<em>One-Punch Man</em> once stood out as one of the best modern action anime. It was known for its sharp humor, intense animation, and clever deconstruction of typical tropes. However, the series has not aged as gracefully as many fans had hoped, with a sharp drop in quality beginning from Season Two and becoming unmistakably noticeable in its third season.

As criticism of the series grew more widespread, discussions shifted to why it experienced such a sharp drop in quality. Now, a respected animator with experience in highly acclaimed titles has offered anime fans an answer to why One-Punch Man has fallen so far from its initial reception.

Key Insights on One-Punch Man Season 3’s Decline

• Quality Drop: The animation quality of One-Punch Man significantly declined starting from Season Two.
• Animator’s Insight: A respected animator highlighted scheduling issues as a core problem affecting the series.
• Production Challenges: Tight deadlines hindered the ability of animators to deliver high-quality work.
• Fan Disappointment: The third season has become the lowest-rated installment in the franchise.

One-Punch Man Season 3 has quickly become known as the franchise’s lowest-rated installment. While it was once celebrated for its execution and unique storyline, the series now finds itself at the center of widespread criticism, fueled by audiences’ disappointment with its animation quality and pacing.

As frustration grew, an unexpected perspective came from a respected animator who had worked on Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, and Vinland Saga. On X/Twitter, Evakoi responded to One-Punch Man’s third season, pointing toward deeper issues that have nothing to do with individual talent.

“…there is a core problem—the schedule is very bad. Most of [the] people I see who worked on that season are not bad animators, they are just forced to struggle against very tight deadlines.

If you get some genius artist like Davinci and ask him to draw Mona Lisa in 15 minutes, he, surprisingly, won’t be able to draw Mona Lisa.”

The comparison Evakoi provides completely reframes much of the criticism surrounding the third season. The issue has nothing to do with a lack of skill or effort but is the result of a production timeline that offers no space or time to allow the series to deliver high-quality animation. Regardless of the talents involved, One-Punch Man was doomed by poor scheduling.

One-Punch Man Would Have Excelled With More Careful Planning

The first season of One-Punch Man set a high bar for the franchise, earning the series a strong, worldwide fan base. However, as the series progresses, its momentum and quality falter, with drops in animation that became so severe that by the third season’s finale, One-Punch Man’s rating had fallen to an average of 3.7 for the season.

“You often see ambitious scenes that are done poorly because there is some talent involved in the show. But scenes need to go through sakkan, genga, genga sakkan, douga, shiage, satusei before actually making it to the screen. It is [a] very difficult job to make all of those in a short time, but it would’ve been impossible without this organized system to make even anything in [a] tight schedule.”

Evakoi’s insight on social media targeted the fact that animation must go through multiple stages before it is aired. When this is paired with a tight production schedule, it leaves no room for even the most talented animators to create a stunning final output. When under a rushed timeline, there is only so much the animators can do.

Had One-Punch Man been given a reasonable allotted timeframe, it’s likely the third season could have emerged as the installment that reignited fan interest around the world. Instead, it fell through the cracks, becoming a reminder of how popular anime series could experience a sharp drop in viewership and ratings due to rushed production schedules.