Published Jun 3, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT
Joshua Edward Ryan Fox is a freelance writer for Screen Rant with a passion for pop culture. Joshua grew up in Connecticut where he developed an appreciation for writing and entertainment and has earned a Master's degree in professional writing and technical writing. His writing has been quoted by both the anime streaming site Crunchyroll and the anime YouTuber Gigguk.
One-Punch Man season 3 was probably the worst anime of 2025, but that didn’t stop it from becoming a massive success. Following the largely subpar second season and the third season’s disastrous ad campaign, there was little reason to be optimistic about One-Punch Man season 3, and sure enough, the finished product was filled with some of the ugliest and laziest art and animation in modern anime, and it was to the point that it was a miracle just for the series to look passable at times.
As much as One-Punch Man season 3 was a victim of poor circumstances, that doesn’t make it any less disappointing, but it might not have been the failure people think it was. Bandai Namco, the main production company for One-Punch Man, recently published a report on its fiscal earnings for 2025, and, surprisingly, One-Punch Man was highlighted as having strong performance in global rollouts. With how universally hated One-Punch Man season 3 was, it might be surprising that it wasn’t a flop, but it might make more sense than people think.
Why One-Punch Man Season 3 Was A Success, Despite The Controversy
One-Punch Man season 3 was an abject failure in terms of art, animation, and even writing, yet it makes perfect sense why Bandai Namco would call it a success. Between the massive success of the first season and the manga selling over 30 million books worldwide, One-Punch Man is one of the biggest anime franchises of the decade, so even if it puts out some bad content now and then, people will still get invested in it simply because of the prestige One-Punch Man’s name carries, which is likely what happened with season 3.
Season 3 being so bad probably played a part in its success, as well. While bad anime are hardly a rarity, not only was One-Punch Man season 3 bad even by those standards, but seeing how far it had fallen from season 1, and even season 2, made it the kind of terrible show people tune into just to see how much lower it can go. Countless people complained about One-Punch Man season 3 every week, but that, ironically, might have made it a surprise hit of the year.
What One-Punch Man Season 3’s Success Means For The Anime’s Future
Against all odds, One-Punch Man season 3 was a success, and it’s unclear what that could mean for the anime going forward. Ideally, the anime’s success would mean an improved production that gives the staff more time and resources, and the year-long break for the second half of One-Punch Man season 3 could be leading to that. On the other hand, season 3 finding success in such poor circumstances could mean that Bandai Namco won’t see the need to invest more resources into the production, and that, if anything, could make things even worse, even if the anime remains profitable.
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There’s no telling how One-Punch Man’s future will play out, and while things could certainly improve, it would be shortsighted to assume that they will simply because season 3 was more successful than its reputation would suggest. While the financial side of things might be okay, One-Punch Man’s future as far as fans and critics are concerned is still up in the air, but hopefully, things will become clearer when the anime returns in 2027.
Release Date October 5, 2015
Network YouTube, TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
Directors Shinichiro Ushijima, Makoto Sokuza, Nobuhiro Muto, Ryoh Ando, Shuuji Miyazaki, Youhei Suzuki, Miyuki Ishida, Katsushi Sakurabi, Hideki Okamoto, Yoshio Suzuki, Hiroyuki Okuno, Riki Fukushima, Shigeki Awai
Writers Tatsuro Inamoto
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Makoto Furukawa
Saitama (voice)
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Kaito Ishikawa
Genos (voice)
English (US) ·