Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Crashes With Worst Episode Rating
The popular anime's third season stumbles badly with episode 3, earning one of the series' lowest viewer scores and sparking widespread fan criticism across social media platforms.
The third season of Jujutsu Kaisen hit a major roadblock this week. Episode 3, called 'About the Culling Game,' dropped on Crunchyroll Thursday and earned a disappointing 7.8 out of 10 on IMDb. That's a sharp fall from the season opener's impressive 9.2 rating and episode 2's solid 8.8 score.
This marks the anime's worst performance since season 1. Only two previous episodes scored lower - both from the first season at 7.4. The episode also racked up nearly 3,000 dislikes on Crunchyroll, showing just how unhappy viewers were.
Fan Backlash Floods Social Media
Twitter exploded with complaints from disappointed fans. 'There was far too much talking, and it felt like we were in class... I started to fall asleep,' one viewer posted. Another fan compared the experience to sitting through a boring lecture: 'Culling Game tutorial hit like a history lecture.'
The episode focused heavily on exposition as Itadori and his team meet with Tengen to discuss strategy. Long stretches of dialogue replaced the action sequences fans expect from the series.
Defending the Slow Burn
Some viewers defended the episode's pacing. 'It's an important episode for setting up the Culling Game, establishing rules, etc.,' one fan argued on social media. These supporters believe the groundwork will pay off as the season progresses, especially for viewers who haven't read the manga source material.
The season picks up after the devastating Shibuya Incident. Our main characters now face the deadly Culling Game that Noritoshi Kamo started. Meanwhile, Yuji Itadori faces a death sentence from Special Grade Sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu.
Episode 4, titled 'Perfect Preparation,' promises to cut back on exposition and return to action. New episodes continue dropping weekly on Crunchyroll.