Jujutsu Kaisen: Who Is Kento Nanami & Why Is He Breaking The Internet?
"Jujutsu Kaisen" Season 2, Episode 12 offers plenty of the kind of action the series is known for. However, if the fandom's reaction is any indication, one particular character stands out: Kento Nanami (Kenjiro Tsuda), who delivers an intense and one-sided beatdown to curse user Haruta Shigemo (Wataru Hatami) after the latter brutally attacks and tortures Akari Nitta (Sora Tokui) and Nobara Kugisaki (Asami Seto). Nanami is a powerful Grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer, and the scene shows exactly what kind of powerhouse this makes him.
Nanami's unique suit-and-goggles character design, sheer power, and businesslike approach to life and combat alike are already impressive, but the way he utterly curb-stomps Shigemo while calmly repeating the same question about the number and location of his allies has caught many fans' attention. They've been particularly impressed by the moment Nanami strides up to Shigemo and grabs the downed opponent by the ponytail to interrogate him the third and final time before delivering the final blow. TikTok users like @joe__anime, @iizukei, @user10282927200192, and @yuriinai have posted clips of the moment to tens of thousands of views and likes. User @getosbangs_ specifically appreciated how Nanami's physique is now in line with his power. "Whoever buffed him needs a RAISE," the account commented.
Nanami and Shigemo's ponytail moment has also received significant attention on X (formerly known as Twitter), where user @biyuuji's post of the clip has been viewed over 28 million times. Fan accounts like @JJKPerfectShots, @JJK_Mya, and the somewhat more Nanami-specific @hourly_nanami have also raked in seven-figure views with posts about the hair-pulling scene and the fight that leads to it. The same applies to the official @animetv_jp account, which summed up the fandom's feelings with a few shots of the viral moment, accompanied by the text, "Nanami Kento. That's the tweet."
Nanami is a powerful jujutsu sorcerer with a strange salaryman backstory
Though Nanami's confident vibe and chiseled Season 2 design are no doubt a big part of why fans enjoy the Shigemo fight so much, it's also worth noting that the scene is a notable punch-the-air moment for such a notoriously subdued character. Nanami, you see, might be a very good jujutsu sorcerer, but he doesn't particularly like the job. In fact, his personal history involves a lengthy gig as a salaryman, and he returns to his current line of work only when he determines he can be marginally more useful that way.
The office jockey aspect of Nanami's history and personality makes him fairly different from many other powerful "Jujutsu Kaisen" characters, such as the eternally confident and laid-back Satoru Gojo (Yuichi Nakamura). The character's conservative dress sense is in line with his calm nature, too. Still, while Nanami can be just as ruthless and to the point outside combat as he is against his opponents, his intense and blunt nature belies a genuinely good person who always puts his allies before himself.
His powers are a great fit for his personality
Along with his looks and personality, Nanami's fighting style is in perfect line with his theme as a stoic, calculated individual. His Cursed Technique is called Ratio, and it works by mentally dividing the target — either an object or an opponent — into a line with ten equally distributed points, which opens a weak spot at either the third or the seventh point on said line. Attacking this weakness will deal an absurd amount of damage, which Nanami tends to inflict with a special, blunt blade — which gets a nod in the episode title, "Dull Knife." The combination of his Cursed Technique and methodical nature allows Nanami to take down weaker enemies with easy, economic movements and wear down more powerful adversaries with a series of blows to their weak spots.
Fittingly enough for a person who used to work a draining salaryman job, Nanami's "Jujutsu Kaisen" powers also include a Binding Vow called Overtime. This limits his cursed energy during work hours but allows for a massive power boost after his normal Jujutsu High shift ends.
The efficient way Nanami dispatches Shigemo to protect his allies is a nice summary of his powers and personality, so even without the thirst element that inevitably accompanies online moments like this, it's understandable why the fandom has found this particular scene so enthralling. Time will tell whether this moment of glory is destined to join the "Jujutsu Kaisen" moments fans think define the series – but for now, at least, Nanami is certainly having a moment in the spotlight.