Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Opening: Every hidden clue and Easter Egg you missed

MAPPA created an art gallery-themed opening sequence for Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3. As shown through sequences featuring Sukuna's terrifying aura along with massive bursts of cursed energy, viewers will see many classical works of art included within this visual landscape.

Edvard Munch’s existential dread is hidden in a way, while Gustav Klimt has a more twisted romanticism. Renaissance work often foreshadows sacrifice in its art. Each painting included in the opening sequence is a clue about some tragedy, but they are kept intentionally vague, allowing viewers to interpret them for themselves. Miss these references, and you'll miss half the story MAPPA is already telling.

Classical Art Meets Cursed Energy in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3's first episode starts off with King Gnu's song "Aizo," which creates a really dark vibe. While at first glance the visuals seem simple, like sorcerers coming together, cursed energy flowing from their bodies, Sukuna looming in the background.

The art used was chosen by MAPPA to visually represent the sadistic side of the game in its brutality. All of the images express themes of sacrifice, inevitability, and tragedy.

Edvard Munch's The Scream

An iconic warped figure shows up at the beginning of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 and represents everything that happens during the Culling Game: participants are tortured past their boundaries and overdosed with Cursed Energy.

And then later in the sequence, it is also an indicator of the suffering that goes on in the character's life, like a foreshadowing of what will occur in the arc, Perfect Preparation.

John Everett Millais' Ophelia

Mai Zenin is floating on water while surrounded by beautiful blossoms, which evokes Millais' heartbreaking painting of Shakespeare's Ophelia. The peaceful top surface of the water hides what is underneath. This allusion hints at Mai's heartbreaking self-sacrifice during the Culling Game.

Peter Paul Rubens' Two Sleeping Children

Mai and Maki are having a peaceful moment together. In Rubens' original painting, you can see how innocent and safe they are as children. In the new version of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, you feel this warmth turn into sadness.

The painting is done in such a way that it portrays a "what if" and highlights everything that they have lost as a result of the destruction caused by the clan.

Gustav Klimt's The Kiss

The image of Yuta and Rika holding each other in a way that would look like a modern version of VG Klimt's Kiss. However, the image highlighted the darkness. Whereas Klimt's work is associated with love and closeness, this one opens up with possession and grief.

Egon Schiele's Dead Mother

This raw depiction appears when focusing on Yuji Itadori's origins. Schiele's painting reflects maternal absence and emotional unavailability. In Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, it connects to Yuji's mysterious birth and Kenjaku's manipulation of his mother's body.

Claude Monet's Camille Monet and a Child

The soft-impressionist light of Monet's original painting represents the family/community bond and beauty found in daily life. The light also shows that even with cursed creations, there can still be real family connections between them. The hint of the painting also alludes to the fact that these two characters will face challenges ahead.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi's Kashiwade no Hanoshi

The opening showcases Japanese Art next to Western works. Kuniyoshi’s work shows a warrior getting revenge on a tiger for his child. Maki took on the same strong stance as Kuniyoshi’s warrior to exhibit her bravery in overcoming many obstacles.

Ghost in the Shell Reference

Sorcerers are lined up paying homage to the intro of the Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex anime as a sign that something big is coming soon. Jujutsu Sorcerers are coming to defend Master Tengen from Kenjaku's plans during the Culling Game.

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The opening transforms from a basic introduction to a preview of themes via the references. It conveys a general feel of the emotional range of the arc while not giving away specific aspects of events. The artwork generates anticipation and yet keeps certain aspects secret, which is always a tough balance to maintain.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 streams weekly on Crunchyroll every Thursday at 9 a.m. PT. They already have the first two episodes out. You’re gonna see these clues develop new meanings as Culling Game continues to play out.

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