Nobara Kugisaki is one of the three main protagonists in Jujutsu Kaisen along with first-year classmates Yuji Itadori and Megumi Fushiguro. Fans love her for her brash, confident attitude and she has quickly become one of the most popular new female protagonists in shonen anime.
Although Nobara is one of the most important characters in the series, fans still know relatively little about her. By the end of the first season, her background remains shrouded in mystery and there are still many details about her personality that have yet to be fully explored.
She Dyes Her Hair
Nobara is portrayed in the anime with ginger hair. Unlike Yuji's bright pink hair, which is obviously dyed, Nobara's hair looks very natural, and could easily pass for her natural hair color.
However, although her ginger hair looks legitimate, her natural hair color is actually much darker. She dyes her hair because she enjoys the way it looks, and while her ginger hair may not be authentic it perfectly matches her style.
She Was Born August 7th And Is A Leo
At the start of the series, Nobara is 16 years old, making her the oldest of the three first-year students at Tokyo Jujutsu High. Her birthday is August 7th, which means that her zodiac sign is Leo.
Nobara is a typical Leo in many ways. She is extremely confident in her abilities and is a natural leader, as seen during the training mission in Roppongi when she brashly sets out on her own despite Yuji's invitation to work together. Additionally, she is strong and brave and does not cower in fear even when she is outnumbered by her enemies or facing a particularly powerful Curse.
Her Theme Music Is "Seishun Kyosokyoku" by Sunny Day Service And "Ano Depaato" By Natsuko Nisshoku
The music in Jujutsu Kaisen has received widespread acclaim and the show's great taste in music also extends to its cast of characters. Each of the main protagonists has theme music that matches their personality, with multiple genres represented from rock to jazz.
According to the show's creator, Gege Akutami, Nobara's theme music is "Seishun Kyosokyoku" by Sunny Day Service and "Ano Depaato" by Natsuko Nisshoku. Sunny Day Service formed in the 1990s, and its smooth, simple rock sound matches Nobara's cool style and country upbringing. Similarly, Natsuko Nisshoku's heartfelt vocals and plucky piano playing are a great allegory for Nobara's creativity and passion.
Her Favorite Brands Are Balenciaga And Onitsuka Tiger
One of Nobara's favorite hobbies is shopping. Her hometown in the country is quite small, so she didn't have many opportunities to shop when she was growing up. Now that she lives in Toko, she loves to spend her free time wandering around the city going to stores and trying on outfits.
Nobara is very trendy and loves designer brands. She has very expensive taste and enjoys both domestic and international labels. For example, her favorite designer brand is Balenciaga, which is from Spain, while her favorite shoes are made by Onitsuka Tiger, which is a Japanese company.
Her Names Contain The Words "Nail" And "Rose"
Fans of the series who do not speak Japanese are likely not aware that Nobara's name carries multiple meanings. Her first name, Nobara, contains the words no, which means "wilderness," and bara, which means "rose." Therefore, her first name conjures up imagery of nature, which alludes to her country upbringing and a wild personality.
Meanwhile, her family name also includes two different words that carry special meanings. Ironically, the first word of her family name, kugi, contains the kanji for "nail," while the second word, saki, means "peninsula." Considering that she uses nails in her Straw Doll Technique, the name Kugisaki is absolutely perfect for her.
Her Grandmother Convinced Her To Enroll In Tokyo Jujutsu High
Little is known about Nobara's family or her life before she enrolled in Tokyo Jujutsu High. In episode 3, "Girl of Steel," a flashback reveals that Nobara felt compelled to leave her hometown after her friend, Saori, was marginalized by the villagers because she came from Tokyo.
While Nobara was motivated to move to Tokyo in the hopes of reuniting with her friend, it was her grandmother who convinced her to enroll as a student at Tokyo Jujutsu High. It's not clear if Nobara's grandmother knew she was a sorcerer, but fans can be glad that she pushed her granddaughter to move to Tokyo because the show would be much less interesting without her.
She Is Just Shy Of 5'3"
Nobara has a very dominant personality and she tends to speak loudly even when in public. Her outgoing persona and physical strength make her appear quite large on-screen, especially when she throws Yuji about like a ragdoll despite him weighing close to 170 pounds.
In reality, Nobara is just shy of 5'3" tall, which is just above the average height for a 16-year-old Japanese female. Although she may not be as tall as her fellow first-years, fans would never know from the way she bosses them around.
She Loves To Eat Popular And Sweet Foods
While she is not seen eating on screen as often as Yuji, Nobara is also quite the foodie. Other than her dislike for lightly pickled vegetables she is not a picky eater and is happy to eat anything from pizza to watermelon, her favorite food.
During her shopping sprees in Tokyo, she loves to eat out and especially enjoys trying popular and sweet foods. She gets extremely excited when Yuji recommends a sushi restaurant that delivers plates of sushi on a bullet train, and they both fantasize about eating sushi together at the end of their mission in Roppongi.
Her Straw Doll Technique Can Damage The Soul
Nobara's Straw Doll Technique may appear simple, but it is easily one of the most powerful techniques in the series. She can attacks enemies at close range or at a distance by firing her cursed energy-infused nails with her hammer, which makes her very versatile in combat.
In addition to doing incredible amounts of physical damage by piercing her target and flooding it with her cursed energy, Nobara's Technique can also damage her opponent's soul. This means that her techniques are also effective against Mahito, whose Idle Transfiguration Technique makes him immune to physical attacks. All together, Nobara has one of the most effective arsenals of techniques in the series, and she matches up well against all but the swiftest of Curses.
She Places Great Importance On Being True To Herself
One of Nobara's best features is that she is not afraid to be herself. She is an authentic person and does not try to impress others or pretend to be someone she is not. Her desire to be true to herself is one of the main reasons why she has become such a popular character, as fans admire her confidence in herself and her abilities.
Nobara's authenticity is on full display during the Goodwill Event in her fight with Momo Nishimiya. Nishimiya complains female jujutsu sorcerers have to be both pretty and powerful, but Nobara rejects this assertion. Right before she knocks Nishimaya out, Nobara passionately declares that she will only ever be herself and refuses to try to meet others' expectations. This is easily one of Nobara's most epic moments of season 1 and is likely to go down as a classic scene in the series.