One-Punch Man Season 3 Release Date Revealed After 6 Years — Fans Say The Animation Already Looks Off
One-Punch Man season 3 finally has a release date after six years in limbo, but fans aren’t exactly celebrating. Instead of hype, the announcement triggered a wave of complaints that the animation looks underwhelming for such a long-awaited return.
One-Punch Man is finally stepping back into the ring. It has been six years since Saitama last slapped a bad guy into tomorrow, and the anime world has basically lived a whole life in the meantime. The good news: we have a date. The weird news: fans are already side-eyeing the animation.
The date: One-Punch Man season 3 lands October 5
Season 3 premieres October 5. To go with the announcement, a short 15-second commercial went live on September 3, 2025, teasing material from the first two episodes.
About that new clip...
The ad has people worried. The J.C. Staff production looks oddly stiff for a show that has been off the air for half a decade. You can see why fans are picking at it: the shots read more like animated panels than moving scenes.
'The manga might unironically move more.'
That is the general vibe online. Others argued that even with zero motion in the clips, some viewers will convince themselves the production is fine, while a chunk of the fanbase flat-out called the footage mid and said it looks worse than season 2. The studio is taking most of the heat here. Madhouse handled the universally praised first season; J.C. Staff took over in season 2, and a lot of fans feel the animation quality has slid since that handoff. Calls to 'just bring back Madhouse' are not exactly subtle.
What season 3 is actually adapting
This batch covers the Monster Association arc. Expect more of Saitama being absurdly overpowered and terminally bored while the hero world around him spirals into bigger, messier fights.
Meanwhile, here is what changed during those six years off
- Demon Slayer churned out four seasons
- Attack on Titan finally ended
- A new wave of shonen hit big, including Solo Leveling and Chainsaw Man
The bigger picture
One-Punch Man is rejoining a packed fall season, and the shonen conveyor belt is not slowing down. Looking ahead, Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 is on the books for 2026.
Bottom line: October 5 is locked, the Monster Association arc is coming, and the conversation right now is less about story and more about whether the animation will actually move. Maybe the full episodes will hit harder than a 15-second tease. They need to.