Jujutsu Kaisen Unveils the Culling Game’s Sinister True Purpose

Image credit: MAPPA

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 has relentlessly escalated the tension through the Culling Game—a brutal battle royale designed to dismantle the established order of jujutsu society. Kenjaku, the master architect behind this chaos, operates with a layered agenda originally penned by Gege Akutami and brought to life with cinematic intensity by MAPPA. The opaque nature of Kenjaku’s machinations positions him as a calculating puppet master, steering events that threaten to fundamentally rewrite the geopolitical and supernatural landscape of the world.

Episode 8, “Tokyo Colony No. 1, Part 2,” balances the introduction of the formidable, newly-ascended sorcerer Hiromi Higuruma with the fallout of the previous week’s gripping cliffhanger. Amidst the carnage of the tournament, we witness Kenjaku’s subtle influence from the shadows, offering a glimpse into an endgame far more sinister than a mere gathering of cursed energy. It is becoming increasingly evident that the Culling Game’s true objective has been widely misunderstood.

In the ruins of Shinjuku, Megumi Fushiguro is ensnared in a trap set by Remi, leading him directly to Reggie Star. Rather than an immediate skirmish, Reggie proposes a tentative alliance, questioning Megumi’s grasp of the Culling Game’s genuine purpose. Megumi, while keeping the details of Master Tengen close to his chest, describes the event as a massive ritual to harvest energy and force human evolution across the barrier. However, Reggie counters this, arguing that the “ritual” is likely a smokescreen. He points out that the sheer disparity in player strength and the convoluted rule set don’t align with a long-term energy-harvesting project.

Reggie bolsters his theory by highlighting the terrifying efficiency of top-tier players like Hajime Kashimo and Higuruma, who have already decimated dozens of opponents in less than a fortnight. Megumi privately acknowledges the logic; Tokyo Colony 1 has fallen into an eerie, stagnant state since his arrival with Yuji Itadori. With the weaker participants swiftly purged, the colonies are reaching a deadlock between elite sorcerers—a result that contradicts the idea of a slow, sustained buildup of cursed energy.

Image credit: MAPPA

This leads to the most chilling revelation regarding Kenjaku’s master plan. He intends to catalyze a radical “second awakening” of jujutsu potential, a transformation so extreme it requires a cataclysmic trigger. Reggie compares this looming threat to a “bomb” fueled by cursed energy, designed to uproot civilization and ensure that only the most powerful sorcerers survive the fallout.

The episode’s climax introduces an international dimension: Kenjaku is shown negotiating with high-ranking Chinese government officials. While Japan is currently reeling from the Shibuya Incident and the public emergence of curses, the rest of the world remains largely in the dark. By engaging with foreign superpowers, Kenjaku suggests a plan to weaponize the existence of jujutsu on a global scale, potentially inviting international intervention to further fuel the chaos he requires.

While readers of Akutami’s manga have seen the broader scope of Kenjaku’s endgame, the anime is meticulously building the mystery of his ultimate “why.” The looming threat involves a forced merger between humanity and Master Tengen to initiate a new stage of evolution, yet his personal philosophy remains shrouded in shadow. As the Culling Game progresses, it’s clear that while the players follow the rules, the man who wrote them is playing an entirely different game.

New episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 are available to stream every Thursday on Crunchyroll.

Source: Polygon