One Piece Animator Stands Up for One-Punch Man Studio Amid Season 3 Animation Backlash
The artist behind One-Punch Man says the series’ issues run deeper than fans realize.
One-Punch Man is finally back with season 3, and yep, the animation discourse has returned right on schedule. Fans are still grumbling about how it looks post-studio switch, and an animator who actually works in the trenches just weighed in with some context that, frankly, a lot of people need to hear.
What Chansard actually said
Vincent Chansard — an animator with credits on One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Castlevania — defended J.C. Staff during a YouTube livestream with KOL: Requiem, arguing that the situation isn’t as simple as pointing at one studio and yelling. He also pushed back on fans harassing artists online.
"I think a lot of people blame J.C. Staff, but it’s a bit more complex. Sometimes it’s not about the animation studio; sometimes it’s about the production committee that is on top of everything."
"Right now, it’s very difficult for them. J.C. Staff is just a studio that’s trained to survive... the Japanese industry is very difficult."
Translation: schedules, money, and marching orders come from above, and the people you tag on social media usually don’t control any of that. Don’t dogpile animators; it doesn’t fix the problem and it absolutely makes their lives worse.
How we got here (the short version)
- 2015: One-Punch Man season 1 launches under Madhouse and looks incredible. Big hit.
- 2019: Season 2 switches to J.C. Staff. Four years after season 1, the quality drop is obvious to anyone with eyes, and the backlash is loud.
- 2025: After a six-year wait, season 3 premieres on October 12. Fans hoping for a major visual bounce-back don’t see it in the first drop and start complaining all over again.
Why the blame gets messy
Chansard’s point about production committees matters. In Japan, committees of rights holders and financiers steer the ship — budgets, timelines, even staffing. Studios execute within those limits. J.C. Staff has a reputation for reliability and volume, and that survival mindset can clash with fandom expectations for flashy, schedule-blowing sakuga every week. None of this excuses weak shots, but it does explain why yelling at a key animator on Twitter is both misdirected and gross.
So what is season 3 actually covering?
Season 3 continues the Monster Association arc — adapted from the hit manga illustrated by Yusuke Murata (based on the original story by ONE). The Monster Association reaches out to the Hero Association with a pitch about monsters and heroes co-existing. Spoiler: that olive branch is a setup, not a truce.
Where to watch
One-Punch Man season 3 episodes 1–2 are streaming on Crunchyroll now, with new episodes rolling out weekly.