Stream It Or Skip It?

Six years after the premiere of its sophomore season, the superhero comedy anime series, One-Punch Man, returns to screens with a third season streaming now on Hulu. Adapted from one of the best-selling manga series of all time, One-Punch Man premiered in 2015 to great acclaim as it told the story of independent superhero Saitama (Makoto Furukawa), who spent three years training so hard that he went bald and ended up with the ability to defeat any opponent with just one punch.

After the show’s production team changed from Madhouse to J.C. Staff for the second season, there were noticeable differences in animation style and other creative decisions that left some viewers disappointed. But will the years spent working towards Season 3 be enough to turn the animation and fans’ opinions of it around, or will the show forever be doomed by the overwhelming shadow of its own successful beginnings?

Opening Shot: We’re jumping straight into the new title sequence and opening theme that features the titular One-Punch Man, Saitama (our beloved Caped Baldy), as well as shots of his main allies and enemies ahead in this latest season.

The Gist: Everyone is licking their wounds and gearing up for a fresh fight in the wake of Season 2’s events. The Hero Association discusses the growing threat of the Monster Association, especially now that they are seemingly allied with Bang’s (Kazuhiro Yamaji) best martial arts student, turned self-proclaimed Hero Hunter, Garou (Hikaru Midorikawa). Their other main concern is to save the son of one of their executives, Narinki (Koichi Soma), from the Monster Association. Hero Association member Sekingar (Yoshihito Sasaki) is chosen to lead a rescue mission, recruiting elite heroes like Terrible Tornado (Aoi Yūki), Child Emperor (Minami Takayama), Pig God (Daisuke Namikawa), Superalloy Blackluster (Satoshi Hino), Atomic Samurai (Kenjiro Tsuda), and Handsome Kamen Amai Mask (Mamoru Miyano) to search for the Monster Association’s hideout.

B-Class top-ranked hero Fubuki (Saori Hayami) wants to take action too, and goes to Saitama’s house to recruit him for her rogue rescue efforts now that her entire Blizzard Bunch crew has been wiped out. After a baffled Fubuki confronts Saitama, King King (Hiroki Yasumoto), Bang, Bang’s older brother Bomb (Shinya Fukumatsu), and S-Class cyborg hero Genos (Kaito Ishikawa), Saitama eventually leaves to track down Garou. Meanwhile, Garou wakes up at the Monster Association, where a higher-up one-eyed monster called Gyoro-Gyoro (Takehito Koyasu) holds court before a crowd of jeering monsters. Gyoro-Gyoro welcomes Garou warmly and offers the Hero Hunter a leadership position amongst the Monster Association under one condition set by the big boss, Monster King Orochi (Atsushi Ono), that Garou must prove he’s a monster by presenting Orochi with the head of a hero.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of?: One-Punch Man is like if you took the superhero aspect of My Hero Academia, then combined it with the supernatural aspects of series like Mob Psycho 100, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, plus the farce and humor of series like The Disastrous Life of Saiki K and Gintama.

Our Take: The first episode of One-Punch Man: Season 3 is essentially a big recap to reintroduce you to our main cast of characters, as well as the rising stakes and drama. As a result, it’s very dialogue-heavy and lacks the series’s usual (or any) exciting action. But hey, it’s been over half a decade since the last episode of Season 2 aired, so it’s honestly understandable that we might need a refresher on who’s who and what’s what.

That being said, some viewers definitely won’t be happy with the lack of action, and some will be even more disappointed about the slightly underwhelming visuals. Since there’s not much going on in the first episode, the characters are quite static, and the scenes mostly consist of panning still images that have seemingly just been lifted and colored straight from the manga. The bright spots are the opening and ending themes, which do include well-animated, vibrant motion that hopefully hint at what’s to come in future episodes of this season.

Ultimately, underwhelming animation or not, true fans of One-Punch Man will likely just be happy that the series is back with fresh content of their favorite series, and that alone should keep them curious and expectant about the season ahead.

Sex and Skin: No sex. The bodies are (mostly) clothed, but the shots of various characters’ muscles (and other anatomical features) in tight-fitting clothes and bandages certainly leave little to the imagination at times.

Parting Shot: Gyoro-Gyoro asks sinister-looking Demon-level threats, Insect God, and King the Ripper, to tail Garou during his Monster Association initiation task of hunting a hero.

A post-credit scene reveals that villainous ninja Speed-o’-Sound Sonic (Yūki Kaji) has joined the Monster Association with the sole goal of using them to defeat his self-proclaimed rival, Saitama, by whatever means necessary… Even if it requires turning into a monster, or getting indigestion in the process.

Sleeper Star: For the first episode, I can’t help but want to shout out Fubuki/Hellish Blizzard (Saori Hayami) as the sleeper star just for dealing with Saitama’s (unintentional?) rage baiting and having to see Bang’s bare old booty in the wake of mourning the loss of her Blizzard Bunch.

Most Pilot-y Line: Saitama discussing Garou’s ultimate offense… daring to ignore him: “On my way home, I heard that he hunted down more heroes. That’s unforgivable. Especially since he hasn’t come for me yet.”

Our Call: Fans of One-Punch Man have waited so long for fresh content that they may as well give Season 3 a shot and STREAM IT. Regardless of animation (although engaging, fluid visuals are definitely preferred), the show’s inherent humor, spirit, and depth are still there in some form and should be enough to keep diehard fans coming back for more (…even when it hurts).

However, for new viewers or those who have lost interest in the series over the years, this season may not be enough to reel you in if the first episode is any indication. But hey, we still are charmed enough by the series to hope that One-Punch Man: Season 3 ultimately proves us wrong and ends up being a total knockout.