Highlights
- Jujutsu Kaisen season 4 unveils its first teaser trailer, spotlighting major Culling Game part 2 confrontations.
- MAPPA confirms a key production shift, with Takeru Sato taking over as director while Shota Goshozono becomes chief director.
- The trailer headlined MAPPA’s 15th anniversary event, which also featured updates on Chainsaw Man and Dorohedoro.
MAPPA has released the first teaser trailer for Jujutsu Kaisen (JJK) season 4, offering fans a glimpse into the Culling Game arc part 2. The livestream on June 19 started with a dedicated JJK panel, positioning the franchise as a centerpiece of the studio’s 15th anniversary celebration.
The trailer showcased several key characters shaping Culling Game’s next phase, including Yuji Itadori, Yuta Okkotsu, Kinji Hakari, and Hajime Kashimo. However, MAPPA did not confirm a release date, stating that the season remains in production.
Based on Gege Akutami’s manga, the Culling Game arc spans chapters 138 to 221, with JJK season 3, adapting roughly till chapter 181, in the finale titled Sendai Colony. Part 2 is expected to continue the story, diving deeper into the Tokyo No. 2 Colony, Part 2 storyline, and following narratives.
A New Director for Jujutsu Kaisen Season 4 Culling Game Part 2
The JJK season 4 announcement came with a significant production change. Takeru Satō, an assistant director during the third season, takes over as director, while Shota Goshozono, who directed both seasons 2 and 3, moves up as the chief director.
The newly released JJK trailer focuses on the major confrontations awaiting the protagonists as they attempt to stop Kenjaku’s plans and the death game (Culling Game) following the incident in Shibuya. The new footage shows the much-awaited Kinji Hakari versus Hajime Kashimo fight, while Choso and Yuki Tsukumo face off against Kenjaku.
The audience also gets a glimpse of Maki Zenin unleashing her full strength. The trailer ends with Sukuna, teasing the upcoming threat when he takes over Megumi Fushiguro’s body and the ten shadows technique.
Sato also addressed the handoff directly in an official statement. “I feel the weight of the responsibility of being entrusted with such an important title every day,” he said, while mentioning that his source of inspiration remains the cast and staff who built the show before him.
His expression feels like an acknowledgment of what he is inheriting: a completed manga, a built-in audience that can measure every choice against Gege Akutami’s ending and story’s progression. Series writer Hiroshi Seko returns for continuity, and animation directors Hiromi Niwa and Yosuke Yajima are also returning for JJK season 4.
MAPPA's 15th Anniversary Lineup Included Five More Franchises
The Jujutsu Kaisen Culling Game part 2 trailer anchored following several major announcements about its other key properties and new anime announcements. The studio also shared new trailers for Dorohedoro season 3 and Ranma ½ season 3, along with updates for Oblivion Battery.
Global sensation Attack on Titan: The Final Season got its own segment with director Yuichiro Hayashi and Mikasa’s voice actress Yui Ishikawa. MAPPA also informed that the studio will animate the opening for Attack on Titan: Brave Order’s third mobile game.
The Oblivion Battery’s segment focused on the anime’s second season production and unveiled a visual for the Bokyaku Festa 2026 fan event. The fest will take place at Tachikawa Stage Garden in Japan, on Nov 29, 2026.
The 15th anniversary livestream closed with the Chainsaw Man panel, where MAPPA announced the first-ever Chainsaw Man mobile game and a new teaser trailer for the upcoming Assassins Arc. For MAPPA, positioning Jujutsu Kaisen at the beginning of its anniversary campaign reflects the franchise’s status as one of the studio’s most valuable properties.
MAPPA also featured Nobara Kugisaki in the third ‘anniversary key visual’ on June 18. The previous two anniversary key visuals featured the studio’s other two significant properties: Chainsaw Man Reze Arc and Attack on Titan: The Final Season characters (Reze and Mikasa).
