Jujutsu Kaisen is a deceptively complex series. On the surface, it’s all about super-powered exorcists battling evil monsters and, more often, each other. On a deeper level, however, Jujutsu Kaisen is about… super-powered exorcists battling evil monsters and each other. That’s not a slight. This is a battle manga by aspiration and design, where fights are not just a basic shonen tool to woo readers with excitement, but the core of the series’ aesthetic and its ultimate purpose.

It’s easy to criticize Jujutsu Kaisen for its rushed plot, incomplete worldbuilding, or for shifting the focus away from its main characters too often. However, there’s something undeniably special about this series, a je ne sais quoi that’s hard to pinpoint. The final episode of season 3 of the anime, “Sendai Colony,” isn’t just another showcase of MAPPA’s talent at elevating the source material into visual spectacle, it’s also the best way to understand everything you need to know about Jujutsu Kaisen in less than 30 minutes.

The episode adapts eight chapters of Jujutsu Kaisen creator Gege Akutami’s manga (174-181), which have understandably become some of the most celebrated by the fandom. During the Culling Game, the Sendai Colony is locked in a standoff between three incarnated sorcerers (Dhruv Lakdawalla, Takako Uro, and Ryu Ishigori) and a special grade cursed spirit (Kurourushi). The arrival of Yuta Okkotsu, who immediately kills Dhruv, breaks the standoff and escalates a four-way battle among some of the strongest players in the Culling Game.

There’s no need to linger on the details of this non-stop adrenaline rush. If you haven’t watched the episode yet,........

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