One Punch Man Season 3 breaks unfortunate record after Episode 1 premiere

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Season 3 of One Punch Man has premiered, and after the first episode aired, it unfortunately set a new record for negative reactions, sparking debate among fans about the show’s quality.

The first episode of the One Punch Man anime was incredible. It had fantastic animation, a great mix of comedy and exciting fights, and cleverly played with common anime story elements.

Following the announcement of a second season in 2016, the show’s production was completely revamped. J.C. Staff replaced Madhouse as the animation studio. When it finally premiered in 2019, however, the reception was mixed, as many viewers found fault with the animation quality and the speed at which the story unfolded.

I was so hyped for Season 3, especially with a new director, Shinpei Nagai, taking over. He even had to ask fans to be nicer to the previous studio, J.C. Staff, which was a bit worrying! Now that the first episode is out, though, people are pretty divided on whether it’s good or not – it’s definitely sparking a lot of discussion!

One Punch Man Season 3 recap scores better than Episode 1

Even though a Rotten Tomatoes score isn’t available, viewers are sharing their thoughts on the first episode of One Punch Man Season 3 on IMDb. Surprisingly, it’s currently rated lower than the show’s recap episode.

This is the first time this anime series has received such a low score. The recap episode for Season 2 received a 7.2 out of 10, and the first episode of the season currently has a score of 7.9. In comparison, the Season 3 recap for One Punch Man received a 7.3, but its premiere episode only scored a 6.3.

As a big One Punch Man fan, I was a little bummed to see that Season 3, Episode 1, ‘Strategy Meeting,’ actually has the lowest rating on IMDb of any episode. The OVA, ‘Puri Puri Prisoner and the Escaped Prisoners,’ isn’t much higher, scoring a 6.6. It’s a bit disappointing to see those two at the bottom!

Viewers immediately noticed something unusual: the recap episode for One-Punch Man Season 3 actually received a higher rating than the first official episode. Many fans are now discussing what might have caused this unexpected result.

One commenter believes the team had only about six months to create the episode and desperately needs time to improve the animation quality and overall production.

The animation’s visuals are okay, but it’s disappointing to see how much the quality of the *One-Punch Man* anime has declined.

One viewer said the latest episode was terrible, and many had hoped it would be an improvement over Season 2, but it was actually worse. Another person responded that the problem was simply poor time management.

Despite having plenty of time, the studio ended up working on the project with very little notice. Interestingly, one of the keys to Ufotable’s amazing animation is actually their effective time management, according to sources.

J.C. Staff clearly puts effort into making visually impressive scenes, but their handling of the opening and ending sequences feels like an afterthought. I’m not expecting the incredibly high production value of studios like Ufotable or MAPPA, but a little more care and polish in those areas would be appreciated.

Someone else added that the first episode was really boring, even aside from the animation. They said it took them three tries to get through it, and they thought people who aren’t already fans of Saitama would probably just stop watching.

Some viewers disagree with the negative feedback. One IMDb user praised the season’s beginning, expressing excitement for the upcoming battle with Garou and noting that it closely follows the original manga. They questioned why others were giving it low ratings.

I really admire the artist’s work. I believe this season is shaping up to be the strongest of the three we’ve seen. Let’s give it time and see what they create – it could be something truly special.

The first episode of One Punch Man Season 3 is now available to stream on Hulu in the US, and the second episode will be released on October 19th. While you wait, you can explore new shows on Netflix, check out other TV shows available on streaming services, or see what’s coming in 2025 with our complete TV release calendar.

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2025-10-15 14:19