A decade after his glorious debut, Saitama is ready to release another fist in the new season of One Punch Man. But … was it worth waiting?
The success impossible to replicate
Now, in full 2025, A punch Return with a third season that seems more like a Urban legend has made reality that a real launch. But after an absurd wait as the strength of its protagonist, the great question is inevitable: Why did it take this new season so much time to arrive?
The first season was not just good, it was Revolutionary. Under the direction of SHINGO NATSUM And thanks to a team of freelance animators, many come from their previous work Space dandyA spectacular visual style has been reached. It was not a typical project of Asylumeven if the study has put the name. As the characters’ designer explained Chikashi KubotaThe team was not even from the house: “Most were freelanceThey simply used the study desks. “
This has changed everything. When Natsume left, his network of talents brought with him. Madhouse did not know how to replicate a job It never belonged at all. And with the manufacturer Masio Maruyama After founding MAP In 2011, the system that allowed that first jewel has almost completely disappeared.
The problems of season 2
With Natsume outside the equation, the project fell into the hands of JC staff. A respectable study, yes, with successes like Food wars or Toradorabut that I had never faced the technical needs of A punch. The result: A season 2 that has disappointed from the first episode.
Fluid animations and hand designed funds have disappeared. The fights, before the spectacular, were reduced to fixed plans. The sound effects have also lost strength. The frustration was such that, in an agreement in Dallas in 2019, Natsume confessed it “I would have liked to do the second season, but they didn’t allow me“.
JC’s staff received harsh criticisms for the decline of quality. And six years later, the memory of that season still weighs like a slab. Although the manufacturer Atsushi Fujishir In March 2025 he assured that they are working so that the third season “does not disappoint”, the promises Do not encourage a fan base that has already lost faith once.
Reborn or last sigh?
The production of season 3 was not exactly encouraging. In December 2024, an alleged trailer proved to be alone A promotional video made by a single personthe animator Kazunori Ozawa. When he confirmed that he is “the only director of animation”, the networks exploded. Fans baptized him as “a PowerPoint presentation”.
The pressure became so intense that several animators began to declare Lack of motivation for the treatment received. And finally, Yusuke MurataThe manga artist continues to rewrite and redesign his chapters without rest. Recently he announced another break until July 2025, after having redone the arch of the city of Ninja for the third time.
This Obsessive perfection Murata further complicates things: the basic material changes constantly, which can make study efforts useless if they are adapting a version that is therefore excluded.
The ghost of the first season and the shadow of other failures
The return of A punch It occurs at a time when fandom anime has seen how sequels likes Dragon Ball GT or Boruto They were accused of betraying the original spirit of their works. The question floating now is: Will it be the same in Saitama?
The saddest thing is that SHINGO NATSUM It is still available. Continue to believe it A punch It is a universe that is worth it. But while the studies continue to think that a large series is made with money and not with talent, it is likely that what we receive is closer to a powerpoint file than an animated jewel.
Even so, hope is the last thing that is lost. I could JC staff You learned the lesson. The third season could surprise everyone and return to A punch The throne deserves. But after a long wait and such a robust production story, The best way to honor a mythical series … perhaps it would have been to let it rest with dignity.
