We've all sat with baited breath each and every week as we anticipated new episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen season 3. While that's no surprise to fans of the beloved anime considering just how thrilling the series is, the third season in particular was a big one as it adapted both The Perfect Preparation arc and, of course, The Culling Game arc - quite possibly making it the most important season thus far.
Fans knew that it would entertain us for 12 episodes before an expected hiatus would result in a lengthy waiting period for The Culling Game, Part 2. However, upon the conclusion of that episode, an announcement from TOHO Animation's social media accounts revealed that Jujutsu Kaisen wouldn't return with the remaining season 3 episodes as anticipated, as it had officially been renewed for a fourth season - meaning that the rest of this arc will take place in a brand new season instead.
Jujutsu Kaisen season 4 replaces initial season 3 part 2 plan
Jujutsu Kaisen season 4 is officially happening. Immediately after the season 3 finale was released, completing extended its 27-minute runtime, the show's social media accounts revealing that The Culling Game, Part 2 would officially take place in a fourth season of the acclaimed anime series, marking a significant change-of-plans from the-powers-that-be.
While it's undoubtedly great news that Jujutsu Kaisen has been renewed for a fourth season, the announcement has left fans divided. See, season 3 was initially meant to be split into two acts. In anime, these acts are known as cours and they essentially allow each respective show to take a midseason hiatus - just as US broadcast TV shows do for the holidays - before eventually returning with Part 2. It's a common occurrence and JJK fans were expecting the show to do the same with its third season. Therefore, the season 4 announcement came as a bit of a surprise.
While breaks between cours can be long, they generally only last a few months. Breaks between seasons, however, are much, much longer than that. Prior to Jujutsu Kaisen's announcement, there was a rumor that the show wouldn't return to screens until at least January 2027, as the MBS/TBS nationwide network may have booked all available anime slots through the rest of 2026 for other anime shows to air. While the season 4 reveal doesn't outright confirm this by any means, it makes it much more likely to be true.
If the initial plan for the second half of season 3 was to adapt The Culling Game, Part 2, there was clearly some short of switch-up with the season 4 announcement. The episodes will be the same and the storyline will be the same, but the placement in a new season suggests that the creative team may wish to have more time to polish up the episodes before releasing them. A cour wouldn't normally allow for this timeframe, while a break between full seasons absolutely would.
This officially makes season 3 the shortest season of the series thus far. The first season ran for 24 episodes straight while season 2 had a total of 23 (with a five-episode debut and a subsequent 18-episode run for its second half). Season 3 officially has an episode count of 12. As Season 4 will adapt the second half of the Culling Game Arc, there's a pretty good chance that it will mirror its predecessor in running for 12, too.
With all of that in mind, Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Satoru Gojo, and Yuta Okkotsu will be back for more adventures, but it's going to take a little longer than we all anticipated. The fourth season will continue to adapt the Culling Game Arc, with the first few episodes likely focusing particularly on the rest of the Sendai Colony storyline, which the season 3 finale had only begun to adapt.