Summary
Save for some of the biggest shōnen anime out there, anime sequels aren’t always easy to get right, hinging on the creative staff involved and the degree of the first season’s success.One Punch ManSeason 1 was a sensation, while Season 2 was overlooked as a downgrade, and even with Season 3 confirmed, fans are still left wondering who will be animating it.
One Punch Manpremiered on June 11, 2025, animated by Madhouse and directed by Shingo Natsume,the director ofSpace Dandywho would go on to makeACCA 13andSonny Boy. In Spring 2019, after much fan anticipation, a second season premiered, this time produced by J.C. Staff (DanMachi) and directed by Chikara Sakurai (Shenmue the Animation).
The Long Wait For Season 3
Fast-forward to August 2022, when the 215th chapter of the manga reveals that a third season has been greenlit. Chisaki Kubota, the chief animation director for most of Season 1 and the character designer for both seasons, even illustrateda gorgeous teaser visual featuring Saitama and Garou. In the time since this teaser, though, there’s been no word about when it is coming or who is making it, save for many, many rumors.
After almost a year and a half, the matter of the studio producing it is of the utmost importance to a fanbase that learned the hard way what a change in creative staff could do for this story. Back at the start of 2023, we examined the legacy of Season 1 and the unique conditions that fostered such fierce creativity among Natsume’s team.
Ultimately, the studio itself wasn’t as important as the assembly of excellent animators from across the industry and the unifying vision of one of the brightest directors in the business. It’s often joked that Season 1 was only a Madhouse production in name, with others saying it would bemore accurate to call it a Studio Bonesproduction given the crossover in talent.
Across the medium in general, anime studios don’t matter as much as fans instinctively think. The production teams for separate projects can be so different and filled with freelance/ specialist animators as it is, butOne Punch Manwas a special case. Anything less than this all-star team would naturally make the sequel a disappointment, and sure enough, Season 2 couldn’t nearly gather the same pool of talent.
That isn’t to suggest that a studio’s reputation is null and void, though. On the contrary, a studio with great in-house talent, a history of efficient scheduling, or simply a knack for leveraging connections to fill the staff list can garnersuch a reputation that the studio kindadoesmatter. It’s for this reason that there are a few names that frequently come up when people discuss the fate of Season 3.
Which Studio Will Make It? (And Could It NOT Be MAPPA?)
Studio MAPPA has become the default guess regarding not onlyOne Punch ManSeason 3 but most major adaptations, and not even because of the studio’s ties to Madhouse. More simply, it’s because of their volume of work year to year and the high-profile status of their biggest shows. It’s either a MAPPA project because it is big or it becomes big because it is a MAPPA project.
Of course, there are pressing reasons why fans would prefer the next season not to go to such a voracious animation house,the working conditions being a huge factor. Although - and this should be stated delicately - MAPPAhasdemonstrated they are capable of allocating the right resources to a series when they know how high fans’ expectations are.Jujutsu KaisenSeason 2’s production was a mess, but the animators who worked on it did a phenomenal job.
MAPPA taking onOne Punch Manwould probably yield a good-looking season, but getting it right without killing their animators would likely mean a delay in other projects. Consider howJujutsu Kaisentook a year off at the same time thatChainsaw Man’s first season debuted, a correlation not unsupported by the crossover in their creative staff. As it stands, the delegation of time between those two properties already has fans none too pleased.
As aforementioned, another frequent wish among fans is for Studio Bones to take onOne Punch Man. The studio behindFullmetal AlchemistandMy Hero Academiahas already tackled another ofOne Punch Manauthor ONE’s works to great success,that beingMob Psycho 100. It might seem like the cop-out answer to suggest that because Yuzuru Tachikawa knocked one series out of the park, they should do another, but admittedly, it is pretty perfect.
As of the time of writing, Tachikawa doesn’t appear to be attached to any series currently. However, even if it wasn’t Tachikawa and theMob Psychoteam working onOne Punch Man, Bones could still muster up quite the team. Of their five studios, Studio C exclusively makesMy Hero Academia, D has been dedicated toBungo Stray Dogs, and E animated this season’sMetallic Rouge. That leaves Studios A and B, the latter of which madeMob Psycho.
Next on the list of potential studios is the one that, to some, must feel like the obvious one: just give it to Madhouse again. Sure, people say that the first wasn’t truly a Madhouse show, and their identity has changed over the years, butifFrieren: Beyond Journey’s Endhas proven anything, they can still make exceptional TV anime.
As a bonus, Shingo Natsume is still a frequent director at Madhouse, and three of the four shows he’s directed sinceOne Punch Manwere at that studio. It would be such a strange twist of fate to see him return to the anime adaptation he started, with everything he’s learned in the years since. Yet, that’s far from the craziest idea about who could and should make Season 3.
Give The Manga Artist The Resources To Do It Himself
Anyone who has followedOne Punch Man’s manga, specifically manga artist Yusuke Murata, knows that he’s not simply a great illustrator, but a solid animator. Back in 2021, he, along with the staff at Village Studio, created a silent animated shortshowing Saitama racing through the cityto get to the supermarket for a sale.
Just recently, Murata went to Twitter/X to showcase the complete pilot film for an original anime calledZaiyuki, an absolutely bonkers short film that amazes even without sound effects/music. Needless to say, after this recent viral reminder of Murata’s animation chops, the idea of him creating the third season is mighty enticing, even if it is the most wishful of wishful thinking.
Village Studio seems like a very small and very new team, andMurata is still actively working onOne Punch Man. This idea is more of a pipe dream, but if anything, the unadulterated glee of Murata’s animations illustrates how overdue this fanbase is for a third season of this man’s work. Whatever the case, it will take a strong director and an even more passionate team to make it worth the wait.
