MAPPA is taking Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 seriously and fans can feel it

From the opening of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, fans have noted that MAPPA Studio has done a perfect job in making this series into reality. It is clear that the production house is using this opportunity to make an artistic masterpiece. This ended up making their opening theme less like an energetic shonen anime intro and more like a hand-picked art gallery, which is full of symbolism. Getting this kind of attention has resulted in getting more eyes from the anime community who want to now watch this show. Even those who have been skeptical about the Culling Game arc now feel compelled to give his show a try.

Although there has been some divided opinion on the manga arc, the handling of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 suggests a strong intent to elevate the material beyond its source, turning it into something more reflective, haunting, and interpretive. It is important to note that the opening theme jumps right into a contemplative tone. Usually, when it comes to popular shonen anime, they take a turn by showing heavy action or leaning into a more explosive art style.

But just by talking about the job MAPPA Studio has done with the opening, it feels like every frame would make a viewer pause the show just to admire the effort and hard work the production team has put in, making sure that the visual storytelling is designed to make fans feel things. It is like the pacing itself feels intentional. Every cut lingers just long enough to make viewers uneasy, reinforcing the idea that the Culling Game isn’t meant to be thrilling; it is meant to be cruel.

Classical art as emotional foreshadowing

What makes the Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 opening so popular right now that fans cannot stop talking about it is how MAPPA Studio has heavily taken inspiration from art history. These fans have noted that the OP has parallel works by artists like:

• Edvard Munch
• Gustav Klimt
• Egon Schiele
• Claude Monet
• Peter Paul Rubens
• John Everett Millais

These references end up adding more to the meaning; therefore, it is safe to assume they were not added due to shallow reasons. It just goes to show the effort they had to put in while hoping that fans catch on. This kind of gamble was a risky move that ended up working in their favour. These are some moves by MAPPA Studio that force the fans to actually have some opinions and thoughts about something rather than just blindly watching something. Even the fans appreciate this because it has gotten to be a rare occurrence where the animating team leaves major easter eggs like these, and it just ends up adding onto the hype.

Final thoughts: MAPPA Studio is taking Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 seriously

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MAPPA Studio has gone through a fair share of controversies that have caused it to stay under the radar of the fandom. But now, looking at the way they have been treating Gege Akutami's story, things start to make sense as to why Jujutsu Kaisen has gotten so popular. While the story itself is compelling, getting a chance to be animated by one of the most popular production houses has ensured quality content.

Throughout the years, it has taken its time to build the foundation around a narrative, and with Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, all the hard work is getting paid off because this franchise is getting undivided attention as part of the Winter 2026 anime season.

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