Does Nobara Kugisaki like Yuji Itadori? The relationship between Jujutsu Kaisen protagonists, explained

With Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 episode 6, fans got to witness a love interest for Yuji Itadori. During the episode, when Yuko asks Nobara if she likes Yuji, she says no. However, soon after, she was left with a weird feeling in her chest. Does this mean that Nobara likes Yuji?

Yuko Ozawa was Yuji Itadori's classmate in their Junior High School. During that time, Yuko happened to hear Yuji say that he liked her. Following that, Yuko developed a crush on Yuji and wished to reveal her feelings to him. However, upon meeting him, she decided not to do so and shared her contact information with Nobara.

Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers from the Jujutsu Kaisen manga.

---

Jujutsu Kaisen: Does Nobara like Yuji?

Nobara Kugisaki as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen anime (Image via MAPPA)

No, Nobara Kugisaki does not like Yuji Itadori romantically. At least, there is no concrete evidence suggesting the same. Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 episode 6 saw Yuko Ozawa hoping to reveal her feelings to Yuji Itadori. Thus, when Nobara called Megumi, Yuko was left to wonder if Nobara also harbored romantic feelings for Yuji. Hence, she questioned her about the same.

Upon hearing Yuko ask about her feelings towards Yuji, Nobara Kugisaki instantly rejected any possibility of her developing feelings for him. However, soon after, she began to feel weird in her chest as if her heart had skipped a beat. This led fans to wonder if Nobara had developed some romantic feelings for Yuji over time.

Yuko Ozawa and Nobara Kugisaki as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen anime (Image via MAPPA)

Nevertheless, Nobara seemed to be the most persistent in getting Yuji to meet Yuko, hinting that she did not mind him getting a girlfriend. Additionally, later in the episode, Nobara expressed to Megumi Fushiguro that the reason why her heart seemingly skipped a beat was because she did not want Yuji to get a girlfriend before she got a boyfriend.

Many fans believe that Nobara was making such a declaration because she did have feelings for Yuji, but was trying to hide them with an excuse. Additionally, there have been several instances that suggest that Nobara does have feelings for Yuji.

Yuji Itadori as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen anime (Image via MAPPA)

Firstly, she treats her like a boyfriend by getting him to hold her shopping bags. Secondly, there have also been several instances where Nobara has shown signs of affection towards Yuji Itadori. This includes the time she mourned his death and teared up when he returned back to life. She also seemed to be the most angry at him for not sharing his whereabouts and also punished him for it.

That said, such events and instances are also shared between close friends. Thus, there is no concrete evidence that suggests that Nobara likes Yuji. Besides, given that Nobara is currently dead in the manga series, the chances of a romantic angle being covered near the end of the manga seem slim to none.

Therefore, even if Nobara were to return to the manga series, the chances of the manga giving fans any hints about Nobara's feelings for Yuji are quite low. Thus, there is no real way of learning if Nobara likes Yuji unless the Mangaka decides to focus on such a plot near the end of the series.

---

Final Thoughts

Nobara harboring any romantic feelings towards Yuji is unlikely and the reasoning is simple. The trio share a very close bond, but Yuji and Nobara are of the same age and show the same traits. While Megumi is their level-headed senpai, Yuji and Nobara are the goofy and hot-headed duo.

The "skipping a heartbeat" phrase could also be read as "feeling a strange sensation in the heart," which Nobara later expresses at the end of the episode. The idea of Yuji getting a romantic partner before her irked her and that's why the strange feeling. Even mangaka Gege Akutami confirmed in an interview with Mando Kobayashi that this part was merely to popularize Yuji among female viewers and does not hold any significance to the plot.