Jujutsu Kaisen has grown into one of the most popular anime franchises. After the explosive events of Season 2, the anime is gearing up for Season 3, The Culling Game Part 1, an adaptation of one of the longest and most intense arcs from Gege Akutami’s original manga.
MAPPA Studios and the official production committee behind Jujutsu Kaisen have not yet announced a final, confirmed episode count for The Culling Game Part 1. However, reliable industry reports and anime news sources consistently point toward a full-length season structure split into two cours, just like previous seasons.
It is being reported that the third season, part 1, will have a total of 13 episodes, releasing in two cours. The second part, releasing later, will have a total of 13 episodes as well, taking the total episode count to 26. Though official confirmation on the exact number of episodes in Part 1 alone is pending, the above-mentioned count is what fan sites have been reporting.
AspectDetailsTitleJujutsu Kaisen Season 3 The Culling Game Part 1TypeJapanese anime series (adaptation of manga arcs: Itadori’s Extermination, Perfect Preparation, Culling Game)StudioMAPPAEpisode count13 episodes (Part 1; Part 2 expected to have 13 more for 26 total)Premiere dateJanuary 8, 2026 (Japan on MBS/TBS affiliates; global simulcast on Crunchyroll; Netflix January 9 in select Asian territories)Key charactersYuji Itadori, Yuta Okkotsu, Kenjaku; new ones like Kinji Hakari, Kirara Hoshi, Hiromi Higuruma, Fumihiko Takaba, Reggie Star, KoganePremisePost‑Shibuya Incident, jujutsu sorcerers enter Kenjaku’s deadly Culling Game tournament while plotting to free Satoru Gojo from the Prison Realm.
What is Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 The Culling Game Part 1 About?
Known for its high-stakes fights, rich characters, and thrilling supernatural plotlines, the third season will be based on the manga’s Itadori’s Extermination, Perfect Preparation, and Culling Game story arcs.
The Culling Game arc picks up right after the intense events of the Shibuya Incident, where the balance of the jujutsu world drastically shifted. As curses run rampant and jujutsu sorcerers struggle to contain chaos.
In this arc, the Jujutsu Sorcerers enter the deadly tournament called the Culling Game. Designed by Kenjaku, a powerful and deadly adversary, they must face off in a brutal contest of survival while planning to fight off Kenjaku. Moreover, they must also free Satoru Gojo from the Prison Realm, after he was trapped there by Kenjaku during the Shibuya incident.
The stakes this season are particularly high for our protagonist, Yuji Itadori. One of the most talked-about developments teased in early promotional materials is the inclusion of Yuta Okkotsu, the special-grade sorcerer and central figure from Jujutsu Kaisen 0, who takes on a pivotal role in this arc’s opening conflicts (via Hyper Beast).
Apart from Yuta, the newly released trailer also introduces us to new characters like Kinji Hakari, Kirara Hoshi, Hiromi Higuruma, Fumihiko Takaba, Reggie Star, and Kogane.
When Will Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game Part 1 Premiere?
Jujutsu Kaisen | Credits: MAPPA Studios
Fans won’t have to wait much longer: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 The Culling Game Part 1 is scheduled to premiere on January 8, 2026, in Japan, with a simultaneous global simulcast through Crunchyroll for international viewers (via Crunchyroll).
It will begin airing on 28 MBS/TBS affiliates in Japan at 12:26 am on the “Super Animeism TURBO” slot (via Comic Natalie). In the United States, the season will premiere on January 8, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. PT on Crunchyroll. However, it will premiere on Netflix on January 9, 2026, in selected regions of Asia (via Netflix Anime).
Release DateAreaPlatformJanuary 8, 2026North AmericaCrunchyrollJanuary 8, 2026Central AmericaCrunchyrollJanuary 8, 2026South AmericaCrunchyrollJanuary 8, 2026EuropeCrunchyrollJanuary 8, 2026AfricaCrunchyrollJanuary 8, 2026OceaniaCrunchyrollJanuary 8, 2026Middle EastCrunchyrollJanuary 8, 2026CISCrunchyrollJanuary 8, 2026IndiaCrunchyrollJanuary 8, 2026Southeast AsiaCrunchyrollJanuary 9, 2026Selected Asian TerritoriesNetflix
Its premiere episode will be a one-hour special. Shota Goshozono will direct the season at studio MAPPA, with Hiroshi Seko writing alongside Yosuke Yajima and Hiromi Niwa character designing, and Yoshimasa Teuri serving as the music composer, all returning from the second season.
With this premiere date officially locked in, anime fans everywhere are gearing up for what many expect to be one of the most intense and ambitious arcs the series has ever adapted. What do you think about the upcoming season?
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 The Culling Game Part 1 will premiere on January 8, 2026, in the United States.
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