Nanami’s 15 Best Moments In Jujutsu Kaisen, Ranked (2025)

Kento Nanami is one of the most interesting and endearing characters in Jujutsu Kaisen. As a mentor to Itadori, Nanami won't hold his student's hand or coddle him. Instead, he holds him to the highest of standards, and that's ultimately what helps him grow the most as both a Jujutsu Sorcerer and as a person.

Nanami is just as calm and collected as he is hot-headed, and just as rebellious as he is rigid and rule-oriented. Those opposing aspects of his character don't actually contradict each other though, because Nanami is a person that truly embodies both sides of the coin. He's in touch with his spiritual power as a Jujutsu Sorcerer, and yet still grounded enough to work in a corporate job. That ability to play both sides is what makes Nanami a perfect mentor. Nanami's best moments in Jujutsu Kaisen display just how thoroughly he embodies the kind of balance that can only come from extensive life experience.

15 Everyone Fawns Over Gojo, but Nanami Couldn't Care Less

Season 1, Episode 9, Juju Stroll

Juju Strolls are one of the only lighthearted aspects of JJK, and they often give fans a glimpse into the lighter side of the world they live in. Satoru Gojo is often at the center of the Jujutsu world, and even though most of his students think he's pretty great, the other adult sorcerers can't stomach his ego or his childish antics. With Nanami being a former classmate of Gojo's, it's a lot of fun to see their dynamic because when it comes to the way they approach life, they are polar opposites.

The overall story itself is more focused on the younger generation, so having a moment behind the scenes to see Gojo and Nanami interact the way they did in the during the Juju Stroll was character-defining for both men, and more than enough to earn it a spot at the bottom of the list. Gojo is a relentless jokester, but Nanami doesn't even crack a smile, much less acknowledge him half the time. Even if Gojo did get the last laugh when he managed to slip a pretty childish, inappropriate drawing into Nanami's pocket, Nanami's reaction when he opens the letter is priceless.

14 Nanami Achieved the Record for Most Consecutive Black Flashes

Jujutsu Kaisen 0

JJK 0 takes a hard look at events before Itadori became Sukuna's vessel. Following Yuta Okkotsu's story, the movie introduced fans to the real Suguru Geto for the first time. It also giving viewers a demonstration of some of the other sorcerer's abilities during the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons in Kyoto. Nanami flying into battle in this scene was absolutely epic, and though it was a chaotic fight, he landed 4 consecutive Black Flashes against the curses he was fighting.

Black Flash is a rare technique that applies cursed energy to a physical strike, but the nature of the timing required makes it all but impossible to use at will. While Nanami chalked his record-breaking four-consecutive Black Flashes during the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons up to luck, he also believed it wasn't as difficult to execute as everyone made it seem. For him, it was simply a matter of being completely in tune with his body and his cursed energy.

13 Nanami Proves He's More Similar to Gojo Than He'd Ever Admit

Season 2, Episode 3, "Hidden Inventory Part 3"

Not much is known about how Nanami became a Jujutsu Sorcerer, save that he was recruited to Jujutsu High as a first-year student alongside Yu Haibara when Gojo and Geto were second-years. One of the ironic things about Nanami at the time was that, much like Gojo, he wasn't exactly happy about going on missions. It was an inconvenient drag, and he did a lot of complaining about it, especially when touting his belief that the Star Plasma Vessel escort mission was way above their status as first year students.

He was also a bit of a pessimist, expecting a hurricane to wipe out the airport in Okinawa while they were there watching Gojo and Geto's backs. There's no doubt that adult Nanami has grown significantly since his first-year days by the time he's introduced to Itadori. He's more responsible, more inclined to service, but tragedy molded him and Gojo into entirely different adult sorcerers. Gojo took his tragedy and ran with it, deciding not to let what happened to his best friend happen to another young sorcerer, while Nanami ran away from tragedy, The two of them certainly contrast one another as grown men, but the past trauma they share definitely influences their strategy when it comes to mentoring and protecting the next generation of Jujutsu sorcerers.

12 Nanami's First Encounter With Mahito Was Epic

Season 1, Episode 10, "Idle Transfiguration"

Nanami's initial fight with Mahito is an intense back-and-forth battle that serves as the first display of the sorcerer's true strength in the series. Both Mahito and Nanami reveal the extent of their cursed techniques to each other for the first time as well, making it all the more exciting to watch as they battle back and forth.

