The frenetic fight format in battle shonen or seinen is usually a vehicle for an animation studio to flex its strengths. MAPPA has put out standout titles since its inception in 2011, including Dorohedoro, Chainsaw Man, and Vinland Saga. The adaptation of Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen is among the studio’s finest works, especially with season 3, which wrapped up its exciting finale today.
Shōta Goshozono’s direction and storyboarding are crucial to the beloved anime’s creative direction, which culminates in the beautiful, show-stopping episode that is “Sendai Colony.” Picking up where it left off, we witness Yuta Okkotsu breaking the deadlock in Sendai Colony and taking on three formidable reincarnated sorcerers from the Heian era.
[Ed. note: This article contains spoilers for season 3 episode 12 of Jujutsu Kaisen]
On November 12, 11:28 AM, Yuta kills sorcerer Dhruv Lakdawalla and moves on to his task of taking a group of civilians to safety. Given Dhruv’s frightening reputation as a veteran sorcerer, Yuta reasons that his now-empty base would be safe for the civilian survivors. This move is suddenly interrupted by the chittering of a swarm of insects, which tear and devour two survivors within seconds. Urging the others to get to safety, Yuta faces the swarm head-on while using Rika’s cursed spirit abilities to his advantage. After Yuta emits a fatal blast from his katana (which he charges with cursed energy), the swarm dies, revealing its source: the special grade cockroach curse, Kurourushi, who is also a Culling Game contestant.
Yuta’s fight with Kurourushi demonstrates his quick thinking, with Yuta going on the offensive to immediately disarm his opponent. Bright pink beams of cursed energy pierce through Kurourushi’s blood-tinted swarms of insects, which hound Yuta after the cockroach curse unleashes its weapon, Festering Life Sword. Akutami’s vivid manga panels are translated with love and verve, whereas the flexibility of the animated medium allows the opponents to move around in disorienting ways. Even the semi-humorous moments, such as when Yuta bites Kurourushi on the mouth to use his Reverse Cursed Technique (RCT) as a killing blow, are handled with distinctive flair. This “kiss” of death feels much more satisfying, as it puts Yuta’s dogged determination to score maximum points in the Culling Game into perspective.
Unfortunately, Yuta cannot catch a break yet, as ancient sorcerer Takako Uro uses her Sky Manipulation technique (which utilizes the sky as a surface to distort space and gravity) to unleash a sneak attack on him. After the two crash inside an art gallery, the circular wall of paintings that frames both characters is spun around to evoke a dizzying effect. As this spinning halts, Uro prepares herself to launch at Yuta, but they’re interrupted by a third sorcerer, Ryu Ishigori, who uses Granite Blast (a signature attack that emits a hyper-concentrated beam of cursed energy) to scatter the duo.
This three-way battle is the pinnacle of MAPPA’s visual artistry this season, as a stunning interplay between atmosphere and dialogue heightens the stakes of an incredibly well-written fight. Some iconic manga panels, such as when Yuta, Ryu, and Uro simultaneously unleash their Domain Expansions, are faithfully replicated, while the rest is a gorgeous demonstration of mapping order through chaos.
Goshozono’s vision for season 3 has leaned towards artistic freedom, as opposed to a strictly 1:1 recreation of Akutami’s manga. This leeway doesn’t come at the cost of the integrity of the source material, as the major beats of the story remain the same. Events might be shuffled around or slightly altered for the screen, but these changes add up to an adaptation that boasts an eclectic identity. Season 3 has rewired our expectations of what a battle shonen should look and feel like, especially when the narrative has reached such a dense and convoluted juncture. The finale’s aesthetic merits are best enjoyed firsthand, as the climactic final battle between Yuta and Ryu relishes the labor inherent in the act of making good art. Here, these painstaking efforts bear fruit, as MAPPA eclipses its own standards in these kinetic final moments.
It might be tempting to think that the story takes a backseat in an episode that is basically one big spectacle. However, the heavy burden on Yuta’s shoulders is felt throughout this 28-minute showcase, where we see one of the strongest jujutsu sorcerers push themself to the limit for the sake of his friends. He aims to accumulate enough points so that Yuji Itadori or Megumi Fushiguro can introduce new rules to the game, as it has become clear that the notion of “winning” is a lie. Yuta emphasizes that he won’t let his sensei, Satoru Gojo, kill his best friend a second time, as Kenjaku has been using Suguru Geto’s corpse as his new vessel. This compassionate consideration reveals the crux of Yuta’s character. He’s willing to risk it all and kill Kenjaku himself, even if it means endangering his life for the greater good.
This recontextualizes Uro’s final statement at the end of the episode, wherein she warns Yuta about the limits of his strength. Uro states that sorcerers with unimaginable power (like Kenjaku) harbor “overwhelming” egos, which turn them into unchecked “calamities.” As Yuta fights without centering his ego, Uro warns him that egocentric curses like Sukuna will overpower him when he reaches his limit. This foreshadows prominent arcs and leaves us with a pit in our stomachs while the credits roll.
Season 4 of Jujutsu Kaisen, which has already been greenlit, will map the last leg of the Culling Game. While we are yet to indulge in some of the most intense group battles and one-on-ones in the ongoing arc, slowing down and appreciating the wonderful gift that is season 3 feels fitting right now.
Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
