Jujutsu Kaisenhas always treated time like a quiet enemy. You rarely see it coming until it’s already too late. Characters fight curses, sure, but they also fight deadlines they can’t escape. Some are cursed with short lifespans. Others are given responsibilities far too early. And a few don’t even realize the clock is ticking until everything starts falling apart around them.
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These are characters who, from the very beginning, were living like borrowed time was all they had. Their arcs often feel rushed or incomplete, not because the story failed them, but because their stories were never meant to last long. That’s part of what makesJujutsu Kaisenso heavy.Some lives burn bright but fast. Others are dragged down by choices they couldn’t undo. And all of them remind us that time, once lost, never comes back.

10Riko Amanai
A Choice Made Too Late to Matter
Riko’s time was stolen before she ever had the chance to live freely. Born as the next Star Plasma Vessel, she was marked for sacrifice. While others her age were still figuring out who they were, she was expected to give her life for a greater cause. Gojo and Geto tried to protect her, and for a moment, it looked like she might have a choice.
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Then she made it. She chose to live. And that’s when she was shot. Riko never got the future she was brave enough to want. Her death broke something in Geto and left Gojo reeling. In the end, she wasn’t just a side note in someone else’s story.She was the beginning of their unraveling. She deserved more time.

9Kento Nanami
The Clock That Was Always Louder Than His Voice
Nanami always looked like he had it together. He was precise, reliable, the one you could count on when things got messy. But even he knew he didn’t belong in the world of sorcerers forever. He took off his tie at 6:00 and left the rest of the world behind. Or at least, he tried to.
The truth is, Nanami was always running toward his end. He came back from a quiet life because he felt compelled to. He trained Yuji, helped the others, and stood in the way of death more times than he should have. He kept going even after he was badly injured, even after he lost hope. When Mahito kills him, it feels like the end of something safe. Nanami was chosen to be a hero when he never wanted to in the first place.He just didn’t want anyone else to die because he didn’t step in. That’s what made his time run out.

8Junpei Yoshino
Junpei’s story was over before he ever got the chance to be a real character. His pain was raw and familiar. Bullied, isolated, misunderstood. You wanted to see him heal. You wanted him to find a way out. Instead, he foundMahito.
Junpei was used and discarded. He was just a means to an end for Mahito. And when he was no longer useful, Mahito twisted his body into something unrecognizable and left him to die. Yuji tried to save him. He really tried. But it wasn’t enough.

Junpei could have been anything. He could have been a friend, a classmate, a slow-burn addition to the team. ButJujutsu Kaisenmade it clear early on.Some stories don’t wait for happy endings. Some get cut off just when they start to matter.
7Suguru Geto
The Descent That Felt Like a Slow Collapse
Getowas a walking contradiction, torn between his ideals and the world that kept proving him right in the worst way. He started off as a kind person. He believed in saving people. But after Riko’s death, after seeing what the world expected from sorcerers, something inside him cracked.
He tried to change things. Then he tried to burn it all down. What hurts most is how slow his descent feels, and yet, how inevitable. You watch Geto spiral because he genuinely can’t see another way. In the end, Gojo has to kill him. Or at least, thinks he does. Even in death, Geto is used again. His body is stolen. His identity warped. And the man who once believed in kindness becomes a puppet in someone else’s war.He lost time in life and dignity in death.

6Yu Haibara
A Smile That Should’ve Lasted Longer
Haibaradidn’t get to be a tragic hero. He didn’t get a second episode. He died during a mission with Geto and Nanami, long before anyone knew his name. But his death mattered. He was cheerful, optimistic, and unshakably kind. He believed they could change the world. His death didn’t come with a grand fight or a noble sacrifice. It was quick, brutal, and stupid. Just another reminder that good intentions don’t keep you alive.
Haibara’s death haunted Nanami for years. It was one of the reasons he left jujutsu society in the first place.And for Geto, it was another step toward losing faith in everything. Haibara should have had more time. The world didn’t care.
5Nobara Kugisaki
No Goodbye, No Grace. Just Absence
Nobara was vibrant and proud, unafraid to call things as she saw them. She brought sharp energy to the team. But behind the confidence was someone who loved deeply and felt everything all at once. During the Shibuya Incident, she gave it everything she had. She fought Mahito and nearly took him out. But her victory came at a price. She was caught off guard and suffered a fatal injury. Whether she’s truly dead or not is still uncertain, but for all intents and purposes, she’s gone.
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Nobara didn’t get a sendoff.Her death wasn’t neat or poetic. It just happened, because the world is cruel and timing is worse. She deserved a full arc.She deserved to come back home.
4Riko’s Assistant, Kuroi
Loyalty That Wasn’t Enough
Kuroi was someone who just cared. She was loyal to Riko, watched over her like a sister, and did everything she could to protect her. When Kuroi was kidnapped, it became clear how little power she had in the grand scheme of things. And yet, her presence reminded everyone that this wasn’t just about power or curses. It was about people. The people worth saving.
Kuroi doesn’t die, but the time she loses, the trauma she experiences, takes something from her.She disappears from the story, another person chewed up and forgotten by the system.
A Soul That Was Never Supposed to Exist
Panda is a cursed corpse, created by Principal Yaga. But what makes him special is how deeply he feels. He jokes, he fights, he cares. He calls people brother. He grieves. He protects.Panda’stime was never promised. He exists because someone gave him a soul, and that alone makes him a miracle. When Yaga dies, Panda breaks.He loses the one person who gave him life and love. And after that, he starts to unravel.
Every battle he enters feels like a risk. Not just because of the danger, but because he knows he wasn’t meant to last. He keeps going anyway.
2Mei Mei’s Assistant – Ui Ui
Devotion That Left No Room for Self
Ui Ui doesn’t say much, but his loyalty to his sister is absolute. He follows her orders without hesitation and risks his life without complaint.
You can tell he’s been trained from a young age, molded into someone who only exists to support someone else. That kind of life wears thin.Ui Ui might survive the battles, but the version of him that could have lived for himself was lost long ago.
1Toji Fushiguro
A Life Lived Like a Final Blow
Toji lived like his time was already gone. Born without cursed energy into a clan that discarded him, he grew up fighting for scraps and survival. By the time we meet him, he’s a weapon with nothing left to lose.
He sells his skills, kills without remorse, and tears through sorcerers like a man chasing death. When he finally meets his son, he’s already dead. The only thing he leaves behind is pain.Toji never tried to save himself. He was already gone before anyone tried to reach him.
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