The new season of One Punch Man has not gone as the fans hoped. We're only a little over a month in, and season 3 of the anime is already facing a massive wave of backlash from fans and internet commentators.
Frustrations over the animation and overall quality of the season have reached a boiling point, with episode 6, titled “Motley Heroes,” now standing as the lowest-rated anime episode of all time on IMDb. The record previously belonged to Section 11 of the The Promised Neverland's second season, and while episode 6 initially started with a higher rating, it quickly dropped to an even more abysmal result.
One-Punch Man Season 3 breaks records, just not the ones you'd hope it would
Episode 6 initially had a 3.4 rating after it aired. It's not great by any means, but a little more in line with how other episodes of Season 3 have performed. But things quickly began to spiral and the rating dropped to 2.0 and then 1.6 just a few days later. Episode 11 of The never promised land Season 2 held the record for the lowest rated anime episode with a 2.9 rating.”Motley Heroes” currently sits at a 1.4 based on approximately 19,000 ratings.
Obviously, fans are not happy with the direction the series is going. Prior to the release of episode 6, season 3 had an average IMDb rating of 3.9, which is still terrible compared to the 8.7 average rating for season 1 and the 8.1 average rating for season 2. Season 2 was criticized for its pacing and animation when it aired, but it never received the same backlash that season 3 has. It's clear that there are issues with this past season, and fans are expressing their frustration in any way they can.
The latest episode of the series, “Counterstrike,” isn't doing much better, currently sitting at a 2.5 based on about 5,100 ratings. At this rate, it's possible that one of the final episodes of the season will break the record set by episode 6. Although with almost three times the average rating, there's a good chance that people reviewed the bombshell episode 6 to jump on the hate bandwagon surrounding the new season. So while we may not see any Season 3 episodes earn anything below a 2.0 rating again, it's safe to assume that the rest of the season will continue to deliver abysmal ratings.
Season 3 has been mired in controversy from the start
Things weren't looking good for Season 3 right away. Back in September, fans were already up in arms over a teaser trailer. This led to Season 3 director Shinpei Nagai releasing a statement saying that Season 3 “probably won't measure up to Season 1”, which didn't instill much confidence in an already anxious fanbase. A little over a month later, Nagai left social media due to harassment. Nagai and the rest of the staff responsible for Season 3 have been relentlessly criticized for their work on the anime. While it's fair to criticize someone's work and express your displeasure with how a series is handled, some fans have taken it too far.
Now it feels like One Punch Man anime is dead in the water. Bandai Namco may see it as a profitable series, but the quality of the product, as well as the fan reaction, does not bode well for the franchise going forward. Whether or not the show will get a fourth season remains to be seen, but it's hard to imagine anything happening anytime soon. It was four years between seasons 1 and 2. It took six years to get season 3, and now fans may have to wait even longer if they even get anything at all.
First season of One Punch Man aired during the fall season of 2016. It was animated by Madhouse, starring Shingo Natsume (Sonny Boy, The Tatami Galaxy) direction. Season 1 was praised for its animation and fans appreciated how well it adapted the manga. When JC Staff took over for the second season, fans felt the series was dropping in quality. Season 2 aired in the spring season of 2019, starring Chikara Sakurai (Little Busters!, waiting for the summer) direction. Although not as well received as Season 1, Season 2 never received anything close to the backlash that Season 3 has received.
Fans have openly questioned director Shinpei Nagai's ability to direct the new season, despite his work directing episodes of Psycho-Pass, Gangsta.and Samurai Flamenco. Animators are heavily criticized online, and all talk of the new season seems to be fleeting.
It's unfortunate that fans haven't gotten the product they feel they deserve, and there's obviously something going on behind the scenes that's affecting the production. Season 3 of One Punch Man will likely remain not only the most controversial anime this fall 2025 season, but one of the most polarizing anime in recent years. Hopefully, the series, the fans, and everyone who worked so hard on the current season can look forward to better things in the future.
Source: IMDb
One Punch Man
- Release date
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October 5, 2015
- Network
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YouTube, TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
- Directors
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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
- Author
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Tatsuro Inamoto
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Makoto Furukawa
Saitama (voice)
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Kaito Ishikawa
Genos (voice)
