Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 features Nanami envisioning his deceased friend Yu Haibara. However, the series never fully explores what exactly happened to him.
Jujutsu Kaisen introduced Yu Haibara in Season 2. A friend of Nanami, his death weighed heavily on the bespeckled sorcerer. He first appeared in the Hidden Inventory Arc and died by its end before making a brief reappearance in the Shibuya Incident Arc.
Being a junior to Geto, Haibara also played a crucial role in the former’s downfall. When Geto was already doubting the jujutsu world after Riko’s death, it was Haibara’s demise that pushed him over the edge. This led to him slaughtering an entire village of non-sorcerers and turning into a curse user.
However, although Haibara was a major character death in Jujutsu Kaisen, and played a significant role in Geto’s backstory, the series never properly explores what really happened to him.
How Yu Haibara died in Jujutsu Kaisen
Yu Haibara died on a mission while fighting a grade 1 cursed spirit.
Despite his brief stint in the story, Haibara’s death is one of the saddest scenes in Season 2. He was liked by the series’ characters and viewers alike. So, his demise hit particularly hard, especially given the tragic way it happened.
When Haibara and Nanami were second-years, they were sent on a mission to exorcize a grade 2 cursed spirit. However, during the mission, it soon became apparent that it was a misinformation. The curse was strong enough to be a grade 1, far surpassing their level at that time.
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Though the duo still kept on fighting, Haibara ultimately died. This had a grave impact on Nanami, leading to him becoming disillusioned to the jujutsu world and ultimately leaving it after graduating. Geto, on the other hand, took it more harshly.
Haibara was a lively young man with a sister to look after. He was innocent, yet he died due to the higher-ups’ negligence. But nobody took responsibility. In fact, his demise was inconsequential to them since he wasn’t a particularly strong sorcerer. All they did after his death was to dispatch Gojo to exorcize the curse.
After this tragic end, Haibara appeared in the story again just before Nanami’s death. As he was dying, the sorcerer saw the image of his deceased friend pointing at Yuji. He appeared at another heartbreaking moment; this time it was during Gojo’s death.
In the Shinjuku Showdown Arc, after the present’s strongest jujutsu sorcerer died, he saw Geto and his other dead friends in the afterlife. This is the last time we see Haibara in the manga.
For more on the jujutsu world, check out our guides on Yuta Okkotsu’s Domain Expansion, Yuji’s cursed technique Shrine, Yuji Itadori’s family, and the strongest characters Sukuna defeated.