Changes Jujutsu Kaisen Needs to Make in Season 3

Summary

• Season 3 of JJK should focus on improving animation consistency and quality to retain viewers’ interest.
• More development between Megumi and Tsumiki’s relationship would enhance emotional impact in Season 3.
• Season 3 should expand on character development, especially for Megumi and Yuji, during the Culling Games arc.

Jujutsu Kaisen‘s second season covered what many fans still feel is the best arc in the series, the Shibuya Incident. However, likely due to a mixture of the controversial working conditions at MAPPA and the combat-heavy nature of Shibuya, some fans were disappointed in aspects of Season 2 of JJK. In its upcoming Season 3, JJK is expected to pivot to the next arc in the manga, the Culling Games, an arc that is seen in a considerably less favorable eye by fans, and that could potentially lead to even more discontent.

There are a number of improvements JJK can make in the anime’s third season, both over the second season’s production quality, and over the storytelling in the upcoming arc from the manga. Season 2 had a number of great moments and was sufficiently well-received by fans, but it didn’t quite elevate the source material to the degree that many manga readers expected it to. Now that JJK‘s first two seasons have propel the series to becoming one of the premier anime series of today, there are areas of improvement in both the arc it will adapt from the manga, and the production of the anime itself, that could make its third season of Jujutsu Kaisen the best one yet.

10 Season 3 Should Be More Consistant With its Animation

JJK Season 2 Had Some of the Highest and Lowest Points in the Series in Terms of Production Value

The animation in the biggest fights of Season 2 was the best the series has ever gotten. However, in other, less important scenes, the art was noticeably of lesser quality. Additionally, the change of artstyles between episodes like in the fight between Mahoraga and Sukuna or Dagon versus the Jujutsu Sorcerers was divisive for fans. Some fans learned to love the more sketch-like, freeform style of Season 2’s biggest moments, while others felt it looked unfinished and rushed.

At least some of the inconsistency was likely caused by the tight deadlines and less-than-favorable working conditions the animators at MAPPA experienced. With the next arc the series will cover having just as many fights as in Shibuya, consistency in the art style and animation will be key in retaining viewers.

9 Season 3 Should Expand on Megumi and Tsumiki’s Relationship

Tsumiki’s Reveal as Sukuna’s Ancient Lover Would Hit Harder if Megumi’s Sister Had More Development

One of the biggest bombshells of Season 3 will undoubtedly be Tsumiki Fushigoro’s fate. This is a vital aspect of Megumi’s personal journey and part of what fuels his current feelings of hopelessness in the manga after his body is taken over by Sukuna. While the Shibuya Incident had plenty of emotional moments and character deaths, some of the most tragic scenes didn’t hit as hard as they could have.

It’s very telling that the death of the Plasma Star Vessel was a more powerful moment than either Nobara or Nanami’s deaths, despite each of the latter characters being main characters throughout much of the series. Season 3 would benefit greatly from following the formula it used with the Plasma Star Vessel in building on Tsumiki and Megumi’s relationship to cause fans to empathize more with Megumi’s inevitable mental breakdown.

8 The Anime Should Have More Character Development During the Culling Games Arc

Megumi And Yuji Go Through A Lot of Emotional Moments in the Culling Games That Should Be The Focus of Season 3

The Culling Games is known for its fight scenes and interesting new characters with unique Cursed Techniques. One thing it isn’t particularly known for, however, is providing a lot of background information about the characters. While the Culling Games introduce a whole host of new characters, they could benefit from further developing the beloved characters fans know more, like Megumi and Yuji.

Megumi, in particular, was the subject of some of the best moments in Season 2, and that trend should continue into the next season as well. Considering the immense importance of his emotional state in the outcome of the Shinjuku Showdown Arc, it’s important that Megumi’s most important scenes of personal development take precedent over less consequential fight sequences.

7 Fans Need More Maki Zenin in JJK Season 3

Maki Will Play a Vital Part in Jujutsu Kaisen’s Third Season

Maki is one of the stand-out stars of Season 3’s upcoming Culling Games arc. She grows more than maybe any other character, and her fights are some of the arc’s best. With Maki playing such a vital role, fans really need to see more of her in the anime than they did in the manga. The anime has done well to expand on aspects of the manga and give important characters more screen time, and that would really help Maki’s arc in Season 3 immensely.

It might also add increased drama to Maki and Mai’s final confrontation with their father as a whole if the Zenin Clan got more development in the build up to their fight. The Zenin Clan has always been a mysterious antagonist in the background whose influence on Jujutsu Society was well-documented, but the individual members of the clan were only truly brought into focus shortly before Maki began slaughtering them all.

