The winter 2026 anime season is a stacked one, with the return of hard-hitting anime like The Suitor: Beyond Journey's End, Firepowerand Jujutsu Kaisen. The latter is a real standout even in a competitive season like this, with Jujutsu Kaisen standing among the unofficial “dark trio” as a worthy successor to Whiten and Naruto. It's no surprise Jujutsu Kaisen is this season's best anime, with The Suitor comes second in the eyes of many fans.
If fans focus on the events of Jujutsu Kaisenthird season or the anime as a whole, it's easy to see how Gege Akutami's creation has dominated this season. Probably, Jujutsu Kaisen is the best anime of all seasons in which it appears, with the arrival of a new season always a big event. Its competitors are also impressive, such as The Suitors charming fantasy world and My Hero Academia Vigilantes' exploration of the blurred lines between hero vs vigilante. But that's it Jujutsu Kaisen which lifts this medium to a whole new level in winter 2026.
Jujutsu Kaisen has better animation and style than any Winter 2026 anime
The suitor also looks good, but not that good
Looks may not matter all for an anime series, because this medium needs a good story and emotional resonance to actually deliver a complete experience. But if anime like Jujutsu Kaisen and its competitors check all the boxes for the content itself, then the animated beauty pageant can begin. In that arena, it's tough to beat studio MAPPA's Jujutsu Kaisenwhich is the best looking anime of this impressive season.
Other titles such as Hell's paradise and The Suitor are also visual delights, with stunning animation to bring their exotic worlds to life. As said, Jujutsu Kaisen still has them to beat with its fluid, energetic animation where not a single detail is left out. Every battle is a wonder to behold on the small screen, which is important now that the long-awaited Culling Game is underway. A related example was Maki Zenin's solo battle against her entire clan, where she was an action star unlike any other when she fought.
Jujutsu Kaisen has strong tempo and constant speed
Fire Force feels a bit rushed in comparison
Pacing is more important than ever to the anime medium for many reasons. For starters, there is a greater amount of competition than ever, with every anime getting a spot on the major streaming platforms. This is in contrast to the 1980s and 1990s, when there were fewer anime series and only a few channels on TV, so fans saw what they could get. Now sharp pacing is important for titles like Jujutsu Kaisen to remain relevant.
Jujutsu Kaisen: 7 Characters Who Completely Ruined the Series
These characters fumbled the Jujutsu Kaisen harder than anyone else.
Jujutsu Kaisen plays this game well with its fast but steady and exciting pace to keep the story moving at just the right pace. It doesn't feel rushed or choppy, but it doesn't take too many detours either. Season 1 had that baseball episode as borderline filler, bt it was allowed, and Season 3 needed a talk-heavy episode to explain the rules of the Culling Game in depth. Apart from that, Jujutsu Kaisen has better speed than any of its competitors.
Jujutsu Kaisen sets up the best tournament arc in years
Kenjaku's Culling Game is a breathtaking event
Tournament arcs may not be mandatory for shonen action anime, but they are a beloved and familiar trope that can add much-needed structure to a story. Tournaments also provide a charming sense of sport even if it involves fighting with fists or magical powers. Fans can name such as Dragon Ball Super's Tournament of Power of My Hero Academias UA sports festival.
Now, during the winter season of 2026, Jujutsu Kaisen is the only anime with a great tournament arc after its name, so to speak. Viewers are pumped to see Kenjaku's Culling Game unfold, with the added twist that this is no polite tournament with judges and prize money on the line. This is a villainous tournament, one rooted in brutality, a dog-eat-dog mentality, and room for the wizards to exploit each other as they add more rules of their own.
Jujutsu Kaisen's main characters are tested in meaningful ways
Maki, Satoru and Yuji must fight to survive
It takes more than a physical threat to really challenge someone in an action-oriented anime like Jujutsu Kaisen. Such survival tests are routine, so Jujutsu Kaisen adds another layer by challenging the characters' own resolve and emotional state. These events are a rigorous examination of WHO the characters are and what they are willing to do, and why. Jujutsu Kaisen did fine before, and it does the same thing now.
Jujutsu Kaisen: 6 Most Unique Cursed Techniques in Season 3, Ranked
The Culling Game is filled with many incredible Cursed Techniques, but these are the most unique of them all!
In previous arcs, Jujutsu Kaisen tested Satoru Gojo as a noble hero during the Shibuya Incident Arc, where Mahito challenged him to either fight with full force or hold back to protect the innocents around him. It was a meaningful way to really test Satoru as an OP character and see what he's really made of. The anime also tests Yuji Itadori's emotional limits as Ryomen Sukuna's living vessel, a test that Yuji has nearly failed. Last, Jujutsu Kaisen tested Maki Zenin as she took on her entire clan, revealing her as someone who has had enough of her clan's rotten ways. When Maki fought Naoya and dozens of others, she did more than survive a battle trial. Maki showed everyone that she is willing to stand up to them in the biggest way possible and burn some bridges to create a new future for herself. Maki moves on, and no one can stop her.
Jujutsu Kaisen treats fans to brave and bloody twists
Nothing stays calm or predictable for long in Yuji's world
Difficult plot twists are not needed in mild slice-of-life anime, but they are practically mandatory in e.g. Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen. Stability and comfort is the last thing these anime provide, and it's the last thing viewers would ask for. It might be fun to imagine Yuji and his friends happily cruising through adolescence, but that's just for fan art and fan fiction. The real story needs to put these characters through the twister and turn the story upside down a few times to keep viewers engaged.
Jujutsu Kaisen does this better than anything else in the winter 2026 anime season, and indeed, Jujutsu Kaisen surpasses all anime regardless of season in this regard. This trend picked up in earnest in Season 2 with the deaths of the likes of Kokichi Muta and Kento Nanami, not to mention Satoru Gojo's capture and Kenjaku's rise to power. Season 3 is underway as Yuji and Yuta Okkotsu go from enemies to friends, Maki takes on her clan, and the Culling Game kicks off.
Jujutsu Kaisen
- Release date
-
October 3, 2020
- Network
-
TBS, MBS, CBC, Tulip Television, BSN, tys, NBC, HBC, RKK, i-Television, SBS, IBC, BSS, MRO, OBS, TUF, RSK, TUY, tbc, RKB, SBC, KUTV, RBC, UTY, RCC, MRT, atv, MBC
- Directors
-
Ryohei Takeshita, Masataka Akai, Chie Nishizawa, Daisuke Tsukushi, Tomomi Kamiya, Kakushi Ifuku, Ken Takahashi
- Author
-
Hiroshi Seko
-
-
Yuichi Nakamura
Satoru Gojo
