Jujutsu Kaisen - The Culling Game

JUJUTSU KAISEN: The Culling Game 🕋 (2026)

This season of JUJUTSU KAISEN: The Culling Game is an explosive, action-packed sorcerer showcase that delivers a cinematic masterclass in anime animation.

I went in hoping for the emotional weight of the Hidden Inventory arc, the kind that redefined Suguru Geto and Satoru Gojo’s brotherly bond, but what I got instead was something just as powerful in a completely different way.

MAPPA didn’t just animate this season, they unleashed it, with animation that slips beyond the frame and takes on a life of its own.

Maki’s Itachi-level, cold-blooded Zenin clan massacre (dripping with Kill Bill energy), Yuta powermaxxxing everything in his path, and Higuruma instantly cementing himself as one of the series’ most compelling additions, there’s so much to love. One scene that’s stayed with me is the Zenin clan’s discussion over succession. The swinging light fixture casts shifting shadows over men quietly plotting the future, unaware they’re already part of someone else’s endgame, it’s storytelling mastery in a single frame. And even as someone who prioritizes story, I can’t get over how the show pulled me in through its colorful combat choreography, delivering emotion through body language just as effectively as dialogue.

It’s the combative nature of this world where JUJUTSU KAISEN shines, and it’s starting to feel like this generation’s Dragon Ball Z. There’s no singular, culture-defining transformation like Super Saiyan, though Domain Expansion has some inspiringly striking visuals, but each fight escalates in complexity, becoming less about survival and more like a puzzle to solve. Looking back at Dragon Ball Z, much of it involves characters staring each other down for episodes on end which, thankfully, isn’t the case here, or delivering heavy exposition alongside intense combat designed to push characters toward becoming the most powerful versions of themselves.

That same focus on power scaling and exposition runs throughout this season. At times, the exposition is fast-tracked with on-screen text, so keep your remote handy, you’ll definitely need to pause to read. And even then, you might not fully grasp everything… and you won’t be alone in that.

Part One of the Culling Game only scratches the surface of this sorcerer battle royale, a conflict designed to reshape humanity, where cursed spirits may rise as the next dominant force. Your care for some episodes will definitely vary, but the totality of the season marks a shift in quality that can’t be ignored.

I can’t wait for Part Two. Wherever Gege Akutami takes this world next, I’ll be there—cursed spirit in hand. 

Enjoy!

8.1/10 🍿 🎥

Runtime: 20mins

Episodes: 12

Where: Streaming on Crunchyroll

The Richmond Reviewer Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game Review - March 28th, 2026.

#JJK #Anime #JujutsuKaisen  #Animation #Japan #Crunchyroll