6 Season 3 Needs to Focus More on The Drama of the Culling Games

The Death Game Aspect of the Culling Games is Underutilized in the Manga

Manga fans know: the Culling Games is all about intense action. In many ways, the Culling Games is like a traditional shonen tournament arc mixed with a Death Game series. The added stakes of the rules Kenjaku placed on the Culling Games makes for an exciting new dynamic to the action, and the anime would do well to lean into that aspect more.

With big Death Game series like Alice in Borderland and Squid Game taking the world by storm in recent years, the Culling Games could potentially push the series to new heights of popularity if it’s done right. On the other hand, the Culling Games’ myriad of rules and new characters can risk becoming too complicated and difficult to follow if the action moves too fast in the anime. The anime should slow things down and focus more on how Yuji, Megumi, Yuta and the others strategize to try to beat Kenjaku’s games, with the fighting only serving to add weight to their struggle.

5 JJK 3 Needs More Slice-of-Life Moments Between its Characters

Slice-of-Life Scenes Were Important in Elevating the Characters During The Hidden Inventory Arc

JJK Season 2 was full of epic fight sequences and emotional moments. However, for some fans that proved to be a bit much. Many JJK fans fell in love with the series due to its lovable cast of characters first and foremost, an aspect which the first cour of Season 2 arguably did better than any other part of the series. A big part of that were the slice-of-life moments sprinkled throughout the arc that showcased the characters and their budding relationships.

Some of the best moments in Season 2 were the shared scenes between Gojo and Geto which set up their relationship and made the Platinum Star Plasma Vessel’s fate hit harder. Moving too quickly between arcs with intense action and high stakes can make the fights feel less consequential, simply because fans care less about the winners and losers.

4 JJK Season 3 Should Flesh Out the Villains More

The Culling Games Would Be Better if The Anime Expanded on Villains Like Kenjaku and Sukuna’s Backstories

Season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen had some great villains who caused unprecedented destruction. As beloved as many of JJK‘s villains are, their backstories could use some more padding to make their motivations believable. The biggest example of this in Season 2 was Suguru Geto, whose backstory during the Hidden Inventory arc was always one of the most celebrated aspects of JJK‘s story.

However, most fans agree that Geto’s transition from disillusionment toward Jujutsu Society to outwardly calling all human beings “monkeys” was a bit of a far leap. He could certainly have had a bit more development to make that change more believable. Season 3 has a chance to make those same kinds of adjustments to the villains’ character arcs. While Sukuna is still a mystery even to fans of the manga, Kenjaku at the very least could use the same kind of development that Mahito got in JJK Season 1.

3 Season 3 Can Do More With Newly Introduced Characters

Newer Characters Like Takaba and Higuruma Should Get More Screentime in Season 3

The Culling Games arc introduces a whole host of new characters, some of whom are never seen again. While the thing that JJK has always done best is combat, what makes its fights so engaging is the characters involved in the battles, who make fans care about the outcome.

Some newer characters, like Hiromi Higuruma and Fumihiko Takaba, would go on to play integral parts in the future, making expanding on their characters even more important in the anime. While someone like Takaba coming out of nowhere to fight Kenjaku was a great surprise, it would have been even better had he been made even more memorable to build hype for his reappearance.

2 JJK Season 3 Should Focus Less on its Meaningless Fights

The Culling Games Has Even More Fights Against New Characters Than Shibuya Did

Season 2 of JJK had the coolest fights in the series thus far, but there were also a lot of unnecessary fights among them. For every Yuji versus Choso, or Yuji vs Mahito, there was a Yuji vs Grasshopper Curse, and those moments were often skippable at best.

In the upcoming Culling Games arc, the manga only doubled down on the random fights between characters who fans have never met prior, and that’s just an inseparable part of the nature of the Culling Games as they were devised by Kenjaku. Nevertheless, the anime should at least bear in mind that a fight between characters of little consequence doesn’t need to take screen time away from the moments that truly matter.

1 JJK’s Animators Need Better Working Conditions During Season 3

MAPPA’s Treatment of its Workers Definitely Had an Impact on the Production Quality of the Series

Unfortunately, one of the biggest pieces of news surrounding JJK season 2 had nothing to do with the series itself. Instead, it revolved around the working conditions for the series’ animators, who were often overworked for low pay under extremely tight deadlines.

During the release of Season 2, many animators came out on social media to voice their discontent with the working conditions at MAPPA, the studio that produces the JJK anime. These concerns were only met by MAPPA CEO Manabu Otsuka stating that MAPPA was dead set on continuing to release high quality animation quickly, which further raised concerns in the anime community that the animators’ feelings were not unwarranted. A great production is the result of the labor of hardworking individuals who make it all possible, so MAPPA giving its workers better conditions would only improve the quality of the series in the end.