Execution and the Culling Game arc

The Culling Games officially begin Dec. 5 as Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution gets its wide release in U.S. theaters. Execution includes an abbreviated recap of the entire Shibuya Incident arc, leading right up through the end of season 2, and, more importantly, the first two episodes of season 3. That means the recap portion will cover all the important details from episodes 30 through 47 of the series and deal with the immediate aftermath of Kenjaku kicking off the Culling Games.

For anyone who’s looking to go a little bit more in-depth with the anime series and get completely caught up ahead of that, here’s a look back at some of the most important episodes to rewatch.

[Ed note: The following contains spoilers for all of Jujutsu Kaisen seasons 1 and 2.]

Image: GKIDS

Jujutsu Kaisen 0

Chronologically, the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 prequel movie takes place before the entire main series, and it’s arguably the most important backstory when it comes to the Culling Games. The final minutes of season 2 and trailers for season 3 confirm that second year Jujutsu High student and special grade sorcerer Yuta Okkutsu is on the hunt for Yuji Itadori. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is Yuta’s origin story as he grows from a traumatized teen into one of the most powerful sorcerers in the modern age. Without seeing this backstory, Yuta seems like a terrifying menace at the end of season 2, but this paints a more complete picture about his powers and motives.

“For Myself” (Episode 2)

The series premiere isn’t all that necessary on a rewatch, but the second episode is since it establishes how jujutsu society perceives Yuji as a vessel. Right away, they want to have him exorcised (killed) to prevent Sukuna from being unleashed upon the world. Gojo Satoru is really the only thing standing in the way. All of these dynamics are established cleanly here. Much later, in the aftermath of Sukuna’s destruction in Shibuya and the sealing of Gojo, that paves the way for jujutsu leaders to follow through on the original plan.

“Curse Womb Must Die -2-” (Episode 5)

The conclusion of the Cursed Womb arc winds up being hugely important for a number of reasons. This episode opens with Sukuna taking full control over Yuji for the first time and obliterating a special cursed spirit while Megumi Fushiguro flees. When Sukuna catches up, he delivers that chilling line: “Why did you run?” It’s the first major piece of foreshadowing about Sukuna’s growing interest in Megumi that seems to play a central role moving forward.

“Small Fry and Reverse Retribution” (Episode 9)

There’s so much going on inside Yuji’s brain in terms of grief and trauma, but also a sense of guilt and responsibility. Gojo was the first to train Yuji and lay a strong foundation. “Small Fry and Reverse Retribution,” however, sees the big debut of Kento Nanami as a secondary mentor to Yuji, one who’s much more serious and analytical. The nuances of their interactions and the stern way Nanami analyzes Yuji’s power let us see him in a different light with a lot of potential. This episode also lays a lot of the emotional groundwork for Nanami’s tragic death at the end of season 2. “You take it from here,” Nanami later says as his last words, itself a kind of burdensome curse that Yuji carries heading into season 3.

“Sage” (Episode 18)

The entire Kyoto Sister School Goodwill Event is when the show really begins to fire on all cylinders, but it’s the shocking pivot when the cursed spirits invade that things get really interesting. There’s also an important focus here on Megumi when he reveals Max Elephant for the very first time, so we get an inkling about how subjugation rituals work within the framework of the Ten Shadows Technique.

Image: GKIDS

“The Origin of Blind Obedience -2-” & “Accomplices” (Episodes 23 & 24)

The Cursed Womb: Death Paintings make their first appearance after being incarnated into bodies here and have a gruesome 2-on-2 battle with Yuji and Nobara Kugisaki. This battle is a season 1 standout and one of only two times that Nobara’s cursed technique is an absolute ace in the hole, a terrible matchup for Eso’s blood-based rot and decay abilities. Yuji shows a bit of remorse in taking down Eso and his younger brother Kechizu without fully realizing that, in an obtuse way, he was also their brother.

Image: GKIDS

“Shibuya Incident – Gate, Open” (Episode 33)

The single biggest turning point in the modern era of Jujutsu Kaisen, this episode ends with the sealing of Satoro Gojo — but not before he displays the awe-inspiring extent of his power and his control over it. Gojo wipes out Hanami with ease when Yuji and Aoi Todo struggled to keep up with her. But Kenjaku’s carefully crafted plan is revealed, along with more crucial details about his real identity.

“Red Scale” (Episode 37)

Sprinting deeper into the Shibuya subway system, Yuji runs right into Choso. Up until this point, the master at blood manipulation and the most powerful Cursed Womb hadn’t done all that much, but their duel is one of the very best episodes of the entire series so far. It also ends with the startling realization that Yuji and Choso are somehow brothers? This becomes a hugely important part of their arc moving forward.

Image: GKIDS

“Thunderclap – Part 2” & “Right and Wrong” (Episodes 41 & 42)

Sure, the fight between Sukuna and Jogo is a major spectacle right before this and the real reason why jujutsu society sentences Yuji to death heading into season 3, but there’s not much to it beyond the big fights on display. It’s here in “Thunderclap – Part 2” where we finally learn why Sukuna is so interested in Megumi and why Gojo always held him in such high regard. Megumi initiates a subjugation ritual against Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga, the ultimate of his Ten Shadows and one of the single most powerful entities in the series.

Once the dust settles and Sukuna wins the fight, we get a touching sequence of a badly injured Nanami’s final stand against a bunch of transfigured humans before reuniting with Yuji to deliver that prophetic line: “You take it from here.” Then, the drawn-out battle with Mahito begins.

Image: GKIDS

“Transformation, Part 2” and “Shibuya, Incident – Gate Close” (Episode 46 & 47)

The most important of any episodes to rewatch before Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution are obviously the last two. There’s a ton of exposition here to explain Kenjaki’s master plan as he consumes Mahito and all of the major power players arrive on the battlefield. Even Yuki Tsukumo, who’s been barely present throughout the anime, shows up. Ultimately, Kenjaku uses Idle Transfiguration to adjust the brains of numerous people in Japan to transform them into jujutsu sorcerers. Meanwhile, 10 million or more cursed spirits were unleashed upon Japan and 23 wards destroyed.

At the very end, the higher-ups of jujutsu society call for the death of Geto, Yuji, and Principal Masamichi Yaga (who they believe incited Gojo and Geto to cause the Shibuya Incident). Gojo is also permanently exiled from jujutsu society and Yuta formally assigned as Yuji’s executioner.

When the Culling Games begin with Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution and season 3, that’s the state of the world. If you have a solid 20 or so hours to spare to watch the entire series, go for it. If not, these 13 episodes will get you caught up in time.