The aftermath of the Shibuya Incident left the world of Jujutsu Kaisen shattered, plunging all jujutsu sorcerers in Japan into a state of chaos and paranoia. With Satoru Gojo (Kaiji Tang) sealed and countless casualties (both sorcerers and non-sorcerers alike) littering the streets of Tokyo, the stage was morbidly set for the highly anticipated Jujutsu Kaisen Execution film. The film, which consists of the first 3 episodes of Season 3, grabs the viewer by opening with a beautifully edited and emotional recap of the Shibuya Incident, ensuring both returning and new audiences are reminded of the trauma everyone—particularly Yuji Itadori (Adam McArthur)—recently endured and establishes just how high the stakes are.
After the Shibuya Incident recap, the focus shifts to the immediate fallout and reversal of Yuji’s stay of execution (negotiated by Gojo in Season 1). Fan expectation following the end of Season 2 was at a fever pitch, particularly after the long-awaited return of special-grade sorcerer, Yuta Okkotsu (Kayleigh McKee), who declared his intent to personally execute Yuji. Fortunately, MAPPA Studios, renowned for their stellar animation over the course of Jujutsu Kaisen as well as many other hit anime, did not just meet expectations—they obliterated them. Delivering a tightly paced, emotionally explosive, and relentlessly intense rush, the film works as a phenomenal standalone piece while simultaneously acting as the perfect, high-stakes introduction to the real focus for Season 3: the Culling Games arc. The dramatic execution of this storyline, both literally and figuratively, solidifies its place as one of, if not the most, memorable pieces of Jujutsu Kaisen to date.
The Clash of Sorcerers Brings Electrifying Action and High Emotions
Play video
The core of this storyline was the promised and inevitable battle between Yuji Itadori and Yuta Okkotsu, requiring Yuji to fight for his life against a special-grade sorcerer and his upperclassman. For anime-only fans, seeing Yuta, one of Jujutsu Kaisen’s established and most empathetic heroes—the lead of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 and one of Gojo’s most loved students—turn against Yuji was a shocking moment. It was the perfect way to conclude the chaos that was the Shibuya Incident, confront the ramifications of the destruction Sukuna caused while controlling Yuji’s body, and leave fans begging for answers.
For readers, Execution had to live up to high-stakes, action-packed drama in the manga, and it succeeded on every level and then some. The animation quality, as is standard for MAPPA Studios, was nothing short of phenomenal. Every punch, swing of the sword, and burst of cursed energy was filled with its own sort of sorcery, with the fluidity and hyper-detailed intensity of Yuta’s purple cursed energy clashing with Yuji’s blue, making it genuinely impossible to look away. The action didn’t just feel fast or rushed; it felt intensely consequential and (seemingly, in Yuta’s eyes) earned. Yuji’s genuine fear at realizing he could not win against Yuta is reflected in every desperate punch and parry befitting of a character who has consistently been defined by his resilience in the face of all odds and crushing losses.
However, Yuji and Yuta—main character against main character—was not the only major focus on Execution. Simultaneously, audiences are introduced to a major new and detestable obstacle in the form of Naoya Zenin (Alan Lee), Maki’s cousin and recently named head of the Zenin Clan. Bearing a technique strikingly similar to his father’s, Naoya’s smug arrogance, entitledness, and contempt for nearly everyone around him (particularly women—and very particularly, Maki) make him a villain fans are instantly eager to see defeated. Aiming to kill Yuji Itadori after extracting information about Megumi Fushiguro’s (Robbie Daymond) whereabouts, Naoya is surprised to learn that Yuji is not alone. Choso (Ray Chase), the former Cursed Womb: Death Painting, allied himself with Yuji at the end of the Shibuya Incident arc after realizing that he and Yuji are technically brothers, despite the 150-year age gap. Choso has expressed one singular goal over the course of the series: to protect his younger brothers, which now includes Yuji.
