Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 (2026) — Release Date, Trailer, What It Adapts

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3: Culling Game Arc Complete Breakdown | Geek Alley
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Key Visual

“In all the heavens and the earth, I alone am the honored one.” : Satoru Gojo

(Yeah, I stole your line for the headline, Gojo - it's yours forever. That power-flex still gives me chills.)

Okay fellow sorcerers , you guys remember the rant I did when teaser first came.(I will put the link to that post below if you want to check it out.) Now it's official. So, pull up a chair, pour yourself something warm, and let's go for a (very) deep dive again into Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3: what the studios officially announced, what the trailers actually showed, how the anime will connect to the manga, and what we should be ready for when the Culling Game starts.

Teaser Post 👉: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Breakdown: Culling Game Arc, Key Visual Hints, and Why 2026 Might Break Us

Quick refresher : what happened in Seasons 1 and 2 (so you remember why you care)

If you've been living under a rock (or just took a long break from the fandom), here's a lightning jog through what matters before Season 3:

Season 1 (setup & shock):

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1

  • We meet Yuji Itadori, a remarkably fast kid who swallows Sukuna's finger and becomes host to Ryōmen Sukuna, the King of Curses. He enters Jujutsu High to learn how to control his cursed energy and to fight curses - and because he wants to save people, which, uh, is wholesome and also gets him in trouble.

  • We get the Jujutsu High trio chemistry: Yuji, Megumi Fushiguro, and Nobara Kugisaki. Gojo Satoru shows up and immediately breaks everybland expectation about teachers; he's both infuriating and overpowered. Season 1 builds the world, sets up Sukuna's threat, and gives us big emotional hooks. (Season 1 + the prequel film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 are essential viewing.)

Season 2 (Gojo's past → Shibuya Incident):

  • The first cour of Season 2 - Hidden Inventory / Premature Death - gave us Gojo's past and the tragic friendship-turned-enmity with Suguru Geto, grounding the show's villainy in real emotional history. That arc rebuilt our understanding of how the current world got broken.

  • The second cour explodes into the Shibuya Incident, a massive, brutal arc where the villains' plan (Kenjaku's machinations) culminates in chaos: Gojo gets sealed in the Prison Realm, massive casualties happen, lines are crossed, and the world changes. Season 2 finished on that world-shifting cliff - sorely felt by everyone who watched.

If you want a recap episode-by-episode, Crunchyroll's Season 2 deep dives and recaps are excellent.

Official headline: Season 3 is coming - what the studios announced

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Announcement

Here's the meat that's actually official:

  • Season 3 (titled / billed as "The Culling Game") will premiere in January 2026. Crunchyroll confirmed the season and that it will begin streaming in January 2026. This was revealed during the franchise's fifth-anniversary livestream and accompanied by an official teaser.

  • Studio & staff: MAPPA returns as the animation studio; Shōta Goshozono is attached as director for the Culling Game material (announced in news coverage and studio notes). TOHO Animation and the Jujutsu Kaisen production committee remain involved in production and distribution.

  • Before the TV premiere: TOHO/GKIDS and related partners announced a theatrical compilation movie - Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution - Shibuya Incident x The Culling Game Begins - that will compile Shibuya highlights and include the first two episodes of Season 3 early: November 7, 2025 in Japan and December 5, 2025 in North American theaters (distributed in NA by GKIDS). This gives viewers an early peek and a theatrical recap.

  • Where to watch Season 3 (official): Crunchyroll will simulcast the season (global territories per Crunchyroll's regional rights). The theatrical preview runs via GKIDS/TOHO in North America/Japan. If you watch legally and want the subs/dub timing to match Japan, Crunchyroll is the official streaming partner.

If you want the trailer and official teaser visual, the production committee released those during the anniversary stream and Crunchyroll/local press posted the preview. (Spoiler: the teaser strongly hints at Yuta's return and a Yuji–Yuta clash.)

Try Out My Other Posts

Which manga chapters will Season 3 adapt?

This is where people get messy: the official announcements say Season 3 will adapt the Culling Game arc - they do not publish a neat list of chapter numbers in those press releases. So:

  • Official, confirmed fact: Season 3 adapts the Culling Game arc. That is what Crunchyroll and the production announcements stated.

  • Putting numbers on it (estimates based on manga arc): reputable trackers and reporting (GamesRadar, Wikipedia and chapter list references) place the Culling Game material or its beginning around chapter ~143 - 271 in the manga's arc segmentation; some reporting that analyzed the arc suggests Season 3's first cour will cover earlier bridging arcs like Itadori's Extermination (chapters ~137 - 143) and the Perfect Preparation portion (around chapters ~144 -158), with the overall Culling Game content running later. One recent industry write-up (GamesRadar / press coverage of the trailer) estimated the portion Season 3 will initially adapt to be roughly chapters ~159 - 221 for the main Culling Game content, but remember: that chapter-range mapping is a reporting estimate, not something the production committee published as a strict plan.

What to expect in Season 3 (story beats, characters, and fights)

Based on the official teaser + the manga arcs that fall under "Culling Game," and combining that with what's already canon in the manga, here's a sensible breakdown of what fans should expect. I'll flag what's official vs what's speculation.

