energy damage. Key moments include her victory against the Death Painting brothers and her battle with Mahito during the Shibuya Incident, where she demonstrates technical mastery and emotional resilience.

Did You Know?

• Nobara's name was meant by creator Gege Akutami to be 'thorny', with the kanji characters for no (野) and bara (薔薇) meaning 'wild' and 'rose', respectively, while kugi (釘) means 'nail' or 'peg'.
• Akutami found Nobara's dialogue to be the easiest to write of the three main characters, but struggled with her composure in action scenes.
• According to Akutami, Nobara is best described by the songs 'Seishun Kyosokyoku' by Sunny Day Service and 'Ano Depaato' by Natsuko Nisshoku.
• Japanese voice actress Asami Seto struggled to voice Nobara, as her personality contrasts heavily with Nobara's brashness, and had to consult and rehearse many times with the producers.
• In the second official Jujutsu Kaisen light novel, Nobara uses her heel as a substitute nail and creates a makeshift doll from rope to perform the Straw Doll Technique.