<figure><picture><source media="(max-width: 480px)" data-srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-2.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=480&h=270&dpr=2" srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-2.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=480&h=270&dpr=2"></source>
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<img width="1600" height="900" alt="Yuji Itadori deflects a blow in the Culling Game teaser" data-img-url="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-2.jpg?&fit=crop&w=1600&h=900" src="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-2.jpg?&fit=crop&w=1600&h=900">
</picture><figcaption>Yuji Itadori parrying a strike in the inaugural teaser for Jujutsu Kaisen’s third season.</figcaption><small class="item-img-caption">Image: MAPPA</small></figure>
</div><br><div class="content-block-regular"><p>Succeeding the intense two-part opening of Season 3, the <a href="https://www.polygon.com/jujutsu-kaisen-execution-best-jjk-episodes-to-watch/" target="_blank"><em>Jujutsu Kaisen</em> anime</a> shifts its focus to the Culling Game. This sprawling, high-stakes gauntlet forces veteran sorcerers and newly empowered humans into a lethal confrontation. Kenjaku, the series' mastermind, intends for the survivors of this carnage to harness cursed energy at an unprecedented scale, facilitating a forced metamorphosis of the human race.</p><p>The momentum for this arc builds when Megumi Fushiguro approaches Yuji Itadori during <a href="https://www.polygon.com/jujutsu-kaisen-execution-ending-explained-yuta/" target="_blank">the climax of season 3, episode 2</a>. However, this isn't a standard reunion; Megumi is desperate for Yuji’s combat prowess to help rescue his sister, Tsumiki. She has been unwillingly drafted into the tournament as one of the many civilians Kenjaku awakened at the conclusion of the Shibuya Incident.</p><p>While shonen anime frequently utilize tournament frameworks, the Culling Game offers a surreal and brutal departure from tradition. The narrative complexity can be overwhelming, as Gege Akutami’s intricate rules and evolving stipulations often leave readers and viewers catching their breath. To help navigate the convoluted events of <a href="https://www.polygon.com/biggest-anime-2026-jujutsu-kaisen-season-3/" target="_blank"><em>Jujutsu Kaisen</em> season 3</a>, we have distilled the fundamental mechanics of the game below.</p><h2 id="what-is-the-culling-game">Defining the Culling Game</h2><div class="body-img landscape ">
<div class="responsive-img image-expandable img-article-item" style="padding-bottom:67.5%" data-img-url="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/jjk_season_3.jpg" data-modal-id="single-image-modal" data-modal-container-id="single-image-modal-container" data-img-caption='"Image: MAPPA\/Crunchyroll"'>
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<img width="825" height="557" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Yuji Itadori facing challenges in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3" data-img-url="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/jjk_season_3.jpg?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1" src="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/jjk_season_3.jpg?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1" class="img-brightness-opt-out">
</picture><small class="body-img-caption">Image: MAPPA/Crunchyroll</small></figure>
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</div><p>Essentially a massive battle royale, the Culling Game pits 1,000 sorcerers and curse users against one another to generate the vast amounts of energy required for Kenjaku’s agenda. The conflict spans ten distinct "colonies" throughout Japan, each isolated by formidable barriers. Only Hokkaido remains untouched, preserved as a sacred sanctuary. The game operates autonomously; Kenjaku is not a traditional overseer but rather the architect of a self-sustaining system governed by complex Binding Vows that ensure the ritual continues even if he is incapacitated.</p><h2 id="what-are-the-rules-are-the-culling-game">The Laws of the Culling Game</h2><div class="body-img landscape ">
<div class="responsive-img image-expandable img-article-item" style="padding-bottom:56.25%" data-img-url="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-8.jpg" data-img-desc='"Yuta Okkotsu preparing for battle in the Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 trailer."' data-modal-id="single-image-modal" data-modal-container-id="single-image-modal-container" data-img-caption='"Image: MAPPA"'>
<figure><picture><source media="(max-width: 480px)" data-srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-8.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=2" srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-8.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=2"></source>
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<img width="1650" height="928" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Yuta Okkotsu with a resolute expression in the teaser" data-img-url="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-8.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" src="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-8.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" class="img-brightness-opt-out">
</picture><figcaption>Yuta Okkotsu looks determined in the teaser trailer for Jujutsu Kaisen season 3.</figcaption><small class="body-img-caption">Image: MAPPA</small></figure>
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</div><p>While Chapter 143 of the manga explicitly details the rules, the anime's second episode likely deferred this heavy exposition for the upcoming episodes. The baseline rules are:</p><ol><li>Upon the awakening of a cursed technique, players must register for the game by entering a barrier within 19 days.</li><li>Failure to comply with rule one results in the "removal" of the player's cursed technique—a process that is invariably fatal.</li><li>Any individual who enters a barrier is immediately classified as a participant.</li><li>Participants gain points by taking the lives of other players.</li><li>Points are determined by the "value" of the victim: sorcerers grant five points, while non-sorcerers provide one.</li><li>Excluding the value of their own survival, a player may trade 100 points to implement a new rule.</li><li>The game must adopt proposed rules unless they threaten the tournament's long-term stability.</li><li>If a player’s score remains stagnant for 19 consecutive days, they face technique removal (death).</li></ol><h2 id="who-is-involved-in-the-culling-games">Key Figures and Victims</h2><div class="body-img landscape ">
