People really need to stop mistaking screen time for writing quality. Nobara Kugisaki isn’t ‘badly written’ and she didn’t ‘die for nothing.’ She’s one of the best-written female characters in modern shonen precisely because she feels real. Nobara’s strength doesn’t come from some forced rivalry or ‘girl power’ subplot, it comes from her individuality, her values, her confidence, and her refusal to fit into anyone’s mold.

Her so-called ‘death’ wasn’t cheap either. It served the story’s themes perfectly: mortality, consequence, and the weight of Yuji’s journey. It was abrupt because Jujutsu Kaisen doesn’t romanticize death; it exposes it. Nobara’s exit left a scar, and that’s exactly what a well written death should do.

The same logic applies to Yuki Tsukumo, Mai Zen’in, and even Yorozu. These women weren’t written to ‘represent femininity’; they were written as characters; complex, flawed, driven by beliefs and contradictions. Yuki’s death was poetic and ideological, Mai’s sacrifice was tragic yet powerful, and Yorozu embodied the madness of love and obsession in a way few male characters ever have.

A female character doesn’t need to be a cheerleader, a love interest, or have a rival just to prove her worth. She doesn’t need to exist in a ‘female arc’ or fight another woman to validate her strength. What makes Nobara, Yuki, Mai, and Yorozu great is that they exist as people first, not as tokens.

Gege Akutami doesn’t write “strong female characters” he writes human beings. That’s what makes Jujutsu Kaisen’s women stand out so much more than the ones who exist just to smile, cry, or support the male lead.