Popular Anime “Jujitsu Kaisen,” closed out its second season on Dec. 28th, 2023, leaving fans with the question, “When are we getting season three?” Such a simple question has very complicated answers due to issues revolving around the studio “MAPPA,” overworking their animators and underpaying them for their services.
Jujitsu Kaisen animators are being overworked because of the amount of sheer work and speed at which this studio’s anime are being produced. An example of this can be seen when freelance animator Mushiyo stated that MAPPA continually overworks their staff, with animators having to work overnight to fix drawings until the sun rises and not properly training animators before assigning them work.
At the time of writing, the only real news about Jujutsu Kaisen season three is that it’s officially greenlit. Season three was confirmed immediately after the season two finale and is confirmed to be adapting the Manga’s “Culling Games Arc.” This can be further seen from a small teaser that was released shortly after season two finished, not revealing too much but some plot details about the season and confirming the adaptation of the manga’s “Culling Games Arc.”
Jujutsu Kaisen season three is confirmed to be another Studio MAPPA production, despite the drama surrounding seasons one and two. Still, considering all the staff changes that happened between seasons one and two, there’s no guarantee that the series director’s Shota Goshozono, Sayaka Koiso and Composer Yoshimasa Terui will return for direction, character design, and composition, respectively. So, it is likely that season three may be an even more radical change than the changes between seasons one and two were.
As for the release date, since Studio MAPPA is likely prioritizing projects like Lazarus and the Chainsaw Man movie, it’s unlikely that Jujutsu Kaisen season three will air in 2024, so it should be expected to premiere in 2025, at the soonest.
As for how much of the Culling Game arc will be adapted, that’s estimable. The first two seasons each adapted roughly eight to nine volumes of the manga, so with Jujutsu Kaisen season two ending at volume 16, season three will likely go up to volume 25 of the manga.
To briefly summarize, MAPPA being focused on other animation projects like the Chainsaw Man movie and Lazarus means that at the soonest we will be getting season three in early 2025. This goes without even taking into account the controversy surrounding MAPPA’s mistreatment and underpayment of their employees may lead to certain creatives leaving, not only delaying the time it will take to get season three but potentially permanently changing the direction of the show in general.
