Two promotional posters for “Jujutsu Kaisen” Season 3 sit beside each other. The first two episodes of “Jujutsu Kaisen” premiered on Jan. 8, 2026, which set the stage for the rest of the third season. (Promotional image from of Mappa Studios)

Jan. 8, 2026, was a day millions of fans had been awaiting since August 2025. The production of the third season of “Jujutsu Kaisen” was officially announced through a trailer on Aug. 31, 2025. The show is based on Gege Akutami’s manga, also called “Jujutsu Kaisen,” spanning 271 chapters released over six years. Both the manga and show follow a high school student, Yuji Itadori, and his life after consuming a finger of the “King of Curses,” Ryomen Sukuna.

Before the season was officially released on streaming platforms, a movie premiered in theaters. It was a summary of the “Shibuya Incident,” which was the culmination of the second season. Specifically, it details the fight between the main cast against the main antagonist, Kenjaku, and the emotional development of the main character, Yuji, while also including the first two episodes of the third season. By the time I had left the theater, my expectations were set high, and I was anticipating the day the show would officially release.

Season 3 features part one of the Culling Game, a game Kenjaku designed to force the evolution of Tengen, who is an immortal being. Though it had only 12 episodes, it was a slight disappointment since the previous seasons had over 20. However, the season was a good reflection of the manga, and some scenes were a mirror image of the author’s style.

The animation throughout the whole season was impeccable. Mappa, the series’ animation company, is known for high-quality animation. This can be seen in other popular series such as “Chainsaw Man” and “Attack on Titan,” and it is reflected in this season of “Jujutsu Kaisen.” A standout scene was the fight between Maki Zenin and Naoya Zenin in Episode 4, which was high-speed, detailed and insanely compelling.

Despite being an action anime, “Jujutsu Kaisen” elicits so much emotion, oftentimes due to the somber backstories of the characters. The characters are written exceptionally well and have so much depth, which is what makes the show so entertaining.

While the main focus of the season was the Culling Game and the fighting that came along with it, there was still a major focus on character development. The depth of each character was explored exponentially well in this season, especially of the main cast. Sides of them that hadn’t been expressed yet showed up, and the backstory of a few main characters was expanded as well.

Several new characters were introduced this season, two of whom stood out quite a bit: Kirara Hoshi and Kinji Hikari. They were characters who had been mentioned once or twice in Season 1, yet they played such an interesting role in Season 3 that it has me awaiting their next appearance. Additionally, they are the only two characters confirmed to be in a relationship that appear in the show, and they have an enthralling dynamic that makes the episodes more interesting.

The first episode was confusing because there wasn’t much context to help viewers understand. However, it soon became obvious that the remaining members of the main cast were preparing for the Culling Game to begin. The rules for the game were easy enough to understand, yet when put together, it was difficult to figure out the specifics.

My favorite episode of the season, episode four, ended with me in tears. It explored the heartbreaking relationship between two sisters, Mai and Maki, who were pitted against each other by unfortunate circumstances in their family’s hierarchy. It was devastating in a beautiful way and gave viewers a deeper understanding of the sisters’ relationship that wasn’t as clear previously.

Compared to reading the manga, the show progressed quickly. While that is not an inherently bad thing, sometimes it felt like the pace didn’t leave much processing time.

The last episode of the season, “Sendai Colony,” was highly anticipated by fans who were looking forward to the iconic fight between Yuta Okkotsu, Ryu Ishigori, Takako Uro and cursed spirit Kurourushi. It was easily one of the best fights of the season. It introduced new characters, provided more information on existing ones and the animation was done quite well.

The voice acting throughout the whole season continued to live up to my expectations. The voice actors from the older seasons returned, and there was an obvious progression of maturity. Furthermore, the casting for the new characters were all fitting choices. Although I prefer the Japanese dub, even the English casting kept me engaged.

Understandably, the season took quite a long time to produce due to the high standard of animation that Mappa produces. However, it is a much larger timeframe than the second season, which, from the announcement date to release, was only a year and a half for almost double the number of episodes. While it was a painfully long wait of two-and-a-half years, it was easily worth it.

The third season was a perfect blend of intense action accompanied by emotional nuance, making the season a perfect way to carry fans through the first half of the year.