Naoya and Choso’s battle feels more high-stakes than Yuji versus Yuta, as neither character has the same “plot armor” as Gojo’s two prized students. The fight is a magnificent parallel to the Yuta/Yuji battle, ultimately showcasing Choso at his absolute finest in perhaps his most desperate hour. Driven by his unbreakable bond with Yuji and willingness to give his life for his brother, Choso fights with a reckless, protective intensity, unleashing his best techniques without hesitation. Naoya, arrogant in his “superior” skills and believing himself to be well-versed in Choso’s Blood Manipulation Technique, ups the tension, making the fight even more of a nailbiter for audiences.
This dual-track action sequence was expertly built up to and continued to feed the arc’s overall fire, making both fights equally consequential; a testament to the exceptional skill and dedication of the animation team’s ability to adapt complex, multi-layered action from paper to screen.
The Biggest Twist Solidifies a New Power Dynamic for Jujutsu Society
Beyond the spectacular action, the way the central mystery was handled proved to be its most thrilling element. The writers skillfully maintained the ambiguity of Yuta’s true motives, allowing the shocking moment of Yuji’s apparent death at his hands to land with devastating effect. It was, after all, Yuta’s obligation to carry out Yuji’s grim sentence handed down by the Jujutsu Higher-Ups. However, the eleventh-hour reveal—that the entire Yuta/Yuji battle was an elaborately staged plan orchestrated between Gojo (before Shibuya) and Yuta to protect Yuji and dupe the established corrupt hierarchy—was not merely a cheap plot device but a brilliantly earned pivot. The pieces fell into place and landed with resounding success (and relief that Yuta was never really Yuji’s enemy).
This twist, in which Yuta convinced the Higher-Ups to assign him as Yuji’s executioner, granted him the closeness and perfect cover needed to technically carry out the sentence while also being the only one who could undo it. By healing and instantly reviving Yuji using his Reversed Curse Technique at the exact moment Yuji’s heart stopped, Yuta proved exactly why he is second only to Gojo in the Jujutsu world. With Gojo sealed away, Yuta is now the strongest and most dangerous sorcerer currently active, using a technique that is not only rare but exceptionally difficult to master.
Yuta’s return after being primarily absent from the main series (aside from the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 prequel film) was beyond satisfying. The emotional payoff of Yuta’s unwavering loyalty to Gojo and his friends was most touchingly shown not in his genuine kindness towards Yuji after his true intentions were revealed, but in his reunion with Maki Zenin (Allegra Clark). His worried and supportive reaction to the brutal burns and injuries she sustained in Shibuya reminds the audience of their powerful bond that grew over the course of Jujutsu Kaisen 0. The collective strength of the group assembled in the final moments—Yuji, Yuta, Maki, Megumi, Choso, and Yuki Tsukumo (Anjali Kunapaneni)—to find Tengen only heightens the stakes and the excitement for what will happen next. This undeniably stacked team, based on the power levels and bonds shown throughout not only Execution, but the entire series, successfully raised the emotional and existential stakes, providing an exhilarating launchpad into the remainder of the season with the Culling Games arc.
Last, but certainly not least, the English voice cast delivered performances that flawlessly matched the heavy thematic weight required of the story and the fallout from Shibuya, adding a crucial layer of gravitas to the already sky-high stakes. McArthur and McKee (Yuji and Yuta, respectively) shine as both enemies and allies, capturing a wide spectrum of emotions from the duo that reflects the gravity of their situation. Execution’s success rested solely on their shoulders as the main characters; a very tall order that the pair not only achieved, but simply put, knocked out of the proverbial park.
Jujutsu Kaisen Execution is a masterclass in modern anime not to be missed, proving why the series has earned the global success it has. It is thrilling, action-packed, and beautifully animated and acted, serving as both a powerful conclusion to the post-Shibuya chaos and a tense, well-paced introduction to the next era of conflict. Execution re-establishes the stakes without Gojo, introduces new and serious threats, and solidifies Yuta Okkotsu’s pivotal role in the fight for humanity’s future. It leaves the audience desperate to see the impressive group of sorcerers take on the crisis looming over them.
Jujutsu Kaisen Execution is in theaters now.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
