The third season of this acclaimed anime is if not ‘the’ most awaited Anime season return of all time. After what almost seemed like an eternity – the massively well-appreciated Manga by Yusuke Murata in collaboration with original author ONE, based on the webcomic of the same name, finally receives its third season. Yet, the recent news of the same studio (J.C Staff) that was responsible for the tragedy that was season 2 of One Punch Man returning has fans stirred up quite a bit and made them ask – When is One Punch Man Season 3 coming out?
Fans were hoping Studio Mappa would come up with another staff’s sleep-destroying announcement that the would take over One Punch Man Season 3, which did not happen to pass. However, we do have reasons to believe that despite J.C. Staff proving themselves as the world’s cutting-edge lead in making the worst adaptations of an otherwise ‘god-created’ claimed manga, this time things may turn out differently. More on this in another article.
(We also had pondered/investigated if Yusuke Murata’s personal studio could possibly take over, which also did not happen to pass.)
The release of One Punch Man Season 3 has been quite a bum.. for a long time now
Part of Season 3 staff revealed!
Season 1 & 2 series composer Tomohiro Suzuki & music composer Makoto Miyazaki back for S3
Character designer Chikashi Kubota also back with Shinjiro Kuroda & Ryosuke Shirakawa
Animation produced by J.C.STAFFhttps://t.co/uZALV63gZi#onepunchman— TVアニメ「ワンパンマン」公式 (@opm_anime) February 29, 2024
One Punch Man first was broadcast way back in 2015, animated by select veterans in the famous Madhouse Animation studio – it notably became one of the biggest Anime franchises that reached well beyond Japan – penetrating the Indo-European and major American countries.
The standard 100 Push-Ups, Pull-UPs, 10km running, (and whatever) became the meme-worthy workout plan for most anime-cum-gym enthusiasts. In what has ever since been regarded as one of the finest parody series ever made on the overpowered trope, it quickly met its horrendous downfall.
This happened when J.C. Staff took to animate Season 2 of the anime. With fans primarily complaining about the unsightly animation quality, things became quite a stir. Remember those blobby runny faces one would encounter if they randomly stopped a scene in a Naruto Shippuden episode? Yes, apparently things were even worse than that.
Time after the season came out, the announcement of J.C. Staff posted the first-ever trailer of season 3, yet much to one’s dismay, the release date has been termed TBA (To Be Announced). For this article, we will be making a few predictions on exactly when One Punch Man Season 3 is coming out based on a few factors. Before that, kindly note these timeline facts –
- The first season came out in 2015, and after it concluded, there was a long gap between anything relevant came about of season 2.
- One Punch Man Season 2 came about in 2019, and immediately afterwards a third season was confirmed, yet soon later it was to be put on halt.
- After multiple deliberations, and fans noting multiple predictions on who could be animating the third season (As our this article shows, do read)
When is One Punch Man Season 3 coming out?
Back then, after what appeared to be a long four-year wait, Season 2 of the show was finally released in 2019 with 12 episodes. However, those 12 episodes left us wanting more as they ended with a cliffhanger. Despite their run-of-the-mill animation, the story of the original webcomic still retained its glory. Some fans even consorted to the fact that it was not as unbearable as some other fans were making it out to be.
The good news is that One Punch Man Season 3 has not only been confirmed and its first reveal trailer released – here are a few key information to note when predicting such information
- Solo Leveling Anime had its first promo release back in 2022 July and was released only in 2024, almost 1.5 years later. Is this an accurate measurement for allowing us to predict season 3 of One Punch Man? It is not, given that stand-alone first seasons require more promotion than a season 3 of an already massively established Anime.
- Classroom of the Elite after completing the first season, revealed multiple information (including a promo/trailer video, which we are currently using as a basis of prediction) on May 2022. With the second and third season’s promo both releasing simultaneously. While season 2 of this anime was released back in 2022 July, season 3 only came out recently in this season of 2024.
- Note how quickly the (May to July) the transition between the first promo of the second season of Classroom of Elite was until the actual release of season 2. Although season 3 trailer also released back then together with season 2.
- Additionally, the ‘The Dangers of My Heart’ Season 2 trailer came out back in 2023 and the series itself came back in 2024, with almost not even a month of time gap.
All the above examples are of contemporarily running Anime – what I am trying to imply is that there lies often a great difference between the promo reveal and the actual episode premiere if the show is having its first season and requires a lot of hype, whereas for shows requiring lesser hype, the promo release and eventual episode premiere gap is quite low.
