One-Punch Man Season 3 Finds Surprise Streaming Success Amid Major Anime Controversy
One-Punch Man‘s long-awaited third season premiered earlier this month to disastrous reviews, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a streaming hit. The series is currently dominating the charts around the world.
FlixPatrol recently reported that the hype around One-Punch Man‘s new episodes helped the show ascend to #7 on Netflix’s Global Top 10 TV Shows chart, making it the only animated series on the list. The series has a current average ranking of 3.9 and holds the top chart spot in 6 countries around the world (Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives and Peru). In its native Japan, the series reached #1 on Oct. 21, but fell to #3 the day after. The third season of the series is streaming on Hulu in the United States and Disney+ in Canada, while it airs on Netflix in Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. Crunchyroll streams the new season in Europe and the Middle East.
One-Punch Man Season 3 Gets Slammed By Fans – But They’re Still Tuning In
The first season of One-Punch Man aired all the way back in 2015, with a second season following in 2019. A decade after making its debut and over five years since fans were treated to new episodes, the third season finally landed on Oct. 12. Unfortunately for many fans, the wait may not have been worth it. The season premiere episode, “Strategy Meeting,” was slammed by fans and critics, with many calling it out for its flat animation and aimless story.
Things worsened for One-Punch Man‘s controversial third season earlier this week, when Shinpei Nagai, the director of the new episodes, deleted his social media account following the divisive fan reviews. “There are a few people among my followers who are pretending to be allies but are actually engaging in rage-baiting,” he wrote, explaining his decision to leave social media. “I’ve decided to delete my account. Their actions, such as taking my statements out of context, trying to elicit comments that violate NDAs, or turning them into profit, are unacceptable and cannot be overlooked.”
It appeared as though even the director knew the writing was on the wall for One-Punch Man‘s new season. Before new episodes even began airing, the director had posted a message stating his belief that it wouldn’t measure up to Season 1 of the acclaimed anime series. “It might not please you or could even make you angry. But someone has to take it on,” he wrote. “I am determined and ready to do so. It probably won’t measure up to Season 1. But the anime is infused with the creators’ tenacity and ingenuity. Please, at the very least, accept that.”
To date, two episodes of One-Punch Man Season 3 have currently aired, and a third is scheduled for Oct. 26. An exact episode count has not been announced, but both of the previous seasons ran for 12 episodes, and it’s likely the third will follow suit. It remains to be seen if the series can redeem itself as the third season continues (and if fans will find it worthwhile to keep tuning in).
One-Punch Man Season 3 is now streaming on Hulu in the United States.
