So you opened your streaming app.
You grabbed snacks.
You mentally prepared for Culling Game chaos.

And then… nothing. Yes, it’s official — jujutsu kaisen no episode this week.

It’s officially confirmed according to — jujutsu kaisen no episode this week due to a brief jjk season 3 schedule change. Instead of Episode 8, a recap broadcast is airing, and jjk season 3 episode 8 delayed by one week. The reason is due to the 2026 Winter Olympics programming on Japanese television, Episode 8 is being delayed by a week, and the recap episode is being pushed back by 94 minutes. Further delay to the recap episode can also be expected if the Olympic coverage gets extended. Since then the confirmed date for the release of episode 8 is scheduled for February 26, 2026.

With that in mind, this is the perfect time for a proper deep-dive into everything that has unfolded in Season 3 so far — not just highlights, but the actual progression of events inside the Culling Game.

SPOILER ALERT

Major plot developments from Season 3 below.

**Do not read if you hate Spoilers**

Jujutsu Kaisen Recap – Season 3 (Culling Game Arc) Detailed Breakdown

Season 3 begins in the aftermath of the Shibuya Incident. Gojo Satoru remains sealed. The jujutsu world is politically unstable. Yuji Itadori has been marked for execution — temporarily suspended. And behind everything, Kenjaku moves forward with the next phase of his plan.

That phase is the Culling Game.

The Structure of the Culling Game

Kenjaku activates barriers across Japan, dividing regions into colonies. Participants are either:

• Registered sorcerers,
  
• Newly awakened curse users,
  
• Or reincarnated ancient sorcerers placed into modern human vessels.
  

Each player is assigned points. Killing another player adds their points to yours. Refusing to participate results in the removal of one’s cursed technique.

The system is not random chaos. It is ritualized evolution through forced conflict. Yuji and Megumi enter the colonies with a specific objective: gather enough points to add a rule allowing players to transfer points freely. This would allow them to save Tsumiki Fushiguro without forcing her into combat.

Yuji Itadori vs. Higuruma Hiromi

Inside Tokyo Colony No. 1, Yuji quickly encounters Higuruma Hiromi, a former defense attorney who awakened a cursed technique during the chaos following Shibuya.

Higuruma’s Domain Expansion, Deadly Sentencing, manifests as a courtroom. Within it, Yuji is put on trial. The charge: mass murder during the Shibuya Incident.

Although Sukuna committed the massacre, Yuji accepts responsibility. He does not argue innocence. He does not blame Sukuna. He confesses. Judgeman declares him guilty. Yuji’s cursed energy is confiscated.

The fight continues without cursed techniques. Higuruma uses his Executioner’s Sword — a weapon that can kill in a single strike if judgment stands. Yuji fights physically, relying only on strength and endurance. He refuses to dodge in ways that would endanger civilians still inside the colony.

Higuruma begins to question his own sense of justice. He realizes Yuji carries guilt that exceeds legal definitions. Instead of executing him, Higuruma voluntarily transfers 100 points to Yuji, enough to add the rule allowing point transfers. Moment establishes one of Season 3’s core themes: justice within a broken system.

Megumi Fushiguro vs. Reggie Star

Elsewhere in the same colony, Megumi faces Reggie Star, a sorcerer whose technique allows him to materialize objects from receipts — contracts converted into physical reality.

Reggie uses:

• Explosives,
  
• Vehicles,
  
• Structural weight manipulation, turning the environment into a weapon.

Megumi fights strategically, using Divine Dogs and Nue to control distance. Eventually, he activates Chimera Shadow Garden in an incomplete but far more controlled form than previously shown.

Instead of overwhelming power, Megumi uses the domain for tactical advantage — multiplying shikigami, hiding within shadows, forcing Reggie into unfavorable positions.

In the final exchange, Megumi exploits Reggie’s overextension. Reggie dies slowly from accumulated damage, warning Megumi cryptically about fate and future consequences. The fight sequence marks a significant evolution in Megumi’s willingness to kill without hesitation.

The Broader Expansion – Other Colonies

As the Culling Game progresses, other powerful sorcerers are introduced. Ancient reincarnated players demonstrate combat techniques refined over centuries. Unlike modern sorcerers, they fight without emotional restraint. To them, this is not tragedy — it is opportunity.

The colonies become ecosystems of shifting alliances. Temporary partnerships form based on survival logic rather than trust.

Kinji Hakari vs. Hajime Kashimo

In Tokyo Colony No. 2, Kinji Hakari confronts Hajime Kashimo, a sorcerer from 400 years ago seeking a battle against Sukuna. Hakari activates his Domain Expansion, which functions like a gambling system modeled after a pachinko machine.

When Hakari hits a jackpot, he gains:

• Automatic Reverse Cursed Technique,
  
• Infinite cursed energy for a limited duration,
  
• Near-immortality during the bonus period.
  

Kashimo counters with precise, lightning-based cursed energy attacks that target Hakari’s nervous system. The fight becomes a war of endurance rather than technique variety.

Hakari repeatedly reactivates his domain, chaining jackpots and surviving what would otherwise be fatal blows. The battle emphasizes probability mechanics, domain conditions, and advanced cursed energy control. Eventually, Kashimo agrees to cooperate temporarily, preserving his strength for a future confrontation with Sukuna.

Rule Manipulation and Strategy

Using accumulated points, Yuji and allies successfully introduce the rule allowing voluntary point transfers. This reshapes the structure of the game. The Culling Game is no longer purely elimination-based. It becomes politically negotiable. However, Kenjaku anticipated rule manipulation. The system was designed to adapt.

Kenjaku’s True Objective

While the players fight inside colonies, Kenjaku focuses on a larger ritual involving Tengen. The Culling Game’s purpose is not entertainment or mere experimentation. It is meant to generate enormous amounts of cursed energy, preparing for a forced merger between humanity and Tengen. The ritual aims to reshape human evolution itself and colony battles are fuel for something far greater.

Where Season 3 Stands Now

As of the latest episode before the jjk season 3 episode 8 delayed announcement:

• Yuji has secured point-transfer functionality.
  
• Megumi has demonstrated lethal strategic growth.
  
• Hakari has proven himself one of the strongest modern sorcerers.
  
• Ancient players are beginning to assert dominance.
  
• Kenjaku’s long-term ritual continues progressing.
  

The tension is no longer isolated to single battles. The entire structure of society is being re-engineered in real time.

Final Thoughts

While fans notice jujutsu kaisen no episode this week, the temporary jjk season 3 schedule change does not disrupt the narrative momentum. Instead, it pauses the story at a critical buildup point — right as alliances stabilize and larger threats begin aligning. Since jjk season 3 episode 8 delayed, the next installment is expected to continue escalating colony conflicts while advancing Kenjaku’s overarching plan.