Bandai Namco Filmworks’ anime One-Punch Man Season Three might be steeped in controversy over its apparent laziness in animation quality, but its saga is far from over, as following its initial finale with episode 12, the season’s story will continue in part two, which is set for release in 2027.
This was announced via a teaser on YouTube, with part two picking up after episode 12, “Ultimate Lifeform”, which premiered on 28 December. Much like part one, many of the show’s personnel will return from previous seasons, such as director Shinpei Nagai (Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san), script overseer Tomohiro Suzuki, and character designer Chikashi Kubota, who was joined by Shinjiro Kuroda and Ryōsuke Shirakawa for Season Three.
Alongside the teaser, a new key visual for Part Two was also released on the official One Punch Man social media pages, showcasing the anime’s two major characters, Saitama and Garou. Episode 12 ended on a cliffhanger following the much-anticipated appearance of the Monster King Orochi, signalling that Part Two will likely focus on the battle between Saitama and Orochi.
Despite this, the entirety of Season Three has been met with much criticism from fans, who were largely disappointed in the animation from J.C. STAFF, calling the overuse of simple panning shots without any animation or some characters moving like PNG images lazy, spawning a wave of memes and leading to the season’s humorous nickname, “One-Frame Man”. With J.C. STAFF returning to animate Part Two, only time will tell if it will continue this unfortunate trend, or if the length development time will lead to much-needed improvements to the show’s overall quality.
One-Punch Man Season Three will continue adapting the manga’s Monster Association Arc in 2027, with the season’s official synopsis reading:
Although the Hero Association repels a surprise attack by hero hunter Garou and a surprise attack by the Monster Association, the son of a powerful supporter is taken away. Tatsumaki and other S-class heroes gather to launch a rescue operation, but Narinki, eager to rescue his son, forms his own mercenary unit. Fubuki visits Saitama and proposes a strategy meeting, but Saitama, uninterested, leaves, saying he’ll defeat Garou while he’s out shopping. Meanwhile, Garou, who had been held captive at the Monster Association’s hideout, wakes up.
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