Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Review: The Culling Games Begin in Blood

In the world of animanga, this release has been on everyone’s radar for years. Finally, on January 8th, 2026, the first two episodes of the Jujutsu Kaisen: The Culling Games Part 1 were released on streaming platforms. The first two episodes were simply the teasers that were shown in the recap movie Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, which included the first two episodes of the new season. These two episodes included events that are heavily important such as meeting Tengen in the Tomb of the Star, the entire explanation of the Culling Games and the complex rules that are incorporated into it. Other things include the fight between Naoya Zenin and Choso, and Yuta capturing Yuji and fulfilling his pact with the “higher-ups” of killing Itadori Yuji.

 This season has some really hyped up events, such as captivating fights between characters that have unique cursed techniques that haven’t been introduced yet in the show, as well techniques that have already been revealed, such as those belonging to Fumiko Takaba, and Kinji Hakari. This arc in general is regarded by the majority of manga readers as one of the best if not the best part of the story. Many characters come into play, with unique methods of fending for themselves that confuses the average person. So far, we got a full explanation of the Culling Games from Tengen.

To summarize it all, the curse occupying Suguru Geto’s body has set in a plan to return the world to the golden age of Jujutsu Sorcery, like how it was thousands of years ago. The curse occupying Geto, (a.k.a Kenjaku) absorbed Mahito with Geto’s technique of Cursed Spirit Manipulation, and used Idle Transfiguration- a technique that can alter the shape of a persons soul - on the entirety of Japan, giving thousands of people new cursed techniques, and initiating the Culling Games. The Culling Games is best described as an all out deathmatch between colonies throughout Japan that have been formed. Killing people gets you points, and when you get enough points, you can add a new rule to the games. Currently, the people of Jujutsu High (or at least the people teaming up with each other there) are trying to add a rule for a way out of the Culling Games, since currently everyone caught in the crossfire is automatically forced to participate, or their technique will be stripped(a.k.a death). To therefore reduce the number of corpses, a team of people that includes Maki Zenin, Yuki Tsukumo, Choso, Yuji, Yuta, Tengen, Megumi, and many other less notable characters will attempt to add a rule to the Games to add a way out for people who do not want to participate. One of the steps in the plan, is to collect the Zenin Clan’s collection of cursed tools, which they all took from Jujutsu High as soon as Satoru Gojo was sealed. Maki, went out of her way to go retrieve them with the help of the inherited head of the Zenin Clan, Megumi, however, Maki was struck down by her father, and her twin sister, Mai, sacrificed herself to save Maki with one last wish, for the Zenin Clan to be wiped out. Maki, being the good sister she is, did indeed wipe out the entire Zenin Clan, since as a parting gift Mai left her a remake of one of Toji Fushiguro’s old weapons. She then proceeded to cover the entire residence of the Zenin Clan with blood from their soldiers, and then she wiped out the heads of the clan, Jinichi, Ranta, Ogi (maki and mai’s father), Chojuro, and last but not least, Naoya Zenin. Maki mirrored the actions of the supposed “failure” of the Zenin Clan, Toji Fushiguro, and formed a Heavenly Restriction Pact, significantly increasing her physical capabilities to the level that the Entire Clan feared for many years. With Maki’s Pact made, a warrior with abilities that compare to Toji’s has been made, and unleashed upon Japan.