January is one of the biggest months for Crunchyroll in recent memory, thanks to the anime world bringing back fan-favorites and debuting some long-awaited shows. This month alone, Oshi no Ko, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, and Hell’s Paradise are only a few examples of major anime returns. This week, one of the most highly anticipated anime comebacks of 2026 has hit the screen, and thanks to this fact, Crunchyroll’s servers reportedly buckled under the pressure. That’s right, a certain shonen sorcerer’s return is making waves as the third season focuses on a brand new deadly game.
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Jujutsu Kaisen’s third season premiered on Crunchyroll with two new episodes, of which shonen fans had the chance to check out in last year’s compilation film, Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution. Despite some viewers having already witnessed the beginning of the Culling Game, this didn’t stop the premiere from crashing the streaming service’s servers for a brief time. Luckily, the crash only lasted for a short amount of time, but it goes to show just how popular Yuji Itadori and his fellow sorcerers have become. As of the writing of this article, Crunchyroll’s servers are now functioning normally, so don’t worry if you want to dive into Gege Akutami’s anime adaptation.
Why Did The Culling Game Crash The System?
Jujutsu Kaisen’s second season was one anime for the record books, as Studio MAPPA followed Yuji and company as they fought within the Shibuya Incident Arc. In this storyline, the villain Suguru Geto whips up a plan to capture Satoru Gojo, placing the all-powerful teacher inside of a “Prison Realm.” With the plan successful, Shibuya becomes ground zero for multiple malevolent forces looking to take advantage of the hero’s absence. Yuji tries his best to hold back the tide, but is ultimately unsuccessful in saving the likes of Nobara and Nanami. Also, thanks to the freeing of Sukuna, the Japanese city sees the deaths of thousands take place.
In season three, Yuji is on the run from heroes and villains alike, attempting to defeat the curses unleashed by Geto. The “Culling Game” is a tournament that was put into place by Geto, as countless new characters have had their supernatural energy awoken, both good and evil alike. In the first two episodes of this new season, Yuji finds himself facing off with Jujutsu Kaisen 0 star, Yuta Okkotsu, and it’s a fight he definitely isn’t ready for.
Jujutsu Kaisen is far from the only anime that has caused Crunchyroll to crash in the past. Attack on Titan’s grand finale, for example, caused a pause in servers thanks to the sheer number of people looking to see how the Survey Corps would end their tale. The introduction of Jinwoo Sung in Solo Leveling also threw Crunchyroll for a loop, which was all the more surprising considering it was a brand-new anime. Needless to say, when an anime can take down Crunchyroll’s servers, said franchise is a big deal.
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Image Courtesy of Netflix
