With the recently announced Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 set to adapt the beloved Culling Game arc, fans are eager to see the deadly battle royale play out in animated form. But the tragic losses incurred during this arc leave many wondering – could these dangerous games have been prevented? Though the story unfolded in dramatic fashion, different actions by key players may have stopped the competition before it even began.
Coming off the heels of Season 2’s emotional finale, Season 3 will thrust Yuji, Yuta, and the rest of the JJK sorcerers into the Culling Game, a sinister contest orchestrated by Kenjaku. Though thrilling, this fan-favorite arc results in devastating casualties that could have possibly been avoided.
Before the anime brings this intense story to screens, let’s examine the top 4 ways the Culling Games could have been prevented in Jujutsu Kaisen. With better foresight from Gojo, cooperation from the higher-ups, and proactive measures against Kenjaku’s plans, these deadly games may have never come to pass.
1) Properly burying Jujutsu Sorcerer could have prevented the Gulling Game
The number one way the Culling Games could have been prevented is if Jujutsu sorcerers treated corpses with more respect and properly disposed of bodies after death.
- Kenjaku was able to orchestrate the entire deadly contest by inhabiting Geto’s corpse after his demise. If Geto’s remains had been cremated or sealed away, Kenjaku would have never acquired his Cursed Technique or managed to seal Gojo Satoru.
Furthermore, Kenjaku’s thousand-year survival was largely possible due to the carelessness of past sorcerers failing to properly dispose of the dead. If proper corpse disposal protocols were strictly enforced, curses like Kenjaku could not persist by body-hopping for centuries.
While shonen series don’t often focus on funeral proceedings, in this case, proper burials and cremation customs could have spared numerous lives and prevented disaster. It’s an unusual but impactful lesson – respect for the dead could have saved the living.
2) Killing Yuji in the beginning could have stopped the Culling Game

As much as we love Yuji Itadori, destroying him early in the story may have been a necessary evil to prevent the Culling Games.
- Allowing Sukuna’s vessel to live empowered the King of Curses to eventually return, which was an essential part of Kenjaku’s plan for Culling Game. It would have been harder for him to convince Uraume or even Kashimo to participate.
Even powerful allies like Jogo and Hanami mainly joined Kenjaku due to the promise of eventually freeing Sukuna. Though regrettable, snuffing out Yuji and Sukuna’s pact early on could have crippled Kenjaku’s plans and saved countless lives.
3) Master Tengen’s teachings allowed the Culling Games
The Culling Games could have potentially been avoided if not for flawed teachings and choices by Master Tengen centuries ago.
- As the powerful being who laid the foundation for jujutsu sorcerers, Tengen’s preaching about the Star Plasma Vessel spawned religious cults that led to Riko’s death. If Tengen had been more careful with his doctrines, the cult may not have rejected Riko, allowing Tengen to properly merge with the vessel.
Without becoming a vengeful curse, Tengen would have retained his immense power. He could have stopped the ritual that later empowered Kenjaku and directly intervened to prevent the deadly Culling Games.
So, in many ways, Tengen’s own faulty teachings, rejection of Riko, and failure to merge with the vessel enabled the chain of events leading to the tragic contest. More measured preaching could have denied Kenjaku the power he later weaponized.
4)Â Better Co-operation between the JJK Elders

Finally, greater cooperation and wise planning from the higher-ups of the jujutsu world could have prevented disaster.
Rather than working separately, a unified front against Kenjaku may have thwarted his efforts. The elders also failed by sending Gojo alone to confront the villains, allowing him to be sealed.
- With better communication, teamwork, foresight into Kenjaku’s plans, and proactive defenses, the games could have been stopped. If the elders had formulated an organized plan to track down the ancient sorcerers, protect Gojo, and eliminate curses like the transfigured humans, they may have prevented the Culling Games before they began. Their disunity, reactionary approaches, and failure to support Gojo enabled Kenjaku’s schemes.
Conclusion:
Even though it’s interesting to think about how the Culling Games could’ve been avoided, the truth is that it already happened in the Jujutsu Kaisen story. As much as we can say the jujutsu sorcerers should’ve properly buried bodies, killed Yuji early on, had Tengen teach better lessons, and worked together better, it’s too late for that now.
The sad fact is they made imperfect choices, overlooked things, didn’t work together well, and Kenjaku was able to start the deadly Culling Games. For good or bad, the exciting events of the Culling Game arc are going to happen when Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 covers the manga story.