Jujutsu Kaisen anime rights and licensing: who owns what
Jujutsu Kaisen is a committee-managed franchise: the copyright notice names Akutami, Shueisha, and a production committee, while MAPPA animates and Crunchyroll carries it worldwide.
Published: 2026-08-19. Updated: 2026-08-19.
Short answer: Jujutsu Kaisen is based on Gege Akutami's manga, serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump from March 2018 to September 2024. The anime copyright notice reads Akutami/Shueisha, Jujutsu Kaisen Production Committee, meaning ownership sits with a committee rather than a single company. MAPPA animates the series and films, MBS is the Japanese broadcaster, and Crunchyroll streams the anime internationally, including the season 3 Culling Game premiere on January 8, 2026. VIZ Media publishes the manga in English.
Who owns the Jujutsu Kaisen property?
The base layer is Gege Akutami's manga. VIZ Media's official page confirms Akutami as creator and the series' 2018 start in Weekly Shonen Jump, with volume 30 as the final volume. The official anime page from broadcaster MBS adds that the manga ran from March 2018 until its conclusion in September 2024, ending a six-and-a-half-year serialization.
The anime copyright notice on the MBS page reads Akutami/Shueisha, Jujutsu Kaisen Production Committee. That committee, a group of investing companies organized for the anime, is the entity that licenses streaming, home video, merchandise, and film rights for the adaptation.
The production committee and the studio
MAPPA has animated the franchise from the start: its official works list includes the 2020 television series, the 2021 Jujutsu Kaisen 0 film, the 2023 Hidden Inventory and Shibuya Incident seasons, and season 3 covering the Culling Game in 2026. MAPPA is the production studio, not the franchise owner; ownership stays with the committee named in the copyright line.
MBS serves as the Japanese broadcaster and hosts the official anime site. As with most committee productions, the full membership list and each member's investment share are not published on official pages, so the committee's internal split cannot be verified from public sources.
Publicly documented Jujutsu Kaisen rights structure.| Party | Role | Rights layer |
|---|
| Gege Akutami / Shueisha | Manga creator and publisher | Underlying work, named in anime copyright |
| Jujutsu Kaisen Production Committee | Anime investor group | Anime copyright holder and licensor |
| MAPPA | Animation studio | Production of all seasons and films since 2020 |
| MBS | Japanese broadcaster | Broadcast and official anime site |
| Crunchyroll | International streamer | Exclusive international streaming of season 3 |
| VIZ Media | English-language publisher | Manga and anime home release in English |
How Jujutsu Kaisen is licensed internationally
Crunchyroll is the franchise's international streaming home. Announced release plans put Jujutsu Kaisen season 3's Culling Game arc exclusively on Crunchyroll from January 8, 2026, preceded by Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, a cinema event compiling the Shibuya Incident with a preview of the new season, in theaters from November 14, 2025.
This pattern, theatrical compilation events feeding into streaming premieres, is how the committee and its licensees monetize the same content across windows. Each window, cinema, streaming, home video, is licensed separately under the committee's authority.
How the rights pieces fit by territory
VIZ Media publishes the manga in English and handles Jujutsu Kaisen anime releases in its territory, as its official page shows with anime home releases alongside the manga. In Japan, MBS broadcasts and Shueisha publishes, while the committee coordinates everything downstream.
Territory listings can differ: platform availability outside Crunchyroll's footprint depends on local licensees, and those deals are time-limited rather than permanent. A series appearing on a given service signals a current license, not ownership.
Ownership uncertainty note: The copyright line, broadcaster, studio, and international streamer are all on the record. Not public: the production committee's full membership, investment shares, and the contract terms behind Crunchyroll's streaming exclusivity or each film's distribution split.
Why the structure matters
Jujutsu Kaisen is a textbook committee franchise: creator and publisher at the base, a committee holding the anime rights, a single studio providing production continuity, and a dominant international streamer. When news breaks about a new season, film, or game, the decision chain runs through the committee, not through MAPPA.
For commercial tracking, that means box office and streaming milestones for the franchise ultimately accrue to the committee members in proportions that are private, while MAPPA's share depends on its own participation and contracts rather than its visibility as the studio.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns the anime rights to Jujutsu Kaisen?
The anime copyright belongs to Gege Akutami, Shueisha, and the Jujutsu Kaisen Production Committee, per the official notice. MAPPA produces the animation but does not own the franchise.
Who licenses Jujutsu Kaisen internationally?
The production committee licenses the anime, and Crunchyroll is its international streaming home, premiering season 3 exclusively from January 8, 2026. VIZ Media publishes the manga and anime home releases in English.
Does MAPPA own Jujutsu Kaisen?
No. MAPPA is the animation studio for every season and film since 2020. Ownership rests with Akutami, Shueisha, and the Jujutsu Kaisen Production Committee.
When did the Jujutsu Kaisen manga end?
The manga concluded in September 2024 after serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump that began in March 2018. The final collected volume is volume 30.
Sources and methodology
- Jujutsu Kaisen official anime page, MBS. Official broadcaster page: copyright notice Akutami/Shueisha, Jujutsu Kaisen Production Committee, and serialization history from March 2018 to September 2024.
- Jujutsu Kaisen page, VIZ Media. Official English publisher page: Gege Akutami as creator, Weekly Shonen Jump start in 2018, and volume 30 as the final volume.
- Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 unleashes the Culling Game Arc on Crunchyroll in January 2026, The Arts Shelf. November 8, 2025: season 3 streaming exclusively on Crunchyroll from January 8, 2026, and the Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution cinema event from November 14, 2025.
- Works, MAPPA. Official works list: the 2020 TV series, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (2021), the 2023 seasons, and season 3 in 2026, confirming MAPPA as the studio throughout.