Mahito proves himself to be the creepiest villain shown in the series yet, but that only increases Nanami's desire to exorcise him as quickly as possible. As Nanami soon discovers though, Mahito is far too dangerous to take lightly, because even being so much as touched by the Special Grade Curse would prove fatal.

11 Nanami Explains His Personal Life Philosophy

Season 1, Episode 9, "Small Fry and Reverse Retribution"

One of the moments that informs the most about Nanami's personality happens within the first few minutes of his introduction into the series. Itadori is shocked by how serious of a person Nanami is, and how high of a standard he holds his students to from the outset. In response, Nanami tells Yuji, "I don't praise or disparage anyone. I adhere to facts and judge on that basis: that's who I am. There was a time when I mistakenly believed society worked the same way."

Nanami has been disillusioned by the hierarchies inherent in society after learning from experience that they rarely reward those who deserve it. That's why Nanami never lets Itadori get a big head or gives him unwarranted praise: he has personally worked under a dishonest boss in a corporate setting and despises disingenuous people. Nanami only respects concrete results, and has little time for subtle niceties. Because Nanami still hasn't revealed the full-extent of his personality, this worthy moment lands in the lower half of the rankings.

10 Nanami and Itadori Understand Each Other for the First Time

Season 1, Episode 9, "Small Fry and Reverse Retribution"

During their first encounter with Mahito's minions, Nanami and Itadori both learn a valuable lesson from one another. Just as they're both about to deliver the decisive blows on their opponents, Nanami realizes that the "curses" they've been fighting were actually transfigured humans all along. This is an important moment between mentor and student, as it truly reveleas the depth of Itadori's empathy.

Nanami truly sees for the first time how caring Yuji is towards the transfigured humans, and their suffering. That's a quality he respects. Just before that revelation, he laid it on the line with Yuji, explaining to him what constituted adulthood, but his compassion is proof that while Itadori may still be an innocent, he hasn't fallen back on his despair to cry out about how unfair life is.

9 Jujutsu Sorcerer's Suck, and Nanami's Not Afraid to Say It

Season 1, Episode 9, "Small Fry and Reverse Retribution"

The first time he meets Yuji Itadori, Nanami pulls no punches about his opinion on the world of Jujutsu Sorcerery. He tells Itadori "I went to your school too, and there I learned one thing: Jujutsu Sorcerers suck!" After attending Jujutsu High, Nanami went on to work for a large corporation, which he quickly learned sucked, too.

He ended up deciding to return to being a Jujutsu Sorcerer because it sucked slightly less. Still, Nanami's quick to point out that — even though he admires Gojo's power and abilities — because Gojo's an "elite" in the world of Jujutsu Sorcery, Nanami simply has no respect for him on a personal level. Even as he believes in the things Gojo stands for, he's still one to follow the rules, and he won't budge on that.

8 Nanami Clocks In for Overtime

Season 1, Episode 11, "Narrow Minded"

Upon confronting Mahito for the first time, Nanami recognizes it's a fight that will go on for much longer than expected. Coming from a corporate background, Nanami has too much respect for his own time to allow the fight to continue later than six o'clock.

Realizing that he can't bring down Mahito in a battle of attrition, Nanami declares that he'll have to "go into overtime" before removing his tie and imbuing it with his cursed energy. Nanami then completely overpowers Mahito with his Ratio Technique, delivering a critical hit on the villain. Unfortunately, Mahito's ability to control the shape of his soul allows him to survive, but Nanami was at least able to clock out of work for the night.

7 Nanami And Yuji Overwhelm Mahito With A Tag-Team Attack

Season 1, Episode 12, "To You Someday"

Even though Yuji's ability to strike his opponent's soul directly made him a natural enemy for Mahito, the latter still proved too powerful in the long run. Just as Mahito was about to strike a finishing blow on Yuji, Nanami appeared out of nowhere to block Mahito's attack.

From that point on, Yuji and Nanami completely overpowered Mahito, delivering swift punches back to back with such speed that Mahito didn't even have a moment to activate his technique. It would have certainly proven a decisive victory if not for Mahito reaching deep within himself to tap into his Domain Expansion for the first time.

6 What Would Nanami Do In This Situation?

Season 2, Episode 11, "Seance"

Nanami's time in Jujutsu Kaisen seems relatively short, especially now that the manga has ended. That being said, he left a legacy of positivity in his wake that even he would never have expected. In one of Takuma Ino's memories, he was at lunch with Nanami sometime before the Shibuya Incident, and it's obvious from the start that he looked up to the older man a great deal. He wanted Nanami's recommendation to become Semi-First Grade, a recommendation Nanami didn't believe he actually needed.

