Inde Navarrette Studied Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer to Sharpen Her Screenwriting

Inde Navarrette's path through acting, gaming, and screenwriting has included an intensive look at two of modern anime's biggest series: Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer. The actor, known for playing Nikki Freeman in Obsession, has explained that she turned to anime not simply as entertainment, but as a practical way to examine why stories work and how writers build emotional payoff over time.

During a stretch of uncertainty following the completion of Obsession and before its eventual release, Navarrette found herself considering what would come next professionally. She streamed games on Twitch to help make ends meet, while also giving herself a more deliberate education in film, television, and narrative construction. That meant revisiting the media she already loved and interrogating the choices behind it.

For Navarrette, anime became a particularly useful case study. Rather than treating favorite shows as untouchable inspirations, she began asking direct craft-focused questions: Why did a particular series connect with her? What separated one show from another? How did differences in chronology and perspective alter the viewer's relationship with characters and plot?

Anime as a screenwriting classroom

Navarrette singled out Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer because their storytelling approaches offered a clear contrast. She described Jujutsu Kaisen as especially fascinating for its use of timelines, an element she sees as distinct from the more linear progression of Demon Slayer.

For useful background on this topic, read Marvel TV Chief Says Daredevil: Born Again Was Always Designed to Finish With Season 3.

That comparison led her to focus on the impact that structure can have beyond the immediate events of an episode. A non-linear narrative can withhold context, revisit events from another angle, or reveal a character's importance after the audience has already made assumptions about them. A linear story, meanwhile, can generate momentum through a more direct chain of cause and effect. Neither approach is automatically better, but each changes how viewers process information, anticipate turns, and feel the eventual resolution.

"I transitioned into studying film and watching movies and asking, 'Why do I like them?'" Navarrette said in an October 14 interview. "What I like is anime, so like, why do I like that?"

Her study of Jujutsu Kaisen went beyond a general appreciation for its action or supernatural world. She was interested in the way the series plants ideas early and makes those moments meaningful much later. In particular, she pointed to the potential for a monologue at the beginning of an episode to gain new weight episodes afterward--or even near the end of a storyline, after the audience has learned information that radically changes its interpretation.

That kind of delayed payoff is a powerful screenwriting tool. It asks writers to think not only about what a scene accomplishes in the moment, but about how it may echo across an entire season or narrative arc. Dialogue, imagery, and character behavior can all serve more than one purpose: establishing a present conflict while quietly preparing the audience for a later revelation.

Navarrette said she brought those lessons into her own screenwriting efforts, using the anime she watched to understand timeline, setup, and the long-term consequences of narrative choices. Her approach reflects a useful creative habit for writers in any medium: studying the entertainment they already enjoy with enough precision to identify the mechanics beneath the feeling.

From streaming games to studying stories

Gaming has remained a meaningful part of Navarrette's public interests throughout that period. While waiting for her acting career's next step, she streamed on Twitch. Her channel has since been scrubbed clean, but the experience places games within the same larger creative picture as her screenwriting and anime interests.

Streaming can require a different type of storytelling from scripted work. A live broadcast depends on the player's reactions, conversations with viewers, unexpected game outcomes, and the ability to create a sense of momentum without a prewritten scene. That does not make it identical to screenwriting, of course, but it does mean that performance, audience engagement, pacing, and character presentation can all overlap in surprising ways.

Navarrette has also openly embraced her identity as a gamer and self-described nerd. At a fan convention in July, she was delighted to receive a sealed 2009 copy of Modern Warfare 2 in its display case from a fan. The moment underscored the personal value that gaming memorabilia and older releases can hold, particularly for players who associate specific games with formative eras of their hobby.

The original 2009 Modern Warfare 2 remains a notable point in the history of blockbuster military shooters, and a sealed copy has obvious appeal as a collector's item. Navarrette's response was not framed as a calculated publicity beat; it fit with the broader image of someone whose enthusiasm for games, anime, and genre fiction extends beyond the work she is currently promoting.

A possible future in game voice acting

That enthusiasm may eventually become part of Navarrette's professional work. She has said that she wants to explore voice acting, potentially beginning with smaller projects as a way to learn the medium before pursuing something larger. Video games are an especially natural area of interest for her, given her stated affection for the form and her streaming background.

Her dream assignment is a role in a Resident Evil game. In an August interview, Navarrette said that she loves video games and specifically highlighted the Resident Evil world as one she would like to join.

"I wanna try something smaller to kind of test the waters, and then later, [do something] different, because video games are obviously a big interest of mine," Navarrette said. "I love that world, specifically -- the Resident Evil world."

Voice acting for games presents its own challenges compared with on-camera performances. Actors may record lines out of story order, build a character through isolated sessions, and adjust to branching dialogue or multiple versions of a scene. Horror games can add further demands, requiring performances that sell terror, exhaustion, urgency, grief, and resilience while still leaving room for player agency.

There is no announced Resident Evil role for Navarrette, and her comments should be understood as an ambition rather than a confirmation of a project. Still, her interest makes sense alongside her broader habit of using genre media as both fandom and a learning resource. Someone who is actively studying anime's story architecture may be well positioned to appreciate the particular narrative demands of interactive fiction.

Preparing for Rogue in Marvel's X-Men reboot

For now, Navarrette is preparing to play Rogue in Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot. The character carries a substantial history across comics, animation, games, and previous screen adaptations, making the role one with major expectations attached for longtime fans.

Navarrette has said she is putting everything she can into doing the character justice. Her comments stress both the responsibility she feels toward the production and her own perspective as a fan. That framing mirrors the way she discusses anime: admiration is not separate from the work, but part of the motivation to study, prepare, and understand what makes a character or story resonate.

"I'm doing everything humanly possible because I love that character," Navarrette said. "I've studied that character. I want to do it justice for myself, for [director Jake Schrieier], for what they want to portray and also for what I as a fan want her to be like."

Rogue's long history means there are many possible interpretations to consider, from her powers and visual identity to her relationships and emotional conflicts. Navarrette's stated preparation does not reveal how Marvel's new film will approach any of those elements. It does, however, establish that she recognizes the significance of playing a character with such a dedicated audience.

Why Navarrette's method matters

Navarrette's comments offer a compelling reminder that fandom can become a serious tool for creative growth. Her interest in Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer is not presented as a claim that there is one secret formula for good writing. Instead, it is an example of learning by comparison: noticing how two acclaimed series use structure differently, then examining how those choices affect the experience of watching them.

For aspiring writers, performers, and game creators, that process can be more valuable than simply consuming a large amount of media. Asking why a reveal works, why a character's speech returns to mind later, or why a timeline shift changes an audience's emotional response can turn a favorite show into a lesson in craft.

Navarrette's interests also point toward an increasingly connected entertainment landscape. Anime, games, film, television, voice acting, livestreaming, and superhero adaptations may have different production cultures, but they share fundamental concerns: character, pacing, atmosphere, perspective, and payoff. As she moves forward with Rogue and explores the possibility of voice roles, those influences could continue to shape the work she chooses to pursue.