3. Nanami Kento Once Mentored Itadori Yuji

When a cinema incident led to the unnatural deaths of three high school students due to a cursed spirit’s actions, Gojo assigned Nanami and Yuji to investigate the case. Gojo entrusted Nanami with the role of mentoring Yuji during the mission as a Jujutsu sorcerer.

Before beginning the mission together, Nanami asked Yuji to prove his worth beyond being Sukuna’s vessel, as Nanami had not yet acknowledged Yuji as a legitimate Jujutsu sorcerer. Yuji admitted that he was weak and useless but promised to become stronger and earn Nanami’s recognition.

However, Nanami told Yuji not to say such things to him but instead to the Jujutsu higher-ups. Nanami confessed that he didn’t care, which made Yuji feel awkward in dealing with him.

While at the cinema room where the victims were found dead, Nanami taught Yuji how to detect cursed energy residue, explaining that anyone who uses Cursed Techniques will always leave traces behind. Although Yuji initially failed to see the residue, he eventually succeeded in spotting the trail of the perpetrator’s footsteps. Nanami then told him that if Yuji could sense the residue before seeing it, he would be ready to conduct missions independently. Yuji celebrated his success.

However, Yuji protested against Nanami’s rigid demeanor, as he did not give any praise for his junior’s achievement. Nanami explained that he neither praised nor insulted but instead required Yuji to accept facts and apply strict self-discipline. Nanami reminded Yuji of their task to track down the enemy, prompting Yuji to say, “Let’s beat the enemy to a pulp.” But Nanami corrected him, saying that if a simple punch was enough to defeat the enemy, that was sufficient. This response made Yuji feel awkward and highlighted how difficult it was to become close to Nanami.

Later, Yuji and Nanami fought a transfigured human on the cinema roof. Despite his initial reservations, Nanami advised Yuji not to hesitate to ask for help if he couldn’t handle the enemy alone. However, Nanami was amazed by Yuji’s Divergent Fist technique, which delivered a fatal blow to his opponent with a single punch. He was also impressed by Yuji’s anger toward Mahito for turning humans into monstrous creatures. As a result, Nanami began to acknowledge Yuji as a true Jujutsu sorcerer.