One-Punch Man Season 3: Anniversary Exhibition, Fan Backlash, and What to Expect from Part 2

2. Season 3 Part 1 (October – December 2025): Major Criticisms & Fan Reactions

Season 3 Part 1 aired 12 episodes from October 12 to December 29, 2025, preceded by a recap special on October 5 . The reaction was overwhelmingly negative, marking a significant low point for the franchise.

• The Central Complaint: Animation Quality. Critics and fans uniformly described the animation as "outdated, tired, and essentially sad" . Action scenes were criticized as stiff, low-budget, and a pale imitation of Season 1's fluid choreography. A widely ridiculed scene of Garou sliding became known as the "Garou Slide," and the season was mockingly referred to as "One-Frame Man" and "One-PNG Man" .
• Pacing and Structure Failures. The premiere episode was a dialogue-heavy recap that set a poor tone. Subsequent episodes were described as "unnecessary exposition dumps" with little narrative progression, especially through the first half of the cour .
• Collapsing Scores. Through the first several episodes, Season 3's average IMDb score dropped to barely above a 3/10, a stark contrast to Season 1, where every episode scored at least 8/10 . Multiple outlets called it "Fall 2025's biggest disappointment" .
• Critical Consensus. Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic recorded largely negative critic scores. One review on Rotten Tomatoes stated the show "continues on the fumes of the first one" . IGN gave the premiere a 60/100, calling it "a classic season premiere slow start" .
• Fan Sentiment. After waiting six years, the fanbase expressed widespread frustration. Many felt that studio J.C. Staff was not given enough time or resources. Despite the announcement of a second cour, a significant portion of the community called for a studio change .

3. Season 3 Part 2: Status, Production Outlook & Broadcast Window

Despite the backlash, the story is not over. Bandai Namco Filmworks confirmed the second cour immediately after the Part 1 finale .

• Official Confirmation & Window: Part 2 is slated for a 2027 broadcast. The window was confirmed immediately after the Part 1 finale on December 28, 2025 . A more specific month or quarter has not yet been announced.
• Production Studio: J.C. Staff remains the production studio for Part 2, despite the severe production issues and widespread calls for a change .
• Updated Key Visual (June 2026): A new key visual was released alongside the opening of the 10th anniversary exhibition. It features Drive Knight and the villainous mastermind Psykos, teasing the deeper conflicts of the Monster Association arc . This visual was also illustrated by Chikashi Kubota.
• Teased Content: Teasers strongly indicate that the second cour will focus on the long-awaited Saitama vs. Garou showdown .
• Production Outlook: The 2027 date provides the studio with roughly a year of additional production time compared to the first cour. However, whether this will result in a meaningful quality improvement remains the central open question. No staff changes or increased episode count details have been confirmed beyond the existing cour structure .