Nanami from Jujutsu Kaisen was originally meant for a far darker fate

Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the most talked-about and popular anime shows, and it has fans all over the world. Recently, the internet has been rife with news that Nanami was originally meant to be an antagonistic character in Jujutsu Kaisen.

Nanami Kento is a supporting character who was a former student of Tokyo Jujutsu High. The character has a huge fan base due to his reserved and wise personality. Nanami is a skilled fighter and strategist who often assists the series' main protagonist, Itadori Yuji, in his battles against cursed spirits and other villains.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen.

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Jujutsu Kaisen: Nanami was initially planned as a villain character

There is a tweet floating around on the internet from an account named “Tricia” that claims that Gege Akutami planned to make Nanami Kento a villain character at the time of his creation. The tweet claims that according to Akutami's interview, Nanami was supposed to join Itadori to help him as a sorcerer.

However, the creator of the series, Gege Akutami, decided to change Nanami's fate after realizing that some scenes needed him. Mangaka Gege Akutami also mentioned in an interview that:

"At first my favorite character was Sukuna, after all he's character design aspect was inspired by everything I have read, but Nanami is the first character that I managed to create on my own and develop. So right now he's my favorite character."

While Nanami's original fate remains a mystery, this revelation has sparked speculation among fans about what his character could have been like as a villain. Many people wonder how his quiet and serious personality would have worked in a role as a bad guy.

In anime and manga, it's not unusual for characters to go through big changes as they grow up. However, the fact that Nanami was originally intended to be a villain is particularly surprising given how integral he has become to the series.

As a former student of Tokyo Jujutsu High, Nanami knew about the risks and difficulties of the job. However, his experience as a salaryman, a job he took up after leaving Jujutsu High, may have further solidified his disillusionment with the world around him. Perhaps the weight of his mundane day-to-day existence was simply too much for him to bear.

However, as fate would have it, Nanami did not become a villain in Jujutsu Kaisen. Instead, he became a jujutsu sorcerer who, despite being skeptical and quiet at first, grew close to Itadori Yuji over time. His role as Yuji's mentor and his status as a grade 1 sorcerer has made him a fan-favorite in Jujutsu Kaisen.

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How could it be if Nanami was on the antagonist’s side?

If Nanami had turned out to be a villain in Jujutsu Kaisen, it would have been a big change from the character people know and love. His quiet, stoic personality could have become more dangerous. He might have been a tough opponent for the protagonists of the series because he was smart and good at his job.

Even though it's fun to think about what might have happened, the fact that Nanami changed into the character we know today shows how good Akutami is as an artist. His complex personality and nuanced relationships with the other characters in the series have endeared him to fans, and it's difficult to imagine Jujutsu Kaisen without him.

In the end, it's a reminder that sometimes the best characters come from unexpected places. Nanami Kento from Jujutsu Kaisen, who was supposed to have a much darker ending at first, shows how powerful good storytelling and creative choices can be in shaping the perspective regarding a character.