Blood of Zeus Season 3 Review: A Gods and Monsters Battle Royale

This Blood of Zeus season 3 review contains no spoilers.

“Have I come to the end of my thread?”

Netflix has really dominated the adult animation niche over the past few years and the streaming service has amassed quite the impressive library of content that’s made it clear animation is a priority. Mature adaptations of popular video game franchises like Castlevania, Arcane, Tomb Raider, and Devil May Cry have become the latest trend, but Charley and Vlas Parlapanides’ Blood of Zeus made waves back in 2020 with its radical remix of Greek mythology. 

Blood of Zeus’ first two seasons do encouraging work when it comes to serialized storytelling, epic action sequences, and complex characters who are worthy of their mythological counterparts. Blood of Zeus finds a successful balance between these contrasting interests and two seasons of hard work and painful revelations allow this third and final season to be the best year yet. Everything comes together in Blood of Zeus season 3, which makes this an extremely satisfying conclusion to a truly epic story. It’s a godly finish to a series that’s always been incredibly passionate and sincere in its storytelling.

Blood of Zeus’ final season almost immediately seeds the idea that this has really been all about cooperation and understanding; not power and destruction. Blood of Zeus has introduced a litany of godly powers for its characters. However, the only way that the Gods of Olympus can survive against Cronus, Typhon, and the rampaging Titans is if they work together and acknowledge that they’re all part of a greater whole. Whoever is the strongest God is ultimately irrelevant. What really matters is that the Gods, as a whole, can thrive in harmony. This may come across as a slightly glib lesson in a series that’s been all about the push-and-pull power struggle between Heron and Seraphim. Some of Blood of Zeus’ best and most memorable moments are the ones that juxtapose the parallel journeys of these twin brothers. This has previously brought the two characters to a devastating breaking point where their folly has led to both of their failures. 

Blood of Zeus’ third season makes it clear that Heron and Seraphim’s complementary trials have subconsciously conditioned them to be the perfect partners in a war that’s much bigger than either of them. It’s a rejuvenating dynamic for the final season, albeit one that feels like the natural culmination of this story. In the past, Blood of Zeus has argued that Heron or Seraphim will lead the Gods to a prosperous new age, but it’s actually Heron and Seraphim that will trigger this revolutionary liberation.

“Have I come to the end of my thread?” is a question that Heron asks within the premiere’s opening seconds. However, it’s echoed through the entire season as characters reckon with their history and the types of legacies that they’ll leave behind as they push themselves past their limits in every way imaginable. These final episodes present an all-encompassing redemption story as Heron and Seraphim fight for their right to exist. That being said, the new and awkward dynamic that’s shared between Heron and Seraphim also frequently imbues Blood of Zeus season 3 with the playful energy of a two-handed buddy cop endeavor. It’s just that they’re storming Heaven and Hell, not the mean streets. 

This season sends not just Heron and Seraphim on challenging trials during their efforts to take down Cronus and his apocalyptic army, but also Zeus, Hades, and Hera. It truly becomes a collaborative season of storytelling that features intimidating voyages to the Underworld and the River Styx, foreboding blood sacrifices and deluded cults, and a multitude of new Gods and creatures that get caught up in this grandiose scuffle. There’s no question that Blood of Zeus’ action is unparalleled, but this fast-paced story still finds time for awe-inspiring quests and muted ceremonies that celebrate Greek mythology’s glory and wonder. This farewell season is rich in everything that made fans fall in love with Blood of Zeus in the first place.

Gaia’s larger role also becomes a serious threat for the conflicted Olympians. Gaia’s connection to Cronus, which becomes a surprising emotional throughline for the season. It’s a powerful reminder that even the most powerful beings in existence are still powerless to their own emotions and desires, which is perhaps the most human thing of all. That being said, there’s a mounting sense of tension and fear that’s felt throughout as Cronus’ rage and resources grow. This new villain is voiced with aplomb by Alfred Molina, who channels endless gravitas here and doesn’t waste any chances to chew scenery as this apocalyptic force of nature.

The action is really on another level as all-out warfare between Gods and Titans plays out on a scale that puts season 2’s chaos to shame. It’s exactly the level of heightened, brutal madness that an action fan wants out of a Greek mythology series like this. Blood of Zeus’ first two seasons have hardly held back when it comes to combat and carnage, but this really gets intensified in the show’s final act, especially in the two episodes that bookend this story. In terms of the battles and animation, it really feels as if Blood of Zeus was committed to going for broke and just doing everything that they wanted to do with this show before it’s over. Blood of Zeus’ final battle features some of the series’ best work on every front, but it’s the teamwork between these eclectic figures — many of whom have previously tried to kill each other — that makes this battle such a delight.

There’s such scope and sense of artistry with these battles, whether they’re intimate duels or more sprawling battle royale scenarios. The Gods and their powers are remarkable, but the original Titan designs are just so exciting and an easy way to make these battles feel different than Blood of Zeus’ previous clashes. They make the Gods look like they’re made out of paper. There’s a terrifying quality to the Titans that’s essential in a series where Gods have become comfortable with throwing their weight around and dictating the rules.

This is a series that’s full of brutal bloodshed and eternal damnation, but it also has such a huge beating heart. So many characters in Blood of Zeus — Heron, Seraphim, Hades — are driven by a rich, passionate love for someone else who they wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice their lives to save. There’s some deeply beautiful romance that courses through this season and these emotional relationships blossom into such beautiful displays of love by the season’s end. Blood of Zeus has guts, but it makes sure that there’s also heart. Without that, this is really just messy violence that equates Armageddon to the universe’s biggest pissing contest.

Blood of Zeus sticks its landing and it’s always encouraging when a series goes out on top with a proper sense of cathartic closure. An incomplete rendition of this story would quickly make it irrelevant, but Blood of Zeus confidently weaponizes brevity to its advantage and distills this season’s events down to a Blood of Zeus greatest hits. Alternatively, the season’s rushed pacing sometimes glosses over compelling storylines that almost certainly would have been expanded upon if Blood of Zeus’ original five-season plan was possible. Nevertheless, this is easily Blood of Zeus’ best season and it ends the series on the most satisfying note possible. Such finality has become increasingly rare with Netflix series, especially serialized animated content. Blood of Zeus deserves to enter the pantheon of other A+ Greek mythology and adult animated television. 

All three seasons of Blood of Zeus are now streaming on Netflix.