Bleach Author Tite Kubo Reveals Why His Favourite JJK Character’s Death Didn’t Shock Him

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Bleach’s creator Tite Kubo and Jujutsu Kaisen creator Gege Akutami sat down for a special talk back in 2021, which resulted in one of the best mangaka interactions ever. The two Big Shonen creators talked about everything from childhood influences to G-pens being annoying to use.

However, the biggest moment for JJK fans came when Kubo was asked to name his favorite Jujutsu Kaisen character. His answer? Nanami Kento (as per the Jujutsu Kaisen Official Fanbook), who is also a lot of fans’ favorite. And when the topic turned to Nanami’s brutal death, Kubo’s reaction was refreshingly simple. Let’s take a look at his answer.

What Was Tite Kubo’s Reaction to Nanami’s Death

Nanami from Jujutsu Kaisen | Credit: MAPPA

Kubo didn’t hold back when explaining why Nanami is his favorite JJK character. He said it was Nanami’s introduction that helped him actually understand the story’s power system, since earlier techniques like Megumi’s shadow-based moves had left him confused. Once Nanami showed up in the story, things clicked for him. It makes sense because that is when Gege Akutami started explaining more through Nanami, as he was teaching Yuji.

So when Nanami was brutally killed off by Mahito, Kubo’s reaction was pretty chill. He basically said, “aw man, he died,” but admitted he wasn’t shocked by it. Why wasn’t he? Let’s try to understand that.

Jujutsu Kaisen Does Not Shy Away From Killing Characters

The death of the characters is half of the vibes this anime runs on. However, instead of using deaths purely for shock value, JJK treats them as part of how brutal and unforgiving the jujutsu world actually is.

However, instead of using deaths purely for shock value, JJK treats them as part of how brutal and unforgiving the jujutsu world actually is. In fact, the anime itself starts with Yuji’s death practically being confirmed from the get-go (even though a lot of things changed down the line).

In this anime, nobody, no matter how strong or beloved, is safe. That’s probably why Kubo wasn’t shocked. He’d already clocked that pattern as one of the manga’s defining traits.

What Bleach’s Arrancar Arc Taught Akutami About Killing Off Characters

Yuji from Jujutsu Kaisen | Credit: MAPPA

Here’s where things get interesting. Kubo revealed that he started actively killing off more villains during Bleach’s Arrancar arc, even if they weren’t calculated decisions.

Akutami, however, pointed out that this exact part of Bleach ended up teaching him a lot. Even though the Arrancar arc had a massive cast, readers still got just enough of each character’s personality before they were written out.

Akutami basically took that lesson and applied it to his own writing style: give characters enough depth that their death actually means something, which is something we clearly saw with Nanami. Nanami’s death matters more when we look at it from the perspective of Yuji; otherwise, he was just another sorcerer dying among others.

So in a way, Nanami’s death wasn’t just inspired by “shock” storytelling. It’s part of a technique Akutami picked up directly from studying how Kubo handled his own expansive cast in Bleach.

What are your thoughts on his reaction? Let us know in the comments.

Jujutsu Kaisen is streaming on Crunchyroll, and Bleach is streaming on Hulu