The hit manga One-Punch Man, originally created by ONE and later adapted with art by Yusuke Murata, is still ongoing. After a grueling six-year wait, the highly anticipated third season of the anime finally premiered this October.
However, with three episodes now out, fans are up in arms over the alarmingly low animation quality. While some argue it's at least better than Season 2 and avoids a complete meltdown, many are baffled by the current presentation, lamenting that their six-year wait has led to this. The discussion has blown up across international fan communities.
The recently aired third episode (Episode 26 on Ani-One) has drawn particular ire. Beyond the opening sequence, which many likened to a "PowerPoint presentation" with static images simply voiced over, the infamous "Garou slide" — an animation sequence that literally looks like it was made in PowerPoint — has left international fans utterly bewildered. Many are questioning how J.C.STAFF could possibly release something like this, declaring it "unbearable" and expressing immense disappointment that the long-awaited third season could only deliver such a low standard.
▼ Just look at this static image slide... it's genuinely hard to believe this is the kind of animation we're getting for "One-Punch Man."
While Season 2 already drew criticism for its animation quality, Season 3, after a six-year hiatus, seems even worse. Many fans feel the animation team is outright "slacking off," leading to widespread disappointment.
Although the character designs themselves are decent, these animation choices are simply unacceptable for a high-profile, popular series.
This also brings to mind the second season of "BLUE LOCK," which premiered in 2024 and was similarly slammed as "PPT animation." Critics pointed out the excessive use of static images sliding across the screen with no real movement, a completely baffling choice for a sports anime.
It's worth noting that both "One-Punch Man" Season 3 and "BLUE LOCK" are productions by Bandai Namco Filmworks. For "BLUE LOCK," it seemed clear that the budget was saved for the climactic U20 match. Whether "One-Punch Man" Season 3 will follow a similar strategy remains to be seen as future episodes air...