As Ino explains to him that he's not very smart or good at making good judgment calls to do things the right way, he admits that his strategy for such situations is simple. When standing face to face with a tough call, he asks himself, "What would Nanami do in this situation?" While this moment is brief, it's still one of the 7 to 3 Sorcerer's most profound. He doesn't say anything, and his facial expression barely changes at all, but it's obvious he is completely humbled to learn how much the younger sorcerer looks up to and respects him.

5 Nanami, Maki And Naobito Zenin Fight Dagon

Season 2, Episodes 14 & 15, "Fluctuations, Parts 1 & 2"

Despite Dagon's initial appearance, he was a lot stronger than he looked. That's because he was actually a Cursed Womb whose later transformation made him one of the most powerful of the Curse Disasters. Working together with Naobito and Maki, Nanami was able to get the upper hand at first, but things took a horrible turn from there.

That all changed when Dagon trapped them all within his Domain Expansion. This was a fight that Nanami and the others would have certainly lost if it weren't for the appearance of Megumi and Toji. Unfortunately, Toji also ended up being the one who put Nanami into the half-dead state that would inevitably lead to his downfall in the end. His immense bravery and determination through this scene secure this moment's placement in the rankings at number five.

4 Nanami's Final Moments Bring Him Unexpected Peace

Season 2, Episode 18, "Right and Wrong"

There is no relief from being a Jujutsu sorcerer. Every day is an uphill battle with no end in sight. Suguru Geto never shared his dark thoughts about what awaited them all at the end of the marathon game when Haibara died, but it's a sentiment most sorcerers are likely to have considered more than once. So much death, so much violence, and so much of it pointless, the life they lead breeds bitterness, anger, resentment, and it's not easy for any of them to imagine the end being any sort of release.

In the moments leading up to Itadori's arrival before Nanami's death, Kento dreamed of letting go at long last. He had no regrets. He could finally lay his burden down and rest after an overly long, yet terribly short life that had seen almost nothing but sacrifice and service and regret. Maybe he could read the mountain of books that had been piling up while lounging lazily in the sun on the beach, sip a cocktail, and just rest. Finally, without regret, without burdening Yuji with negativity or becoming a curse, he could just... let... go.

3 Nanami's Last Words to Yuji Will Linger On

Season 2, Episode 18, "Right and Wrong"

Nanami's final moments before being killed by Mahito were some of the most powerful in the series so far. All Nanami wanted out of life was to retire and live peacefully on an island somewhere, so his vision of walking on the beach while he fights Mahito's minions serves to show how he has actually found peace as a Jujutsu Sorcerer in the end.

Nanami's final words to Itadori were, "You take it from here." This further demonstrates the peace he has found in his life. In those few words, Nanami acknowledges that he has already taught Yuji everything he had to teach, and he's confident that his student is ready to carry the torch on his own.

2 Nanami's Beatdown Of Haruta Shigemo Is Memeworthy

Season 2, Episode 12, "Dull Knife"

One of Nanami's best moments in JJK Season 2, by far, was his utter domination of Haruta Shigemo during the Shibuya Incident. It showed just how advanced Nanami is as a sorcerer; and how terrifyingly powerful he can become when he's angry. And he had a lot to be angry about, which soon became clear as he grabbed Shigemo and put him in his place.

As soon as Shigemo realized he couldn't even damage the Grade 1 Sorcerer at all, the reality of his situation set in. The rest of their "fight" solely consisted of Nanami punching Shigemo through walls and windows with such force that each strike should have proven deadly. It was only due to Shigemo's cursed technique that he was able to survive what should have been several killing blows, so Nanami technically forced Haruta to go through the feeling of death several times.

1 Nanami Remembers the Moment He Stopped Running Away

Season 1, Episode 13, "Tomorrow"

While he's caught inside Mahito's Domain Expansion, Nanami has no choice but to accept his fate. In what he perceives as his final moments, Nanami reflects on the events that led up to him returning to Jujutsu High after working a corporate salary job for two years.

Nanami's journey from quitting and becoming a Jujutsu Sorcerer to finding his way back to his passion again is a heartfelt and relatable one. Even though he thought he just wanted to live a happy life in retirement in the future, Nanami realizes that what truly brings him the most happiness is using his power to protect and help other people.

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Jujutsu Kaisen

A boy swallows a cursed talisman - the finger of a demon - and becomes cursed himself. He enters a shaman's school to be able to locate the demon's other body parts and thus exorcise himself.