One-Punch Man is a beloved action anime released in 2015, and that was known worldwide and gets full marks from anime lovers. The superhero anime series is actually based on a manga series written by the famous manga artist ONE. Madhouse created the first season of the anime, and later it was transferred to another famous Japanese animation studio J.C. Staff. “The Disastrous Life of Saiki K” and “Food Wars!” are also other beloved anime series of the successful studio in recent years. Licensed by Crunchyroll and Viz Media, the anime became available on many online platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and Funimation. After the first season, fans had the opportunity to watch a second season four years later. Now, fans are curious again after the second season aired in 2019. Will there be the One-Punch Man’s third season? We have compiled all the known about the third season of the anime in the continuation of our article. Let’s remember the series first.
What is the plotline of One-Punch Man?
Seemingly ordinary and insignificant, Saitama has a unique curiosity to be a hero. To fulfill his childhood dream, he trains himself for three years non-stop and loses all his hair in the process. Saitama is incredibly powerful, so much so that no enemy can defeat him in battle. Saitama gained this strength by helping a child who was attacked by a monster while looking for a job while he was a normal person.
Genos is a 19-year-old cyborg. This situation changes with his arrival. After seeing what Saitama can do, he wants to be his student. Genos suggests joining the Heroes Association to become certified heroes. Saitama struggles to earn respect, despite defeating very powerful monsters that even a top member of the Heroes Association can defeat. Most people accuse him of being a trickster and fake hero because of his straight physical appearance. Only a small fraction of people are aware of their talent and humility.
Will there be a third season of One-Punch Man?
As of June 20, 2022, at the time of writing, One-Punch Man has not yet been renewed for a third season. Neither J.C.Staff, the animation studio of the second season, nor any related company to the anime has not yet renewed for a third season. In general, it can take years to renew an anime for a new season. The closest example of this was again One-Punch Man’s second season. There are approximately three and a half years between the first and second seasons of the series. While this seems like a long time, we see longer renewal durations in the anime industry. Although there is no official confirmation, it is possible to predict whether the anime will have a new season. Popularity and source material availability are the most critical factors for a renewal. Under some key factors, we will speculate about the third season. Let’s start with the manga status in terms of a new season.
Manga (Source Material)
One Punch Man is adapted from a manga written and illustrated by the famous manga artist ONE, just like Mob Psycho 100. The self-published manga series began published by Shueisha in the magazine Tonari no Young Jump in 2012. The manga series, which has been published in 26 volumes in total, is still ongoing today. The last volume of the manga was released on June 3, 2022. In addition, although it is a little behind, there is an English version of the manga, thanks to Viz Media.
Let’s come to the critical part. Anime was covering the first 7 volumes of the manga in the first season. In the second season, the anime covers up to the beginning of the 17th volume. It is a pity that the anime’s seasons are using a lot of volumes because fans have to wait years for a new season because of this. Anime usually publishes three volumes a year, but only one volume was released in 2020, and it was most probably due to the pandemic.
With the volume released on June 3, 2022, at least 9 volumes can be adapted into a new anime season. And also, the chapters left from the 17th volume and some chapters that are not tankobon format yet are available to adapt. About 10 volumes were adapted in the anime’s second season. From this point of view, it seems that the current source material has just been formed for a new season. Or the creators may need more. However, since the manga series is ongoing, the source material will not be a problem. The only disadvantage here is the extension of the new season preparation period.
Blu-Ray Sales and the popularity of the anime
Disc sales figures also affect new season decisions. It is generally said that the number of discs sold for sequels to anime works should be at least 4,000. In the case of Anime One Punch Man, six volumes of discs were released for the 1st season, and the sales average was 9,158 units. In the anime industry, it is said that when the sales of discs exceed 10,000, it is a big hit, so it can be said that the first season of Anime One Punch Man was so close to perfect sales figures.
Although things went very well in the first season, sales of the 2nd season were only 1,265. Sales have dropped to about 15% compared to the first season. However, considering the sales of the 1st season and decreasing disc sales in recent years, it seems that the possibility of producing the 3rd season of anime One-Punch Man is still quite high. The second season of the series couldn’t manage to get perfect votes from the audience as in the first season. Named Hannah Collins, a CBR author, had investigated the reasons before.
We also know One-Punch Man is important financial revenue for exclusive distributors other than blu-ray sales. The fact that many giant platforms such as Netflix are broadcasting One-Punch Man creates a good chance for a third season. The anime is ranked 4th based on Myanimelist’s popularity ranking, and this rank makes it one of the highest-rating anime of recent years.
One-Punch Man’s original books are also selling well, and the manga has more than 30m in circulation. In addition, the anime has close to 200k followers on Twitter. Generally, if an anime has over 100 thousand followers, it means that it is really popular enough to deserve a new season. Finally, when we look at Google searches, current data shows that anime is one of the most searched anime of recent times. Just like Demon Slayer and Tokyo Revengers… In other words, it is clear that there is no problem in terms of popularity and that a new season is an excellent opportunity for the producers financially.
What about the studio and director of the anime?
The director of the series in the second season, Chikara Sakurai, was most recently cast as a director in Shenmue, a video game’s anime adaptation, and the season was completed. It is not certain whether he will be in charge again in a possible new season of One Punch Man, but the director’s work does not seem to have leaked to the media currently.
The studio is currently working on “The Demon Girl Next Door Season 2” and “Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? IV”, but the studio, which has a multi-production capacity, will not say no to One-Punch Man even in this period since this brand is one of the more valuable work.
When is the release date of season 3?
There is no confirmation for the 3rd season of the anime yet. We examined the third-season possibilities above. After this evaluation, we are pretty sure that there will be a third season of the anime, and there is no apparent risk, but there is no exact date since the lack of official news. We can consider that sufficient source material has just been completed and it may take some serious time to adapt. After the second season, we left behind as much time as the time between the second season and the first season of the anime. This suggests that we may see a renewal in the near future. If there is a confirmation in 2022, we can see a new season in the summer of 2023. Stay tuned for updates; we will update when the new details come.
Is there a released trailer for season 3?
Although we think that the work on it has started, no sharing has been made from the animation studio so far. There are some fan-made trailers available, but they don’t reflect the truth. The series does not have a 3rd season trailer yet released. Once shared, we will pass it on to you. Still, it is possible to see something new. Manga illustrator Yusuke Murata has released an anime short independently of the studio. You can find the “Go! Saitama” 107sc anime short published on his official Twitter account below.
