Highlights
- Niconico’s initial engagement data places JJK season 3 at No. 1, surpassing Oshi no Ko season 3 and Frieren season 2.
- The “Culling Game” arc reaffirms Jujutsu Kaisen’s immediate popularity upon release.
- JJK season 3 also ranks in Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English Shows.
Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 (JJK S3) claimed the No. 1 position on the 2026 Winter Anime Initial Ranking TOP 10 list, compiled by Japanese multimedia company Dwango Co., Ltd. for its Niconico streaming service. The list, published on Jan 29, 2026, compiles early-season metrics including views, comments, and access rates till Jan 20, 2026.
The top 10 list has ranked the newest installment of JJK ahead of major releases such as Oshi no Ko season 3 (No. 4) and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End season 2 (No. 3), underscoring the franchise’s sustained popularity. While “initial rankings” are early engagement metrics rather than definitive popularity measures, the placement of Jujutsu Kaisen at No. 1 underscores the franchise’s capacity to generate attention immediately upon release, when the last season of the anime came out in early 2024.
The ranking includes a mix of new and returning titles, from established franchises to genre newcomers, illustrating diverse audience tastes in the early winter slate. Apart from the mentioned anime series, the other names within the top five anime are Fate/strange Fake (No. 2) and Sentenced to Be a Hero (No. 5).
Jujutsu Kaisen Becomes One of the Most Commercially Successful Anime IPs
According to Niconico’s data, Jujutsu Kaisen’s highest-rated episode was season 3, episode 3 (episode 50 overall), titled About the Culling Game. The episode aired on Jan 15, 2026. Despite its relatively lesser time on streaming, it managed to garner attention due to the transitional phase in the narrative.
The Jujutsu Kaisen franchise is based on Gege Akutami’s original manga, which has proven to be one of the most commercially successful modern anime IPs in the current time. In December 2025, Jump Festa 2026 crowned the title as the world's most in-demand animated TV show, with an engagement rate 128 times higher than that of any average series.
Notably, Jujutsu Kaisen S3 is also ranking in Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English Shows, since its premiere on Jan 8. As per Netflix data, it remained among the top five positions for three consecutive weeks, starting from Jan 5 to Jan 25, topping other popular Korean dramas and international releases.
The anime’s top ranking this winter continues a pattern of strong performance for the franchise across multiple engagement and commercial indicators. Industry reporting has also noted that Jujutsu Kaisen overtook Iseyama’s Attack on Titan in total sales, moving past 150M copies in circulation for the original manga. Jujutsu Kaisen manga is also currently among the top 10 manga of all time, by sales.
Jujutsu Kaisen season 3, which adapts the “Culling Game” arc from the original manga, launched with strong early metrics and critical attention; four of its five yet-released episodes have an IMDb rating of over 8.5. Episode 4, Perfect Preparation, generated a strong 9.8 rating. JJK season 3 episodes release every Thursday at 9 am ET/ 12 pm PT. The next episode (episode 6), Cog, is scheduled for Feb 5, 2026.
