One-Punch Man S3 Is Officially Anime's Biggest Letdown

 

🤬 Bro, I'm Done. One-Punch Man S3 Is Officially Anime's Biggest Letdown.

Okay, deep breaths everyone. It's been six episodes, and I’m officially calling it: This season of One-Punch Man is a disaster.

I'm a hardcore fan, which means I’m now suffering from a severe case of cognitive dissonance. I should drop it, but I can't. So, I’ve decided to turn this pain into content. I'm going to torture myself through the rest of this season, and I'm dragging all of you who feel the same right along with me.

Seriously, if you haven't yet, stop watching and go read the manga right now. You deserve better.

📉 Episode 6 Made History (The Worst Kind)

We all saw the news, right? Episode 6 has officially clocked in as one of the lowest-rated anime episodes ever recorded. Like, history-making bad.

And why? Because we reached the point of no return. The episode was a marathon of stationary talking heads, bizarre directorial choices, and moments that were supposed to be building tension but just felt like budget-saving filler.

It’s not just a drop in quality; it’s a failure to respect the source material on every level.

🔪 The Studio's Sins: Where the Wheels Fell Off

We have to talk about the specifics, because this is where the betrayal cuts deepest.

1. That Garou "Meme" Slide: The PNG Tragedy

Let's talk about the infamous Garou slide. I'm still mad about this.

For a character who is supposed to be the embodiment of fluid martial arts, they turned his epic downhill landing into a cheap, computer-generated JPEG slide. It literally looked like they took a high-res PNG of Garou and dragged it down the screen—a total "window sliding" animation that should make any animator weep.

But here’s the real kicker, the thing that shows how little respect the studio has for the main narrative: side characters in the exact same sequence got better animation! It’s obvious they prioritized the lesser characters or added Garou in as an afterthought, using the laziest effect possible. It wasn't just bad; it was a transparent sign of neglect. The Hero Hunter reduced to a digital sticker.

2. Royal Ripper's Involuntary Gender Swap (Wait, What?)

Okay, forget minor continuity errors. We need to talk about Royal Ripper. He's a clearly established male monster in the manga, and yet, during his fight with Garou in Episode 3, he was animated in several shots with obvious, full-on breasts.

Seriously, how did a man grow boobs mid-fight?

This wasn't an intentional redesign; this was a glaring, unforgivable failure in the quality control chain. The prevailing theory is that an outsourced freelancer, unfamiliar with the source material, saw his long hair and tattered outfit and assumed he was female. But that is no excuse. Did the animation director not look at the final footage? Did the episode director just sign off on a character suddenly changing gender? This kind of mistake, visible and distracting, proves the production was so severely rushed and under-managed that massive, character-defining errors were simply aired rather than fixed. It's an insult to the art of animation.

😡 The Blame Game: Who's the Real Villain?

Alright, let's talk about the real villains here, because it's not just the animators. The studio handling this season is J.C. Staff, and while they're the ones who delivered the final product, the ultimate blame lands on the greedy Production Committee, particularly the core IP holders like Bandai Namco Filmworks and Shueisha (the manga publisher).

Think about it: This is the legendary Monster Association Arc! It's the biggest, most complex, and most action-packed stretch of the entire story. It needed a Season 1-level effort years of planning, massive budget, and the best talent in the business.

Instead, what did the committee do?

The Production Committee controls the budget and scheduling. They reportedly LOW-BALLED the budget and then RUSHED J.C. Staff into production with an impossible schedule (we're talking maybe 6-8 months for a show that needed two years!). J.C. Staff, while taking on too much work, is a service provider forced to operate under these constraints.

The committee had a golden ticket, and they shredded it to save a few pennies. It’s a total betrayal of the source material and all of us hardcore fans.

🤝 Join My Torture: The Road Ahead

I’m in too deep. I have to see how far this train can fall.

My promise to you, my fellow fans, is this: I will be reviewing every single remaining episode of Season 3, and I will not be kind.

I’ll be calling out every still frame, every awkward CG monster, and every failed comedic beat.

If you’re watching, pour yourself a drink. If you’re reading the manga, send me strength. Let the despair flow!

Next up: Episode 7. We'll see if the 'Motley Heroes' can at least move this time.