Gojo Is Secretly The Reason Jujutsu Kaisen's Third Season Is It's Best Yet, Just Not For The Reason Fans Expected

1 week ago 10

Jujutsu Kaisen's Gojo smiling with an attack prepared on his pointer finger.

Published Apr 5, 2026, 8:31 PM EDT

Branson is a Senior Writer for ScreenRant. Anime has been a major part of his life since he was able to raise his hands in the air for a Spirit Bomb. As a journalist, Branson focuses heavily on listicles and op-eds detailing the industry's greatest shonen series.

There isn't a character in anime more praised by his own series than Jujutsu Kaisen's Satoru Gojo. The series' narrator is more than happy talking about everything Gojo can do and how far ahead of the competition the Sorcerer truly is.

Surprisingly, Gojo didn't make a single appearance in the third season of Jujutsu Kaisen. He was trapped in the Prison Realm towards the end of the second season, and that's been a blessing in disguise story wise. Now that Gojo is gone, Jujutsu Kaisen can focus on the myriad of side characters who also make the series great.

Jujutsu Kaisen's Third Season Is Unreal

To call Jujutsu Kaisen's third season a masterpiece might be an understatement. It's shockingly good, and through just 12 episodes, it has cemented itself as one of the best seasons of anime ever. The animation is absurdly good, the fights are some of the best in anime, and several side characters finally get their chance to shine.

The third season of Jujutsu Kaisen animated the first part of the Culling Games Arc, undeniably one of the best arcs in the franchise. It's also one of the darkest, showing just how far Kenjaku is willing to go to further his plans. The entire arc takes place while Gojo is trapped in the Prison Realm, and that might be one of the best parts.

Chainsaw Man, Hell's Paradise, Jujutsu Kaisen Featured Image

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MAPPA is one of the best animation studios in Japan, but Jujutsu Kaisen's third season is different. It's a company well known for stellar adaptations, but the company's adaptation of Jujutsu Kaisen's third season is nothing short of absurd. There are several moments so wonderfully animated that it feels like they belong in a museum.

The bar is set incredibly high for Jujutsu Kaisen's upcoming fourth season. The next season of the shōnen sensation will adapt the rest of the Culling Games Arc and will probably end with Gojo's triumphant return to the franchise.

Gojo Directs the Story Every Time He's in It

Satoru Gojo, Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro and Yuta Okkotsu from Jujutsu Kaisen

Satoru Gojo is so ridiculously strong that it's almost useless to compare his strength to anyone else. There are quite literally only a handful of characters in the series that can rival the strongest Sorcerer of the modern day, and even fewer who could last more than a couple of seconds in battle against him.

When Gojo is in Jujutsu Kaisen, the story revolves around him. He can't help it, as he's so much stronger than nearly everyone around him that he can solve almost every problem by himself. Yuji is only alive because Gojo willed it so; when the higher-ups decided he should be executed, Gojo intervened, setting the events of the story in motion.

His absence also shapes the story. Now that he's gone, the higher-ups can resume their execution of Yuji, and the Curse Users like Kenjaku are also able to further their plans. There is never a dull moment when Gojo is on-screen, but when he's gone, the series gets to thrive in a surprising way.

Without Gojo, Side Characters Shine

Without Satoru Gojo, Jujutsu Kaisen's side characters thrive. Other series would feel hollow without one of their main characters, but Jujutsu Kaisen thrives. Characters like Yuta, Maki, Megumi, and more all had amazing moments in season three, and that wouldn't have been the case if Gojo was in the picture.

Maki's annihilation of the Zen'in Clan is easily one of the greatest moments in the entire franchise, and the episode itself was animated so well that it deserved the extra run time that it received. Yuta's Sendai Colony saga also deserved the extra few minutes of animation it got, and the episode showed why he's easily one of the most underrated characters around.

Season three of Jujutsu Kaisen also introduced new characters that will go on to influence the series in a major way. Kinji Hakari isn't technically a Special-Grade Sorcerer, but he absolutely should be. His full abilities haven't been revealed yet, but when they are, Hakari will show why he's one of the two Sorcerers Gojo believes can surpass him.

Takaba and Higuruma are two new Sorcerers who have been given powers through the Culling Games. They're both beyond strong as well, and they wouldn't have had a chance to really be part of Jujutsu Kaisen if Gojo was still around.

In a Way, Gojo Holds the Series Back

Jujutsu Kaisen's Gojo looks annoyed as four tendrils bind his hands.

Gojo is almost too strong in Jujutsu Kaisen. His mere presence decides battles before they even begin. There really isn't another character in anime who can change the world just by existing, and while that comes with a lot of positives, it also comes with a few distinct negatives.

Megumi, Maki, Yuta, and the rest of Jujutsu Kaisen's side characters only got to shine in season three because Gojo wasn't there. If he was, they wouldn't have had to fight their individual battles and essentially level up, as Gojo either would have done it for them or the battles wouldn't have happened in the first place.

Gojo's return to the series is borderline biblical, and it'll be great when he returns. He might be the only character in anime who makes the series better both when he's in it and when he isn't. Season three has been the undeniable peak of Jujutsu Kaisen because Gojo wasn't around, and somehow, the series is only going to get better when he returns.