What is Jujutsu Kaisen? Who is Nanami Kento?
Jujutsu Kaisen follows the story of a high school student named Yuji Itadori, who lives a relatively normal life until he encounters a cursed object. This object, one piece of a powerful and dangerous curse, thrusts him into a world filled with malevolent spirits known as "curses." This throws Yuji into the world of curses leads him to meet jujutsu sorcerers—people who combat these curses, each having their own unique “jujutsu technique”. One of these characters is Nanami Kento, who used to work as a salaryman—a term for a typical office worker in Japan—but found the corporate life unfulfilling.
What is Nanami's character like?
The typical image of a Salaryman in anime and manga is often used for humor or to show how serious certain characters are. Nanami Kento fits this trope, but the creator, Gege Akutami gives him a unique twist. Nanami rejects the usual Salaryman life while still keeping that serious vibe. One of his jujustu techniques revolves around the idea of working overtime, which makes him stronger when he works past a certain time. This makes his character interesting and confident, especially when dealing with villains. Nanami didn’t start off dedicated to being a Jujutsu Sorcerer, and his transformation shows his mindset and importance in the story.
It is later revealed that Nanami’s life as a Salaryman was one he loathed. It was a path that Nanami took because he saw good money in it. Nanami’s focus on money comes from his belief that he could escape the troubles of his life if he earns enough money to retire. He thinks,
“I’ve never been the type of guy to worry about the meaning of life or his purpose on earth, I’ll make enough money to retire.”
“I don’t need to deal with curses or people as long as I have money, money, money,” (Ch. 30)
repeatedly until he falls asleep.
This shows Nanami’s disdain for his corporate job, which is why he thinks working in an office is stupid. But he also has a moment where he reveals why he thinks being a Jujutsu Socerer is also stupid. He has a flashback to buying bread at a local bakery, where he notices that the girl at the counter has a Flyhead curse on her shoulder. He ignores it for now, but later starts up a conversation with the Bakery Girl.
He tells the Bakery Girl how despite how unimportant his position as a Salaryman is in comparison to hers he still makes more money. He points out that if he lost his job, nothing would change in the world. However, if the bakery went out of business, people would lose a local bakery that was apart of their daily lives. She accuses him of bragging but he asks her to step forward and he exorcises the Flyhead curse on her shoulder. As Nanami walks out, the Bakery Girl yells her thanks at him. This seems to be the moment that Nanami chooses to become a jujutsu sorcerer over an everyday office worker, being able to help people, even if it is the smallest thing.
Notes
As a big fan of anime and manga, Jujutsu Kaisen is one of my favorite ongoing series at the moment. I enjoy mangas that have complex characters and interesting concepts such as supernatural elements. I am currently doing an internship with a PhD student mentor at UC Santa Cruz, where I am analyzing Jujutsu Kaisen in order to understand Japanese Gothic Literature!
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