Action anime fans rejoice: Jujutsu Kaisen’s third season, The Culling Game Part 1, is headed to Netflix on July 22. The first two seasons of the show and the prequel movie Jujutsu Kaisen 0 are already on the service.
The third season of the popular battle shonen series aired from Jan. 9 to March 27 for 12 episodes. It was quite good. After Mappa’s adaptation of the Shibuya Incident arc left fans a bit divided — while it had jaw-dropping stretches like Episode 37, “Red Scale,” there were big drops in animation quality to the point where even the people who worked on it complained — the latest run was much more consistent.
On top of doing a better job at mixing in side characters (the public defender Hiromi Higuruma is one of the most compelling figures in the show), season 3 delivers many of the series’ best fights. There’s the battle between Megumi and Reggie Star, an unconventional duel that involves cash register receipts and sorcery loopholes, but for many it’s probably between Episode 51, “Perfect Preparation,” and Episode 59, “Sendai Colony.”
The seasons’ climactic Sendai Colony fight is a popular choice, a four-way battle among quickly characterized foes that literally escalates into the stratosphere. It adapts one of the most memed panels from the manga (the split view of three sorcerers unleashing their domains) and is a feat of technical action animation.
However, Maki’s battle against the Zenin clan achieves a perfect balance between style and substance: it’s part wrathful indictment of Jujutsu Sorcerer conservatism and part ostentatious butchery (with lots of Kill Bill references). It not only ranks among JJK’s best fights but is arguably one of the best animated action scenes in a long time. Regardless of which you prefer, Netflix nabbing the third season of this show is a big boon.
While Crunchyroll still has the largest catalog of any streaming service, Netflix has gone out of its way to scoop up many of the best and most popular series in recent years. It has well-known Shonen Jump adaptations like One Piece, My Hero Academia, Hunter x Hunter, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Demon Slayer, Dandadan, Naruto, and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, alongside excellent exclusives like The Summer Hikaru Died, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Delicious in Dungeon, and The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity (and this isn’t to mention Mob Psycho 100, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Frieren, Madoka Magica, and other recent or longstanding classics).
While the streamer’s ongoing rollout of the highly anticipated JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run seems like it was designed in a lab to torment viewers, there’s no denying the service has assembled a great sampling platter of what anime has to offer. Netflix acquiring Jujutsu Kaisen‘s third season is just the most recent example.
The 10 best fights in Jujutsu Kaisen history, ranked
Spoilt for choice in a battle shonen chock-full of incredible fights