After 8 Years, Anime Finally Has a New Greatest Battle Tournament

The battle tournament emerging from this new modern shonen anime is unlike anything ever seen in the anime medium, and it will be hard to challenge. There is no denying that one of the primary reasons anime is so popular is its fluid action sequences, and when these are elevated by other factors, nothing feels more rewarding. While there are many ways to present action, such as one-on-one duels or team battles, everyone can agree that the chaos of battle royale-style tournaments is unparalleled. With many significant characters pitted against each other in a tense, secluded setting, anything is bound to happen.

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Such battle tournaments usually come from the most popular anime genre, shonen, as these series revolve around conflict as the driving force behind their stories. One of the biggest recent battle tournaments was Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power. With entire universes at stake and fighters representing their worlds to ensure survival, it was one of the largest tournaments fans had seen when the arc aired in 2017. While there have been other battle tournaments since then, the newest tournament, Culling Game, featured in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, is definitely the biggest and best new tournament yet.

Jujutsu Kaisen’s Culling Game Is the Biggest Battle Tournament Since Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power

Up until Jujutsu Kaisen’s Culling Game, almost every major battle tournament in anime had rules that made them fundamentally fair. Whether it was Naruto’s Chunin Exams or Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power, these events were regulated, overseen by proctors or teachers, and structured with clear benefits for the participants. Even when the stakes were high, there were rewards at the end, which made the competitions feel justified and balanced. In contrast, Jujutsu Kaisen’s Culling Game stands out as one of the most unfair death games ever portrayed in anime.

The Culling Game is orchestrated in a way that offers virtually no way to end it, as it is designed to continue indefinitely. Its unfairness is further amplified by the fact that sorcerers trapped inside the barriers are forced to participate regardless of their will. Ten massive barriers appear across Japan, and anyone already inside them has no choice but to join the game. While civilians are given a one-time opportunity to leave, the process is deceptive, appearing like a dream; if they mistakenly choose to participate, they are thrown into a deadly battle against powerful sorcerers, essentially becoming fodder with no chance to survive.

One of the most brutal rules of the Culling Game is the requirement for point changes every 19 days, with points only gained by killing others. This means survival is directly tied to murder, leaving participants with no moral alternative. The situation becomes even more unbalanced with the return of ancient sorcerers, who join the game purely for battle, putting civilians and ordinary sorcerers at an extreme disadvantage. As a result, the tournament forces characters into morally questionable decisions, where the weak must rely on manipulation or alliances to survive. Even the main heroes are pushed into ethically complex choices, making the Culling Game one of the few shonen battle tournaments that truly challenge the morality of its participants.

Jujutsu Kaisen’s Culling Game’s Darkest Elements Make It Anime’s Best New Battle Tournament

Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power had massive stakes, but it was ultimately a straightforward fighting tournament. The moral dilemma of saving their universe only pushed the participants to go beyond their limits and battle their opponents at full power. At no point did it force the heroes into morally questionable decisions. In contrast, Jujutsu Kaisen’s Culling Game is deliberately designed to challenge the morality of its main characters, as acquiring points becomes the central objective. One of the game’s most brilliant mechanics is the ability for participants to add new rules by spending 100 points. Since the heroes are determined to create rules that could help end the Culling Game, they must find a way to gather those points, no matter the cost.

This leaves them with two main strategies: persuading someone who already has 100 points to add a rule in their favor, or collecting the points themselves. Megumi, desperate to save his sister, has already made it clear that he is willing to kill if necessary to obtain those points. What further elevates the intensity of the Culling Game is the series’ willingness to kill off major characters, meaning plot armor, aside from Yuji, is not guaranteed. Fans can realistically expect any beloved character to meet an unexpected and tragic fate. These elements are more than enough for Jujutsu Kaisen‘s Culling Game to stand as the newest great battle tournament in anime since Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power eight years ago in 2017, and it may hold that position for a long time.

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