REVIEW: ‘Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3’ Wildly Improves The Divisive Culling Game Arc

In many ways, it’s hard to write about Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 in a way that feels accurate. Because yes, the writing for the Culling Game fluctuates from frustratingly overwrought to abysmal – this is the arc fans either warn you about or cause them to drop.

And yes, there are a lot of characters introduced who we don’t care about (hello, Reggie Star, and the “comedian” Takaba) or who, no matter the effort, continue to fall flat (Panda, I’m looking at you). And yes, a lot of the heavy lifting for some of the most anticipated episodes is put on fans’ projections of characters, rather than the actual writing for the characters themselves (did we even remember Mai existed before Episode 4?). 

Gege Akutami, the writer and illustrator of the original manga series, has always been better at world-building and ideas rather than driving a point home. But, in previous arcs, it’s been easier to brush aside because it was either in major setup mode (Season 1) or was actively destroying all that had been built (Season 2). And both were armed with a bigger cast of lovable characters who are now either dearly departed or locked in a box. 

Throw out the rules and enjoy the ride. 

All of that said, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, is the best season of the series so far. And that’s despite the story it’s telling. Guided by the direction and storyboard efforts from Season 3 mainstay Shōta Goshozono, the series comes alive in a way even the best, most terrifying moments in the Shibuya Incident arc didn’t quite manage, as so many episodes raced to the finish line.

The cohesive visual story helps maintain a galactic level of quality. At the same time, Akutami’s writing tries desperately to frustrate us as we keep all the many, many (too goddamn many) rules of the Culling Game straight. 

At a certain point, you have to do what our heart-of-gold protagonist does and disregard the rules altogether. Something that Akutami himself does as he establishes and fleshes out this world. 

Those two components – the written story versus the visual – are what make the final assertion of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 so difficult. Because if you take away the artistry the animators at MAPPA deliver, the adaptation would fall flat. The execution is crucial because it doesn’t just bring the story to life but also elevates and improves upon it.

As Yuji seeks atonement, Megumi and Maki look for ways forward.

The Culling Game is dense for the sake of it, overbearing in the need to explain the intricacies of the death game that Kenjaku (Takahiro Sakurai) has set up. Even the objective remains cloudy, especially as more characters add their own interpretations of what he’s up to. 

Still, even the info-dump that is Episode 3 can’t diminish the evocative effect of its early, striking sequences. It’s the two-part premiere that quickly assuages any (fair) concerns. Already, there’s a noted shift in the color palette that distinguishes itself from the overwhelming hellfire of Season 2, where Sakuna  (Junichi Suwabe), Mahito (Nobunaga Shimazaki), and co—wrought bloody, mindless mayhem on an entire district. The opening moments, as Yuji (Junya Enoki) sprints throughout the city, exorcising any remaining cursed spirits, establish the tone of Season 3. Atonement. Atonement and purpose. 

From the atmospheric score to the bruised coloring of the skies and the religious imagery present throughout, Yuji’s intent to save souls, if not his own soul, is determinable. And it spreads to the rest of the cast of characters, too, that offer up hints of where their storylines might take them. 

Each character carves their way through destruction in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3.

We see it with Yuta (Megumi Ogata), when he first shares with Yuji that he made a promise to look after him, his relief at Yuji’s safety is clear. He intends to save. Maki (Mikako Komatsu), meanwhile, atones for familial sins by culling her bloodline in sheer spectacle, living now, not just for herself and her sister but also, in a warped, roundabout way, for Toji (Takehito Koyasu) too, another outcast to the clan. Her atoning is to live where her sister died. 

We see the differing ways in which the intention to serve – to act as a cog in the all-mighty Jujutsu machine – shifts depending on the character and what they’re willing to do. Megumi (Yuma Uchida), once separated from Yuji, is all too willing to kill if that means he can serve his purpose of saving his sister. Both have enormous resolve, but weaponize it differently. Or, rather, Megumi weaponizes his with precise animosity while Yuji uses his as self-flagellating armor: sword and shield and all that. 

Of Season 3, many will point to Maki’s showdown as the high point. Still, the series finally hits the highs of the Hidden Inventory arc with the two-episode showdown with Hiromi Higuruma (Tomokazu Sugita). Higuruma, who, more than any new character, best holds a mirror up to Yuji’s survivor’s guilt, is demonstrative of a man who yearns for justice without the optimism of youth, too beaten down by a broken system. 

The fight between Yuji and Higuruma will go down as the series at its best. 