Officially signaled:

  • The season will open the Culling Game storyline, continuing the aftermath of Shibuya: the sorcerer world is fractured, Gojo is sealed, and new deadly rules are about to reshuffle everything. Expect political-level stakes (Kenjaku's goal, Tengen's fate, international interference) as much as personal fights.

  • Yuta Okkotsu shows up in Season 3 teasers, and the trailer strongly teases a confrontation/scenes involving Yuji vs Yuta. That fight has huge implications - Yuta is canonically one of the heaviest hitters in the universe.

  • The theatrical compilation will show the first two episodes early - if you want early spoils, that's the legal way to get them.

Very likely (manga-based, high - confidence speculation):

  • You'll see Itadori's Extermination / Perfect Preparation material (setup scenes where Yuji pretends to be dead/cleared to set up infiltration, and the immediate fallout of Shibuya). Those chapters bridge Shibuya to the full Culling Game. (See chapter mappings above.)

  • Megumi's arc, Tsumiki, and the colonies: The Culling Game splits Japan into colonies; expect a lot of small, intense set pieces (Megumi's development is central).

  • New (and revived) fighting matchups: Yuta vs Yuji / Naoya Zen'in vs Choso / Maki awakenings / more Sukuna-related tremors. The tone shifts from one big villain spectacle (Shibuya) to a rules-based death-game where strategy and weird cursed-technique rules matter a lot.

Production & animation expectations:

  • MAPPA is back - which is both comforting and a reality check (MAPPA's track record shows spectacular animation when the schedule lines up, but the studio's workload and public conversations about production constraints have been talked about widely). Expect slick fights and mood-heavy visuals, assuming the schedule allows the team to deliver. Shōta Goshozono's continued direction signals stylistic continuity with recent seasons.

Release schedule & where you can watch

  • Theatrical compilation (early look): Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution - Shibuya Incident x The Culling Game Begins - Japan: Nov 7, 2025. North America (GKIDS): Dec 5, 2025. (The film includes the first two Season 3 episodes.)

  • Season 3 TV premiere: January 2026 (simulcast on Crunchyroll as announced by Crunchyroll/the production committee). Exact day/time TBD in regional schedules, but Crunchyroll has confirmed a January start.

Fan predictions (personal, slightly messy, but honest)

I'll be frank: I'm emotionally invested (and maybe a little terrified). Here are my hot takes - read as "fan predictions," not hard news:

  1. Yuji vs Yuta will be a cinematic beat that's split across episodes - I expect MAPPA to milk it for emotional/spectacle impact. Trailer hints make it unavoidable.

  2. Megumi's growth will be a central emotional spine: if the anime adapts Megumi's manga beats faithfully, this season is his coming-of-"power"-moment - and that will be glorious.

  3. Pacing will be a debate among fans: the Culling Game has a LOT of content and cast members. MAPPA will have to choose which colonies and side characters to spotlight; expect some omissions and some beautifully expanded moments. (Personally, I hope they expand quiet character beats instead of padding fights.)

  4. The theatrical compilation might be a perfect "re-entry" for casuals who missed Shibuya - expect it to pick the best hits and then drop a cliffhanger preview for the new episodes. If you love seeing animation on the big screen, book a seat.

Want to binge the manga ahead of time? Reading map & official sources

If you want to read the manga up to the Culling Game before the anime arrives:

  • MANGA Plus (Shueisha) and VIZ Media are the official English platforms for reading chapters; the arc and chapter lists are maintained there. Use them for legal reading and to avoid spoilers/incorrect leaks.

  • If you'd rather wait and watch: the Crunchyroll stream will be the legal way to catch Season 3 weekly in many regions. The theatrical compilation's early episodes are another legal early-access route. (or check the post that is mentioned below 😉)

Final fan note..

I'm both calm and wildly caffeinated about this. The Culling Game is one of those arcs that can push Jujutsu Kaisen to either utterly sublime heights or a bloated middle act - I trust MAPPA and the production committee to respect the source, but keep snack supplies ready: this arc is long and hungry. If I had to bet - and please don't make me - I'd say we see at least 20+ episodes spread across multiple cours (or at least two parts), and that the calendar-synced Crunchyroll release will make Season 3 the anime event of early 2026.

Small joke to keep the heart light: prepare your "Gojo being casually overpowered" GIF stash now - you'll need it for the monthlies, anniversaries, and the inevitable spoilers that follow.

Sources & fact-checking notes (for Nerds [like me])

I prioritized official studio and platform announcements (Crunchyroll, MAPPA, TOHO/GKIDS, the Jujutsu Kaisen production committee), then corroborated with reputable anime news outlets and chapter lists. Key source highlights:

  • Crunchyroll announcement: Season 3 (Culling Game) scheduled for January 2026 and will stream on Crunchyroll.

  • GKIDS / TOHO official pages: theatrical compilation Execution (includes first two Season 3 episodes) - Japan Nov 7, 2025; NA Dec 5, 2025 (GKIDS).

  • Studio MAPPA work page and press: MAPPA is the animation studio for the series; reporting names Shōta Goshozono as director for Culling Game material.

  • Manga & chapter references: MANGA Plus (Shueisha) and VIZ provide official chapter access; Wikipedia / chapter lists provide arc-to-chapter mapping (useful for approximate chapter ranges). Chapter-range reporting (e.g., 159 - 221) comes from press analysis (GamesRadar) and should be treated as reporting estimates.

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