Since its debut, Jujutsu Kaisen has stood out for the exceptional animation quality delivered by MAPPA studio. The first season, directed by Sunghoo Park, featured a straightforward visual style with vibrant colors, rounded character designs, and classic fluid fight choreography that quickly won over audiences. However, starting with the second season — and especially in the third season, which adapts the Culling Game arc — the animation style has undergone a significant transformation, becoming more cinematic, artistic, and experimental.
This shift has sparked a clear divide among fans, particularly on social media, Reddit, and X (formerly Twitter). While many praise the visual ambition, others miss the original style and find the new aesthetic less appealing — though the fight choreography continues to receive widespread acclaim.
What Fans Are Saying About the Changes
The reception is highly polarized:
- Praise — A large portion of the community considers Season 3 a “new peak” in animation quality. Fans describe the visuals as “pure cinema,” highlighting superior lighting, more mature color palettes, refined character designs, and extremely creative direction. Episodes like Episode 4 are frequently called the “absolute peak,” with fluid animation, innovative effects (including influences from Kill Bill and artistic references in the opening), and an overall feeling of high-budget movie production. Many see this evolution as a natural maturation: moving from the simplicity of Season 1 to something far more ambitious and cinematic.
- Criticism — Another significant group of fans complains that the style has become “simpler,” “flat,” or “less detailed” compared to Season 1, with softer outlines, reduced rim lighting, and less vibrant shine. Some feel the scenes appear “choppy” or overly distracting due to excessive experimentation — as if every frame is trying to be a visual showpiece, causing everything to blend together and lose individual impact. Many argue that Season 1 had stronger and more consistent choreography, and that the new approach sacrifices visual coherence in favor of an overly “artsy” look.
Pros and Cons of the Style Change
Pros:
- More cinematic and artistic animation, with bold direction that breaks traditional anime conventions.
- Fight choreography remains exceptional — fluid, dynamic, and full of impact, often elevating the source manga.
- Overall aesthetic improvement: more mature colors, sophisticated lighting, and cultural references that enrich the viewing experience.
- Sense of evolution: the series feels more “mature” and ambitious, perfectly suited to the heavier tone of the Culling Game arc.
Cons:
- Loss of the classic, vibrant, and accessible look from Season 1 that many fans found more enjoyable.
- Some scenes appear less detailed or “flat” (with heavy use of kagenashi — a style without traditional shading to emphasize motion).
- Over-experimentation: can feel distracting or make the anime seem inconsistent, with too many varied styles within the same episode.
- For some viewers, Season 1 offered cleaner and more traditional fight choreography, while the new style prioritizes visual impact over constant fluidity.
In the end, this change reflects the vision of director Shōta Goshozono (who took over starting with Season 2), who is pursuing a more auteur-driven and innovative approach. While part of the community hails it as the pinnacle of Jujutsu Kaisen animation, others still prefer the straightforward charm of Season 1. Regardless of personal taste, the fights in Season 3 remain one of the standout highlights of current anime.
What do you think is the main thing that bothers you about the new style? The character designs, the colors, the overall direction, or something else?