The new season of One-Punch Man has not been going as fans hoped it would. We're only a little over a month into its run, 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 worst-rated anime episode of all time on IMDb. The record previously belonged to episode 11 of The Promised Neverland's second season, and while episode 6 initially started with a higher rating, it quickly dropped to an even more abysmal score.
One-Punch Man Season 3 is Breaking Records, Just Not The Ones You'd Hope It Would
Episode 6 initially had a score of 3.4 after it aired. That's not great by any means, but a little more in line with how other season 3 episodes have been performing. But things quickly started to spiral, with the rating dropping to 2.0 and then 1.6 only a few days later. Episode 11 of The Promised Neverland season 2 held the record for the worst-rated anime episode with a 2.9 rating."Motley Heroes" currently stands at a 1.4 based on around 19,000 ratings.
Obviously, fans aren't 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 horrible when compared to the 8.7 average rating of season 1 and the 8.1 average rating of season 2. Season 2 was criticized for its pacing and animation when it aired, but it never suffered the same backlash that season 3 has. It's clear that there are issues with the latest season, and fans are voicing their frustrations in any way they can.
The latest episode of the series, "Counterstrike", isn't doing much better, currently standing at a 2.5 based on around 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. Though with nearly three times the average amount of ratings, there's a good chance that people were review bombing episode 6 to jump on the hate train surrounding the new season. So while we might 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 bring in abysmal scores.
Season 3 Has Been Mired in Controversy From the Start
Things weren't looking good for season 3 right off the bat. 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 inspire much confidence in an already anxious fan base. A little over a month later, Nagai left social media due to harassment. Nagai and the rest of the staff in charge of season 3 have been relentlessly criticized for their work on the anime. While it's fair to criticize someone's work and voice your displeasure with how a series is being handled, some fans have been taking it too far.
Now, it feels like the One-Punch Man anime is dead in the water. Bandai Namco might see it as a profitable series, but the quality of the product, as well as fan reaction, doesn't spell anything good for the franchise going forward. Whether or not the series gets a fourth season remains to be seen, but it's tough to imagine something happening any time soon. There was a four-year gap between seasons 1 and 2. It took six years to get season 3, and now, fans might have to wait even longer if they even get anything at all.
The first season of One-Punch Man aired during the fall 2016 season. It was animated by Madhouse, with Shingo Natsume (Sonny Boy, The Tatami Galaxy) directing. Season 1 was praised for its animation, and fans appreciated how well it adapted the manga. When J.C. Staff took over for the second season, fans felt that the series dipped in quality. Season 2 aired during the spring 2019 season, with Chikara Sakurai (Little Busters!, Waiting in the Summer) directing. Though it wasn't as well-received as season 1, season 2 never got anything close to the backlash season 3 has been getting.
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 being heavily criticized online, and all conversations surrounding the new season seem to be volatile.
It's unfortunate that fans haven't gotten the product they think they deserve, and there's obviously something going on behind the scenes that's affecting production. Season 3 of One-Punch Man will likely remain not only the most controversial anime of this fall 2025 season, but one of the most polarizing anime in recent years. Hopefully, the series, fans, and everyone who's worked so hard on the current season can look forward to better things in the future.
Source: IMDb
One-Punch Man
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 5, 2015
- Network
- YouTube, TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
Cast
-
Makoto FurukawaSaitama (voice) -
Kaito IshikawaGenos (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Seasons
- 3
- Studio
- Madhouse, J.C.Staff
- Number of Episodes
- 36
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.49 (Season 1)