Now combining these together, although One Punch Man is having its third iteration, yet it is quite a hype-worthy season, J.C Staff may release One Punch Man third season either in July beginning which is the summer season or in Fall 2024, indicating a September release.
Is there enough Manga material for Season 3?
The availability of source material is a crucial factor in determining the potential for a sequel. One Punch Man manga currently consists of 23 volumes. For the anime adaptation, Season 1 used Volumes 1-7 while Season 2 used Volumes 8-16.
After some time, the author announced a one-month break. The upcoming chapter will focus on Garou and will be a major part of the season. The Monsters Association is causing destruction and the heroes plan to invade their hideout.
The storyline of One Punch Man Season 3: The Epic Saitama vs Garou battle is coming
Still waiting on season 3 of One Punch Man tho pic.twitter.com/9AS8799EU3
— T0L3CNAL (@1L4NC3L0T) August 3, 2021
- OPM Season 3 is expected to feature the Monster Association Arc where the Heroes Association attacks their enemy. The S-Class heroes infiltrate the hideout and engage in individual battles.
- It may then shift the focus to characters like Child Emperor, Atomic Samurai, and Garou, and also introduce new Monsters. We also assume that we may not see much of Genos in this season.
Additionally, Saitama is expected to participate in a secret mission, which could lead to some exciting fight scenes.
Why did One Punch Man Season 2 suck?
Fans have attested multiple reasons as to why the second season sucked.
- The main issue with Season 2 seems to be that things are all over the place. Nothing stays the same. Characters change in weird ways from one picture to the next, and the animation quality jumps between really good and really bad, mostly leaning towards the bad side, all within a single scene.Some pictures look good, others not so much, and there’s no clear reason for it. The colours are also a big problem. It seems like the director wanted a sci-fi space show with lots of bright neon lights. All the colours are too strong, and the contrast is turned up way too much. The neon cyan screen over the tournament area even makes my eyes hurt.
- A pivotal aspect showing the season’s shortcomings is the evident haste in production. Episodes were completed under duress, often perilously close to scheduled airings. This urgency was further compounded by the outsourcing of certain animation components, leading to expressions of discontent from animators in the external studio tasked with delegated segments.Their expressed desire to conclude their work before mandatory submission deadlines underscores the magnitude of the challenges faced. The absence of any consideration on the employers’ part, particularly the failure to institute a hiatus following episode 8, amplifies the already formidable hurdles. In no uncertain terms, Season 2, in its entirety, falls far short of acceptable standards and can only be characterized as an unfortunate spectacle and a season full of calamity.
Everything in Season 2 was done too quickly. Making the episodes was really tough, and they were finished just before they had to be shown. I can’t imagine what episodes 10-12 would have looked like if there hadn’t been a one-week break after episode 8. They had to get help from other animators, and even those animators said they wished they had more time to finish their work. There’s no way to sugarcoat it – Season 2 was a mess and a disaster.
New Characters to Expect in OPM Season 3
1. Blast
Blast holds the S-Class Rank 1 position in the Hero Association and is the second most powerful hero after Saitama. He has an unusual hobby of collecting Mysterious Cubes, which requires him to travel frequently.
2. Garou
Garou is a martial arts prodigy, a self-proclaimed “Hero Hunter,” and a major adversary of both the Hero Association and the Monster Association. He is a former disciple of Bang and now serves as a villain.
3. Black Sperm
Black Sperm is an executive member of the Monster Association and a Dragon-level Mysterious Being.
4. Handsomely Masked Sweet Mask
He holds the A-Class Rank 1 position in the Hero Association and is not only a professional hero but also a famous model, actor, and singer, making him the world’s most popular star.
Will One Punch Man Season 3 be on Netflix?
- One Punch Man 3rd Season is expected to be available for streaming on Crunchyroll, as the second season was exclusively released on that platform. Note that while it is available for most regions in Crunchyroll, depending upon certain regions, one may not have access to One Punch Man as part of their regional Crunchyroll catalogue.
- While the first season and second season are currently on Netflix, Crunchyroll is expected to be the primary platform for the series going forward.
Conclusion
That’s everything to know about when One Punch Man Season 3 is coming out, and whether it will be on Netflix or not. What do you think about it? Do let us know in the comments down below.