Jujutsu Kaisen: The Culling Game Rules Have Changed

In the seventh episode of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, titled “Tokyo Colony No. 1,” the narrative shifts gears as Yuji Itadori and Megumi Fushiguro finally descend into the chaotic arena of the Culling Game. With the recruitment of the high-stakes gambler Kinji Hakari successfully finalized, the focus turns to the brutal survival tournament orchestrated by Kenjaku. This battle royale pits a thousand sorcerers against one another in a grim quest for evolution, all serving as fuel for Kenjaku’s ultimate vision of cursed energy optimization. However, the game is already evolving; a formidable sorcerer has already amassed 100 points and introduced a ninth rule, forcing Yuji and Megumi to pivot their strategy to safeguard Megumi’s sister, Tsumiki.

Warning: The following contains significant spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, Episode 7.

Following their alliance with Hakari, the group coordinates their entry into various colonies. Their briefing is interrupted by Kogane—the tournament’s spectral moderator—who announces the implementation of the ninth rule. This addition grants participants transparency, allowing them to view the names, point totals, rule histories, and current locations of all other players. Furthermore, Yuji discovers a peculiar detail: despite having not yet physically crossed a barrier, he is already registered as an active participant with his own personal Kogane liaison.

Utilizing this new database, the duo identifies the rule-maker as Hajime Kashimo. With a staggering 200 points to his name, Kashimo has already eliminated at least 40 participants. Committed to a pacifist approach, Megumi devises a complex counter-strategy: they must locate a player with 100 points, such as Hiromi Higuruma, and persuade them to enact a rule allowing point transfers. This would provide a loophole for Rule 8—which executes players for point stagnation—thereby saving Tsumiki without requiring them to take lives. Their long-term objective remains the implementation of a “withdrawal” rule to exit the game entirely.

To ensure the game’s internal logic isn’t compromised, Megumi considers a clause that would require a substitute player for anyone wishing to leave. While Higuruma and Kashimo are their primary targets for rule changes, their most vital asset remains Hana Kurusu, the sorcerer known as “Angel.” Her unique ability to nullify cursed techniques is the only way to break the seal on the Prison Realm and liberate Satoru Gojo. But as Yuji and Megumi finally step through the barrier into Tokyo Colony No. 1, the tournament’s unpredictable nature strikes immediately, scattering the two friends to different corners of the city.

This sudden separation is revealed to be a fundamental mechanic of the barriers: upon entry, players are teleported to one of nine randomized coordinates. Because Yuji was already recognized as a player before entering, he experiences a literal “drop-in” to the battlefield. As Tokyo Colony No. 1 begins, the stakes are higher than ever. With the Culling Game’s landscape shifting and the startling truth regarding Yuji’s lineage and Kenjaku’s involvement coming to light, the sorcerers are entering a phase of unprecedented peril.

Source: Polygon