After six years and high anticipation despite a disappointing second season, the production team at J.C.Staff were not nearly prepared enough for the humiliation cycle ahead for One-Punch Man season 3. Beyond simple calls to keep expectations reasonable, the anime often fell below even standard bars for quality with some deeply noticeable flaws in its animation, visuals, and general sense of polish for such an acclaimed series. While fans hold out with the audacity of hope for a positive turnaround ahead of season 3 part 2, though, One-Punch Man as a franchise hasn’t completely lost its luster on other fronts.

Adapted from the original webcomic by ONE, Yusuke Murata’s 2012 One-Punch Man manga remains a stellar presentation for those curious enough to see some of the highest-quality visual storytelling and intricate details in the medium. The series is also finally out of its most recent slump between the Ninjas and Neo Heroes Uprising Arcs, but truthfully, even its low points stand readily above the abyssal lows the anime recently reached. Amusingly, One-Punch Man’s manga has some of the opposite problems the anime has exhibited, but the benefits of following it, instead of the anime, are beginning to grow increasingly clear as a way to extract hope for the franchise.

One-Punch Man Season 3 Was A Mess, But The Manga Almost Has The Opposite Situation

With close to a year and a half of redraws in what was essentially a hiatus for the mainline story, One-Punch Man’s manga took a long time before getting back on track leading to its most recent chapters. Now, as the manga regularly releases installments, finally out of the repetitive refinements of Empty Void’s introduction to his merciless nerfs, the Neo Heroes Saga was utterly unable to proceed until now.

But these redraws have proven worth it; instead of the messy production schedules and haphazard animation in season 3, these delays were a clear signal of Murata’s absurd levels of perfectionism. It famously drew out the Monster Association Arc, but on the other hand, its intricate artwork provided a perfect, frame-by-frame blueprint the anime seems to be squandering.

One-Punch Man season 3’s flaws are more than what can simply be dismissed as nitpicks by fans expecting a panel-accurate adaptation. Point to multiple episodes of part 1 and one may find infamous memed-on instances, from the Garou Slide scene, to adding digits to Mizuki’s hands between frames, to Zombieman seemingly using the Force to open doors. It’s a mess, and that’s before seeing Atomic Samurai’s chopped haircut, a clear instance of adapting panels perhaps too closely in the wrong way, and forgetting to add onto the part cut off by the borders. All of these moments are easy targets, each egregious enough not to overlook.

These are errors that undermine the bar of quality once set for One-Punch Man during Madhouse’s tenure for season 1. Genos’ character design is still not up to snuff, movement feels stiff and uninspired, and the visuals are not terribly special, either. While Part 2 is set for 2027, indicating a split-cour season with ideally enough time for the anime to correct course, J.C.Staff will have to avoid committing to too many projects beyond the three planned for that year. But if those who see this as a positive sign of at least some effort ahead of the greatest climactic moments of the Monster Association Arc, the manga has remained, and will continue to be, a truly great way to enjoy the story.

ONE & Yusuke Murata’s One-Punch Man Is Still A Masterpiece

Sticking with One-Punch Man’s manga is a far easier task when the worst one can say about it is that its production is stalled or even overhauled for a chapter or more because its creators know they can do better. Murata’s artwork was glorious during the final fight with Cosmic Fear Garou, which many fans perhaps foolishly hope will be animated well, but it’s remained exceptional years later. What’s more, the spirit and humor have stayed wildly vibrant, with Saitama casually catching dimension-slicing swords, Genos taking yet another debilitating beating, and Tatsumaki leveling a city as a last-ditch Dragon-level pest extermination.

The Neo Heroes Saga is also finally moving along nicely, with the nefarious elements running this rival of the Hero Association and yet to show their true colors in the chapters ahead. Older characters like Suiryu’s sister, Suiko, are being wonderfully implemented as they tackle the sudden onslaught of Dragon-level threats, while others like Superalloy Darkshine experiencing a crisis of confidence while falling in with the Neo Heroes. Even Child Emperor, in an attempt to rebrand with a goofy name reference, features more intricately in this plot, all while Saitama’s hardly been the most important character. Arguably, One-Punch Man can reach its best chaotic moments without Saitama in the fray.

There are plenty of unresolved plots in One-Punch Man, though. The webcomic has pushed on with its recent story arcs focusing more heavily on Genos, for instance, while Saitama’s fateful clash with God has hardly been teased as much as it was even in early 2024. But even if the anime reaches these points and releases inferior adaptations, it’s still a great series in its original form. Berserk has an entertainingly similar problem, its earlier arcs largely being adapted quite well, only for multiple inferior attempts at later stories in the mid 2010s. One-Punch Man’s manga has survived redraws and two disappointing seasons alike, and it will endure more while continuing to set the bar.

Release Date

October 5, 2015

Network

YouTube, TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC

Directors

Shinichiro Ushijima, Makoto Sokuza, Nobuhiro Muto, Ryoh Ando, Shuuji Miyazaki, Youhei Suzuki, Miyuki Ishida, Katsushi Sakurabi, Hideki Okamoto, Yoshio Suzuki, Hiroyuki Okuno, Riki Fukushima, Shigeki Awai

Writers

Tatsuro Inamoto

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  Makoto Furukawa

  Saitama (voice)

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  Kaito Ishikawa

  Genos (voice)