One-Punch Man Season 3 Is Coming, And It Needs to Do 7 Things to Save the Anime

The first season of One-Punch Man was unlike any other. It turned the typical shōnen series on its head through great fights, hilarious writing, and arguably the most overpowered character in anime. The second season, however, is considered to be a massive let-down. The first season featured the main character, Saitama, in all his glory, while the second focused on less interesting side characters that seemed to slow the anime down. Plus, famed animators Madhouse were replaced by J.C. Staff, which lowered the overall animation quality immensely.

In order for the upcoming third season to reach the heights that the first season did and avoid the problems the second season encountered, there are a few key areas it needs to focus on. With J.C. Staff returning for the third season, some of these solutions may be more possible than others. Hopefully, the third season can be as good as the first and remind everyone of what made One-Punch Man so phenomenal in the first place.

7 Focus on Saitama

He's the Best Part of One-Punch Man

The best reason to watch One-Punch Man is because of the One-Punch Man himself, Saitama. Saitama is an excellent subversion of the normal trope that follows a main character of a shōnen series. Most main characters are always at the forefront of battle, taking on their opponents in devastating fights that cause them to take a ton of damage in the process. Saitama can end any battle in a single punch, throwing the entire genre on its head in the process.

The first season of One-Punch Man was excellent because it was about Saitama and his exploits. It introduced him to the world through clever writing and excellent fights. The second season, however, relegated Saitama to the metaphorical backseat and let side characters like Garou take the main stage. While characters like Genos, Garou, and Bang are all exciting enough, that isn't why most fans watch the series.

People come for Saitama and Saitama alone. He's both the titular character of the series and the main reason One-Punch Man stands out from other superhero-themed anime series. If the third season wants to pick up where the first left off, it'll have to bring Saitama back to the forefront. This may be easier said than done, as manga readers of the series know that Saitama doesn't fight for nearly 100 chapters at certain points in the series, including a large portion of the Monster Association Arc.

6 Get Enough to Adapt from the Manga

Nothing is Worse Than Filler

Luckily, this doesn't seem like it'll be a big issue for J.C. Staff. Filler episodes can be some of the worst and most frustrating in a series. They usually happen when an anime outpaces the manga it's based on, forcing an animation studio to create its own storylines in an attempt to keep up with deadlines. Series like Naruto are notorious for having copious amounts of filler, forcing watchers to create their own lists that detail which episodes should be skipped entirely.

If season 3 is going to be anything like the first season, it will have to avoid filler entirely. Again, this probably won't be an issue considering the sheer number of chapters that are already out in circulation. The manga has over 100 chapters that can still be adapted, and it seems like each season of the show only adapts about 40 chapters of the manga at a time. This leaves room for a comfortable 12-episode run, or a 24-episode run that may catch anime-onlys up to manga readers in a single season.

5 Improve Fight Scenes

One-Punch Man's Fights Fell Off in Season 2

The fights in season two of One-Punch Man just weren't the same as they were in season one. One-Punch Man season 1's best fights didn't just stand out in regards to the series but in the shōnen genre as a whole. Some of the most memorable moments include Saitama's fight with Genos and his fight with Boros. Both fights were animated better than most anime movies, showcasing incredible skills in a variety of unbelievable colors.

The second season of the series took a step back from these awesome fights. While the fights in the season, especially Garou vs. the 8 heroes at once, were great in their choreography, the actual animation itself just wasn't as good as it once was. When Garou is fighting Genos, the colors look plain and still. Compared to Saitama's fight with Genos in the first season, where the animated lightning felt like it was coming off of the screen, this can feel like a pretty big disappointment.

4 Get Back to the Manga's Theme

The Manga Features Massive Set Pieces

One-Punch Man's source material makes the series seem even bigger than it is. Fights are on a massive scale, enemies are always trying to dominate the world or even the galaxy, and Saitama is almost always there to put a stop to their antics in a single punch. If the third season wants to recreate the feeling the first season left people with, it'll have to get back to the manga's theme. Again, this may be easier said than done during the Monster Association Arc as it doesn't feature Saitama as much as it should.

The manga does a great job of portraying the scale the series operates at. The third season of One-Punch Man could greatly benefit from returning to this scale instead of focusing on a single antagonist/anti-hero in Garou. While he's a fairly interesting character with a great fight sequence when he takes on 8 professional heroes at once, he's not why people watch the series. They watch it for Saitama and his ability to dominate opponents in a single punch. If the third season can get back to that, the series will be better for it.

3 Keep Sound Design Quality High

One Punch Man's Sound Quality Has Always Been Solid

Shōnen series aren't always known for their sound design, but it's an easy way for a show to stand out from the rest. Series like Fire Force have some of the best sound design in anime, showcasing their fights with both amazing colors and incredible bass that puts speakers to their limits. Both the first and second seasons of One-Punch Man have pretty good sound design. In the second season, it's easiest to see this auditory magnificence when watching Garou take on his old master, Bang.

Bang punches dozens of times per second, and while that can be hard to portray visually, J.C. Staff did a great job of making his punches sound like someone beating a drum. The sound is nearly tactile in this fight and the series is made all the better for it. Bang sounds like he's quite literally banging on a musical instrument when he's beating Garou down, creating a great auditory experience overall.

2 Get Back to Season One's Animation Quality

Madhouse Created an Incredible Looking Season

One of the biggest differences and issues between the first and second seasons of One-Punch Man was the animation quality. Madhouse is one of the best anime studios in Japan, as seen in the first season of One-Punch Man, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, and the 2011 adaptation of Hunter x Hunter. To say they animated the first season of One-Punch Man well would be a huge understatement. Season one of One-Punch Man was one of the best animated anime ever made. Fights were crisp, characters looked stunning, and the world as a whole felt alive through their animation.

J.C. Staff didn't butcher the second season like some fans online claim, but they certainly didn't animate it to the same standards as Madhouse did in the first season. Fights are much blurrier, characters don't look nearly as sharp, and the overall animation looks a lot worse than it should have. J.C. Staff has experience with popular anime series. They've animated the A Certain Magical Index series, Food Wars!, and even Is It Wrong to Try and Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, three beloved series by their respective fanbases.

If they're able to improve upon the second season's animation quality and bring it back to the high standards set by Madhouse back in the first season, One-Punch Man will be all the better for it. It's not easy to recreate the magic that Madhouse was able to convey in the first season, but that doesn't mean that it's impossible, especially for industry veterans like J.C. Staff.

1 Go Back to the Series' Action Comedy Roots

One-Punch Man is Equally Hilarious and Exciting

One-Punch Man is first and foremost a hilarious series. It has great fights and amazing action set-pieces, but it sets itself apart from the rest through its humor. Nothing is funnier than watching Saitama destroy an otherwise unstoppable enemy with a single punch, or even accidentally hit Speed-O'-Sound Sonic in the groin on multiple occasions. While the tone of the first season was humourous and light-hearted, the third season made the series a bit more serious than it needed to be.

The crux of One-Punch Man is in Saitama's unreasonable ability to destroy everything in a single hit. It's fun to see Garou take on the Hero Association by himself, but One-Punch Man is at its best when Saitama is at the front of the series. He's inherently hilarious by design, making the show feel unique in a genre saturated with similarities. For the third season to take off like the first, it'll have to return to its action-comedy roots once again.