<div class="responsive-img image-expandable img-article-item" style="padding-bottom:56.25%" data-img-url="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-3.jpg" data-modal-id="single-image-modal" data-modal-container-id="single-image-modal-container" data-img-caption='"Image: MAPPA\/GKIDS"'>
<figure><picture><source media="(max-width: 480px)" data-srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-3.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=2" srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-3.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=2"></source>
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<img width="1650" height="928" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Yuji Itadori reflecting in solitude" data-img-url="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-3.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" src="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-3.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" class="img-brightness-opt-out">
</picture><small class="body-img-caption">Image: MAPPA/GKIDS</small></figure>
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</div><p>Kenjaku initiated this chaos following the <a href="https://www.polygon.com/jjk-execution-movie-trailer-culling-games-thunderclap/" target="_blank">Shibuya Incident</a> by utilizing Mahito’s Idle Transfiguration. He targeted two specific groups: humans chosen to serve as vessels for ancient, reincarnated sorcerers, and ordinary people whose brains were physically altered to facilitate the use of jujutsu. Tsumiki Fushiguro falls into the latter category, facing a death sentence unless she participates in the violence.</p><p>This event stands as the most catastrophic act of terrorism in the jujutsu world's history. It forces civilians into the spotlight, exposes the existence of curses to the global public, and threatens to replace the human population with a terrifying new evolutionary branch.</p><h2 id="what-is-kenjaku-rsquo-s-plan-in-jjk-season-3">Kenjaku’s Ultimate Vision</h2><div class="body-img landscape ">
<div class="responsive-img image-expandable img-article-item" style="padding-bottom:56.25%" data-img-url="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26358544.jpg" data-img-desc='"Kenjaku utilizing Cursed Spirit Manipulation on Mahito."' data-modal-id="single-image-modal" data-modal-container-id="single-image-modal-container" data-img-caption='"Image: MAPPA"'>
<figure><picture><source media="(max-width: 480px)" data-srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26358544.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=2" srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26358544.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=2"></source>
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<img width="1650" height="928" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Kenjaku consuming Mahito in a pivotal moment" data-img-url="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26358544.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" src="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26358544.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" class="img-brightness-opt-out">
</picture><figcaption>Kenjaku consumes Mahito using Cursed Spirit Manipulation in season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen</figcaption><small class="body-img-caption">Image: MAPPA</small></figure>
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</div><p>Kenjaku is a figure of ancient origin who has spent a millennium orchestrating this ritual. By absorbing Mahito, he gained the power to manipulate souls directly. His objective is to generate enough energy to force a merger between the entire Japanese population and Master Tengen—the immortal entity responsible for the nation’s protective barriers. Because Tengen has evolved beyond a human state, this merger would eradicate the boundary between humanity and curses. To Kenjaku, the survival of the species is secondary to the excitement of witnessing a "new" form of existence.</p><h2 id="what-is-the-heroes-rsquo-goal-in-jjk-season-3">The Protagonists' Objectives</h2><div class="body-img landscape ">
<div class="responsive-img image-expandable img-article-item" style="padding-bottom:56.25%" data-img-url="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-15-1.jpg" data-img-desc='"Ryomen Sukuna atop his throne of bones in season 3."' data-modal-id="single-image-modal" data-modal-container-id="single-image-modal-container" data-img-caption='"Image: MAPPA"'>
<figure><picture><source media="(max-width: 480px)" data-srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-15-1.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=2" srcset="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-15-1.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=500&dpr=2"></source>
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<img width="1650" height="928" loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="Sukuna surveying his domain" data-img-url="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-15-1.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" src="https://static0.polygonimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jujutsu-kaisen-season-3-c-gege-akutami_shueisha-jujutsu-kaisen-project-teaser-trailer-still-15-1.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" class="img-brightness-opt-out">
</picture><figcaption>Sukuna inside his Innate Domain in season 3 of Jujutsu Kaisen</figcaption><small class="body-img-caption">Image: MAPPA</small></figure>
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</div><p>Yuji and Megumi enter this nightmare with three primary goals: save Tsumiki, locate a sorcerer capable of breaching the seal on the Prison Realm, and liberate Satoru Gojo. They realize that only Gojo’s overwhelming power can truly halt Kenjaku’s machinations.</p><p>To succeed, they must accumulate points to alter the game's rules and protect Tsumiki from Rule 8. This will require them to face off against legendary sorcerers and unpredictable awakened players. The Culling Game is set to be one of the most volatile and exhilarating chapters in the series, filled with the inventive battles that have defined *Jujutsu Kaisen*.</p></div>Source: Polygon
