Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Disappoints With Latest Episode

January 18, 2026, 6:00pm

The highly anticipated Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 is finally here as the characters deal with the aftermath of the Shibuya Incident Arc. Tokyo faced one of the biggest tragedies of all time, as thousands of civilians lost their lives during the incident. Not to mention that the Jujutsu society has collapsed after the incident, as the Elders desperately try to hold their authority by labeling Satoru Gojo as a traitor and ordering Yuji Itadori’s execution once again. The season premiered with an hour-long special, broadcasting the first two episodes before moving to a weekly schedule. However, while the premiere had an incredible reception and received praise from fans all over the world, the response to the latest Season 3 episode was quite underwhelming in comparison.

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The episode had a 7.7 rating on IMDb when it was released on January 15th, 2026. The ratings slightly improved later, as it now has a 7.8, but it’s still one of the lowest-rated episodes of the series so far. Only a handful of Jujutsu Kaisen episodes are rated even below 8, including Season 1 Episode 3 and Season 2 Episode 6. Not only that, but the latest episode also got almost 3k dislikes on Crunchyroll, which is significantly higher compared to the premiere episodes.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Episode 3 Sets Up The Stage For Culling Game

As a battle Shonen, Jujutsu Kaisen thrives whenever it includes thrilling fights in an episode. Thanks to Gege Akutami’s exceptional story and MAPPA’s amazing adaptation, the intense episodes always capture fans’ hearts. However, the same can’t be said about non-action moments that just don’t get the same attention. After Yuta Okkotsu reveals his intentions behind attacking Yuji, he joins the other sorcerers, including Yuki Tsukumo and Maki Zenin, as they all try to figure out a way to free Gojo from the Prison Realm. Since the Prison Realm is a special grade cursed object, rescuing Gojo would be much more difficult than the sorcerers realize.

Not to mention that there’s barely any information available on the object, which is why the students and Choso follow Yuki to the Tomb of the Star Corridor to meet Master Tengen. Not only did the ancient sorcerer tell them everything about the Prison Realm, but they also explained the rules of the Culling Game. The Culling Game is a deadly battle royale orchestrated by Kenjaku for not only his amusement but also to help him accomplish his goals.

All the sorcerers, including the ones who have been newly awakened or forced to serve as vessels to ancient sorcerers, are forced to participate in the Culling Game. Since the rules are lengthy and complex, most of the episode explains everything about the game, which could be the reason why the ratings didn’t quite hit the mark. Compared to Season 3 Episode 3, the next episode is going to be one of the best in the series so far, as the story puts Maki Zenin in the spotlight.

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