The official Jujutsu Kaisen website has released the promotional images for the highly anticipated Episode 56, officially titled Episode 9 of the third season, “The First Tokyo Colony – 3.” These visuals provide the first detailed look at one of the most significant confrontations in the Culling Game arc, as former defense attorney turned sorcerer, Hiromi Higuruma, brings Yuji Itadori to trial within his devastating Domain Expansion.
Judgment Day Arrives in the Culling Game
The newly released images are not merely stills from the upcoming animation; they are a narrative preview of a pivotal clash of ideologies. The sequence confirms that Hiromi Higuruma activates his innate technique, summoning the imposing Shikigami known as the Judge. This marks the commencement of a formal, supernatural trial for Yuji Itadori, a battle that will be fought not just with cursed energy, but with the weight of law, guilt, and justice.
This episode represents a critical juncture in the Culling Game arc, which the MAPPA studio is currently adapting. The arc, also known as the Perfect Preparation or the Migration to Extinction, plunges the world of Jujutsu Kaisen into chaos following the Shibuya Incident. With the ancient sorcerer Kenjaku’s plan in full motion, sorcerers and non-sorcerers alike are forced to participate in a deadly battle royale across designated colonies in Japan. The rules are brutal, and survival hinges on accumulating points by eliminating other players.
The Unlikely Adversary: Hiromi Higuruma’s Tragic Power
Hiromi Higuruma is not a traditional villain. Introduced as a brilliant but disillusioned defense attorney who grew to despise the flaws in the justice system, he was marked by Kenjaku and awakened to his latent cursed technique. His power, “Judgeman,” is a direct manifestation of his life’s work and his deepest frustrations. Unlike the raw, physical combat style of Yuji Itadori, Higuruma’s strength lies in a complex, rule-based domain that neutralizes brute force.
The promotional images highlight the stark contrast between the two combatants. Yuji, the protagonist who carries the guilt of Sukuna’s actions and seeks to save as many people as possible, now finds himself literally on trial. Higuruma, draped in his lawyer’s robes, stands as the prosecutor, judge, and executioner within his own domain. The setting shifts from the ruined urban landscape of Tokyo to a surreal courtroom, establishing a psychological and legal battlefield.
Anatomy of a Domain Expansion: Deadly Sentencing
Higuruma’s Domain Expansion, “Deadly Sentencing,” is one of the most conceptually unique abilities in the series. The released images show the key components of its activation and procedure. The domain creates a bounded space where a trial is conducted by the Judge Shikigami. The rules are absolute: both the domain’s user and the target are stripped of all cursed tools and are forbidden from using violent cursed techniques until the trial concludes.
The trial itself is the core of the conflict. The Judge presents charges against the target based on their past actions and conscience. The evidence is irrefutable, drawn from the target’s own memories and sense of guilt. A gavel is then presented; if the target is found guilty, the Judge confiscates a possession of the target—which can include their cursed technique or even a vital organ—and bestows a powerful cursed tool, the “Executioner’s Sword,” upon Higuruma. This sword’s power scales directly with the severity of the target’s crime, making it a potential instant-kill weapon.
Yuji Itadori’s Greatest Challenge Yet
For Yuji Itadori, this confrontation is uniquely perilous. His combat style, which relies on superhuman physicality and the Divergent Fist, is completely nullified within Deadly Sentencing. He cannot punch his way out of this problem. The battle becomes a test of character, morality, and the burden of his past. Yuji, who willingly consumed Sukuna’s fingers to save others and who has been racked with guilt over every life lost in Shibuya, carries immense psychological weight.
The promotional materials suggest the episode will delve deep into Yuji’s internal struggle. The trial will force him to confront his actions and the unintended consequences of his heroism. This is not a fight he can win with strength alone; he must navigate the legalistic nightmare of Higuruma’s domain, where his greatest vulnerabilities—his guilt and his desire to atone—are weaponized against him. The outcome hinges on whether Yuji’s pure intentions can withstand the cold, absolute judgment of Higuruma’s broken ideal of justice.
MAPPA’s Animation and the Episode’s Release
Studio MAPPA continues its high-stakes production of Jujutsu Kaisen’s third season, following the visually spectacular and critically acclaimed Shibuya Incident arc. The released images promise the studio’s signature attention to detail, particularly in rendering the ethereal and oppressive atmosphere of the Domain Expansion. The design of the Judge Shikigami, with its solemn and imposing presence, and the surreal, shifting environment of the courtroom are expected to be highlights of the episode’s visual presentation.
Episode 56, “The First Tokyo Colony – 3,” is scheduled for its simultaneous release. It will premiere on Crunchyroll this Thursday, with the original Japanese audio and subtitles available immediately following its broadcast in Japan. As is standard for the platform, an English-dubbed version of the episode will be added to the catalog at a later date, allowing a global audience to experience this critical chapter in the saga.
The Broader Implications for the Culling Game Arc
The clash between Higuruma and Itadori is more than a standalone fight; it sets a crucial precedent for the entire Culling Game. It demonstrates the diverse and terrifyingly specific types of opponents Yuji and his allies will face—sorcerers whose powers are born from trauma, ideology, and deep-seated human concepts rather than simple malice. Higuruma represents a new class of awakened sorcerer: intelligent, powerful, and driven by a personal philosophy that makes them formidable and morally complex adversaries.
Furthermore, the resolution of this battle will have significant ramifications for Yuji’s character development. Whether he emerges victorious, defeated, or through a unforeseen understanding with Higuruma, the experience is poised to change his approach to the Culling Game. It forces him to think, to plead his case, and to defend his soul, preparing him for the even more convoluted and deadly gamesmanship that lies ahead with players like Reggie Star and the mysterious Hajime Kashimo.
The release of these promotional images has successfully heightened anticipation, confirming that the anime is diving headfirst into one of the manga’s most tense and cerebral battles. It promises an episode that balances intense psychological drama with the supernatural law and high-concept cursed techniques that define Jujutsu Kaisen’s appeal. As the Culling Game tightens its grip on Tokyo, Yuji Itadori’s trial under the gavel of Judgeman may well determine not just his survival, but the very nature of the justice he fights to uphold in a world that has abandoned it.
