Copyright Polygon
What should have been a time of rejoicing for fans of One-Punch Man has quickly turned into one of the worst periods in the history of the fandom. After six long years, the anime featuring everyone's favorite "hero for hobby" has returned, loaded with significant expectations. While the first season of the anime, produced by Madhouse, was hailed for its technical quality, the following season received backlash for a drop in animation that fans attributed to the new studio in charge, J. C. Staff. All eyes were on season 3, then, when it debuted on Oct. 12, and many fans are unhappy with the result. Even before the season started airing, some fans targeted animator Shinpei Nagai after his name was revealed as the director of season 3. According to these fans, Nagai had no experience to warrant this position, which forced him to write a long post on X, where he presented a more than respectable resume. This unfortunate event was already a sign that a vocal fandom and massive expectations don't often mix well, but things got worse after season 3 debuted on global streaming platforms. Reactions to the first episode were lukewarm but not necessarily toxic, but things got vitriolic after episode 2 aired. In a now-infamous scene that's been turned into memes and GIFs all over the internet, Garou slides down a grassy slope. The character's frames do not change at all, and the static image appears to levitate down the hill without any changes in the grass. Some fans are calling this, along with other scenes, "PowerPoint animation," but their reactions have gone further than that. Spurred by vocal YouTubers, people have been harassing Nagai, leading him to shut down his X account. In a heartfelt post, the animator revealed that the backlash is having a toll on his mental health and on the quality of the work that J. C. Staff is doing, so he decided to distance himself from all of it, while thanking the fans who have been supporting him from the start. You can see the post below, shared by user @faxzrr on X: Overall, this is a very unpleasant development for the series. One-Punch Man is a strange beast in the shonen anime genre: It's an action comedy series with an overpowered main character who is more often than not sidelined, and with an uneven rhythm that alternates between slice-of-life moments and some of the most heart-pounding action you've ever seen. Season 3 definitely started slowly with two quiet episodes, but the drama and stakes are quickly ramping up. Episode 3 will feature an all-out battle between Garou and two powerful members of the Monster Association, which has the potential to silence critics if the animation is of the level expected. Of course, even if the quality of One-Punch Man season 3 ends up being disappointing, that's no reason to harass Nagai or any of the other staff involved in the production. Animators in Japan are often overworked, underpaid, and have to endure brutal schedules to put out an anime season in an unreasonable timeframe. Toxic behavior from fans is more likely to lead to the cancellation of a series rather than to future improvements.
