Will Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 be the biggest anime of 2026?

Jujutsu Kaisen's exhilarating third season is just around the corner

Jujutsu Kaisen begins with high-schooler Yuji Itadori, who embarks on a new journey as a Jujutsu sorcerer after he unwittingly becomes host to an ancient Curse. While Yuji is the show’s emotional anchor, the sprawling, dark fantasy world of Jujutsu Kaisen is rife with moral and ideological conflicts that eclipse his personal goals and motivations. This allows the story to branch into unexpected and exciting directions that eventually trickle back to Yuji and his allies for explosive, climactic moments.

Hype for Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 already began last year with Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, the theatrical movie that compiled the highlights of the Shibuya Incident from season 2 with the first two episodes of the upcoming season. As Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution had a fairly limited theatrical run, not everyone got the opportunity to tune into this special compilation preview. Keeping this in mind, the Jan. 8 premiere adds to the excitement of those who’ve missed out. Either way, JJK season 3 is sure to be one of the biggest anime events of 2026, setting an incredibly high bar for everything that follows.

[Ed note: The rest of this article contains spoilers for several Jujutsu Kaisen arcs, including those in season 3.]

The first two episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 will adapt the Itadori’s Extermination Arc from Gege Akutami’s manga, where the misunderstood Yuta Okkotsu (who is featured prominently in Jujutsu Kaisen 0) is tasked to carry out Yuji’s previously deferred execution. The horrific aftermath of the Shibuya Incident looms large over these events, and the absence of Satoru Gojo — who is still trapped inside the Prison Realm — creates a power vacuum like never before.

If we look at the cultural impact of season 2’s Hidden Inventory episodes and the Shibuya arc that follows, the emotional throughline (and wide appeal) of Jujutsu Kaisen becomes amply clear. Countless deaths define these stories, marking pivotal turning points for characters in both past and present timelines. In the present, the villainous Ryomen Sukuna revels in the trail of hellish destruction he unleashed on Shibuya, leaving Yuji paralyzed with survivor’s guilt. But Yuji doesn’t have the luxury to sit with these emotions. He’s almost immediately hounded by Yuta and forced to participate in a lethal battle royale orchestrated by Kenjaku.

This is the Culling Game, which Kenjaku will use to sow the seeds for unchecked chaos. In season 2, Kenjaku played a pivotal role during the Shibuya Arc, using his Cursed Spirit Manipulation technique to set events into motion and trick Gojo into lowering his guard for a split second. As an ancient curse user with a penchant for manipulation, Kenjaku emerges as an unpredictable variable in Jujutsu society. Anyone with zero regard for the sanctity of life makes for a dangerous antagonist, and Kenjaku fulfills this role with alarming efficacy.

The complex nature of cursed energy and its relationship with both sorcerers and non-sorcerers compels Kenjaku to pit hundreds of sorcerers against each other. Kenjaku aims to usher in a new golden age for jujutsu, but his cruel game of extermination doesn’t even afford participants the choice to withdraw. While Yuji and his allies have been pushed to extremes before, the Culling Game is a flagrant demonstration of jujutsu terrorism that breaks down established civic society and pulls in major international actors. The stakes couldn’t be higher, as Kenjaku wants to remake the world in his own image, no matter the cost.

MAPPA has done a spectacular job of adapting the more dynamic sequences from the manga so far, injecting inspired visual flair that enhances the anime’s onscreen worldbuilding. For example, season 2 sports a different art style than season 1 to illustrate the frenetic nature of the Hidden Inventory and Shibuya arcs, where close-up shots of characters are used to highlight subtle emotions or intriguing details. When hired mercenary Toji Fushiguro viciously battles Suguru Geto in a flashback sequence, Toji’s smug disdain towards his opponent is clear even before he lands a punch or unleashes a barrage of surprise attacks.

Based on what we’ve seen already, there’s good reason to believe the upcoming season of Jujutsu Kaisen will also excel in environmental storytelling, which will go hand-in-hand with competent character writing as we ease into a brand-new, trauma-fueled chapter.

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The first two episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 will premiere Jan. 8 on Crunchyroll.