Episodes 8-9 mark the very best of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 and the series as a whole. They marry the visual spectacle with the greatest hits of thematic weight, such as Gojo and Geto’s messy breakup and Yuji’s awakening after Sakuna’s decimation. It’s a quieter, more introspective approach, so much focused on the eyes of a man who’s seen too much.

But it doesn’t weaken the effect. Instead, the effect is more potent because the writing is so subtle, so well doctored to the specific part of the story as Yuji declares himself a cog rather than a teen, shouldering impossible expectations. 

The animation will always be top tier, but when it hits the right emotional notes and makes the strongest, best-developed characters face hard truths. In this case, it’s not just that Higuruma forces Yuji to admit guilt. But that Higuruma takes that defense away, declares Yuji innocent, and leaves him to reconcile what that means in the fight against Kenjaku. 

“Start by saving me, Itadori.”

Higuruma is just an extraordinary character, one who both embodies as a foil of our protagonist and serves as a condemnation of everything that’s happened in the plot so far. Meanwhile, he’s searching for his own path as a means to, yet again, atone for the blood on his hands, too willing in the events of the Culling Game to exact his own form of justice despite his teachings. 

Which is why the best part of the story in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 boils down to Yuji. And not just because he’s our protagonist. But because he’s the only character who’s generated any real emotional investment as an individual, not in how he relates to others.

His story, from the moments he scrubs at blood on his hands, to his first meeting with Hakari (Kazuya Nakai), and showdown with Higuruma, shows a character on an accelerated path of grief. From guilt, apathy, and, in his own way, acceptance, his journey begins with the desire to save, no matter the self-destructive consequences. He’ll start by protecting Megumi and move from there. 

The Culling Game suffers from overwrought writing. MAPPA elevates it regardless.

Unfortunately, not every character matches that level. And, even when they come close as Megumi does, the story and his opponents fail to match his strength. Yuta gets to shine in the visually dazzling finale. However, even then, it still feels like we only know the outline of who this character really is, beyond his impressive power. 

The writing will never be the selling point. At least, not for the Culling Game. There are thematic undercurrents that work best in retrospect than in the moment. But they can’t hide the fact that the series struggles to lay out what is happening, why, and how someone’s power works. Sometimes it’s okay to simplify things for greater intensity and impact. 

And yet. None of this really matters, right, because of how gorgeous it all looks. There’s no overstating it. MAPPA has delivered one of the finest battle shonen adaptations in ages by being inventive and taking liberties with the source material. There’s no desire to make a one-for-one adaptation. Jujustu Kaisen Season 3 understands that the best way to highlight the series’ strengths is to adapt to the vast possibilities of anime rather than keep it within the margins of the manga. 

The big and small moments land with startling impact in Jujustu Kaisen Season 3.

The result is explosive and riveting, displaying works of such jaw-dropping, invigorating kineticism. It’s hardly the work of pure smoke and mirrors, too. While the series loves its BIG moments – an exploding eyeball, a Spider-Man style chase in an abandoned movie theater, a meme-able moment of sass mid-battle – the artists are aware of how much the little gestures and the fall of footsteps matter too, so much so that it’s become a defining aspect of Season 3. 

For all that we talk about the Maki fight (it’s great), the most noteworthy, memorable ones are, at face value, minimal—expressionist without throttling the viewer with sensory overloads. So much of the season is about perspective. And that animation instills that restlessness into a smart direction that emphasizes the tactility of movement and the agitation of characters.

Think of Hakari stumbling away from Yuji, or the deceptively simple act of Yuji walking past a car attendant bar. Or, of course, the widescreen observational look at the two’s first interaction, patient yet cinematic. Think about the detailed work of Higuruma’s face and the way in which a simple roll of his eyes informs so much about his character and the mental toll of his work. 

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 doesn’t just improve Gege Akutami’s story, it sets a new bar for the series.

That cinematic lens lends itself to the visual splendor of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3. There’s palpable triumph and confidence in the level of artistry on display, showcasing innovative talents who looked at the divisive source material and decided to go balls-to-the-walls in terms of sheer ambition.

It’s why it’s so hard to be mad about the lackluster plotting and the flat supporting characters. It is an absolute sweeping feat of artistic prowess, marrying the angular lines of distorted faces with the gorgeous, balletic movements and immersive backdrops of transitional moments that still feel like they’re hitting a theatrical release. 

The Culling Game is a frustrating plot device, point-blank. And Gege Akutami could learn to fine-tune his characters and trim the fat in his exposition. Regardless, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 doesn’t just make an aggravating, story-disrupting plot palatable. The third season goes for broke. It’s the best the series has ever looked and pushes the limits of what we expect from adaptations, period. 

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 is available now on Crunchyroll.