ONE-PUNCH MAN Season 3 Falls Flat as Episode 6 Tanks with Record Low Rating
One-Punch Man Season 3 has been having a rough ride, and things just took an even harsher turn. Its newest installment, episode six titled “Motley Heroes”, has crashed to a stunning 2.7 out of 10 on IMDb, placing it among the worst rated anime episodes ever logged on the platform.
Fans expected the long awaited return of One-Punch Man to feel triumphant. Instead, frustration is only growing.
While a chunk of the rating dip can be chalked up to one star review bombing, plenty of viewers are giving the episode a low score for reasons they’re happy to spell out.
One reviewer admitted they had a "hard time not falling asleep" as the story crawled forward through the Monster Association arc. The episode spent most of its time rehashing information fans already knew, and that lack of momentum clearly didn’t sit well. Another viewer went even further, calling for the season to be "remade."
The disappointment adds to the concerns that have hovered over the series for years. After a six year wait between seasons, the expectations were massive, and fans haven’t been quiet about their frustration with the animation quality.
Earlier reactions described the episodes as "janky" and "rushed", with many pointing the finger at J.C. Staff, the studio handling animation duties since Season two.
Not everyone is blaming the studio directly. Vincent Chansard, an artist known for his work on One Piece, shared a different perspective during a recent YouTube livestream. Speaking candidly, he said:
"I think a lot of people blame J.C. Staff, but it’s a bit more complex. Sometimes, it’s not about the animation studio; sometimes it's about the production committee that is on top of everything."
It’s just a little reminder that anime production is rarely as simple as one creative team succeeding or failing. There are other things going on behind the scenes. Still, when the end result lands this poorly, fans are going to speak up.
With One-Punch Man continuing its third season through December, there’s still time to turn things around, but the pressure could not be higher. Longtime viewers just want to feel that spark again, the energy and style that made the series iconic in the first place.
Whether the upcoming episodes can steady the course remains to be seen, but right now the community is vocal and restless. It’s a shame what’s happened with this anime and how it went from somehting incredibly to awesome, to what we are seeing in Season 3.