One Punch Man is a popular anime series that revolves around the story of Saitama, a superhero who can defeat any opponent with a single punch and who grew bored from a lack of challenge. The series is based on a webcomic by ONE, which was later adapted into a manga by Yusuke Murata and published by Shueisha. The manga has been serialized in the magazine Young Jump Next since 2012 and has over 140 chapters as of July 2023.
The anime adaptation of One Punch Man is produced by Madhouse for the first season and by J.C.Staff for the second season. The first season aired in Japan from October to December 2015 and in the United States from July to September 2016. The second season aired in Japan from April to July 2019 and in the United States from October to December 2019. Both seasons have 12 episodes each and are available to stream on Hulu, Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Funimation.
Fans of the series have been eagerly waiting for the third season of One Punch Man, which was officially announced on August 18, 2022, almost three years after the second season wrapped its run on the small screen. A key visual featuring Saitama and Garou was released to coincide with the news. But when will One Punch Man Season 3 release? What will be the plot of the new season? Who are the characters and cast members returning for the third season? And is there a trailer for One Punch Man Season 3? Here is everything we know so far about One Punch Man Season 3.
One Punch Man: Season 2 Finale Recap
The finale begins with Garou, the Hero Hunter, engaging in a fierce battle with the S-Class Hero Bang, aka Silver Fang. As the battle rages on, Genos, Saitama’s cyborg disciple joins the battle to assist Bang and avenge the other fallen heroes.
As the intense battle continues, Garou becomes more and more overwhelmed by Bang and Genos’ combined strength. However, in a surprising twist, Garou is saved by Phoenix Man and Centechoro.
Before Elder Centipede could do any more damage, Saitama arrives and kills it with a serious punch. The episode ends with Saitama asking Genos and King if they want to go back to his apartment and play video games.
In a post-credit scene, Garou finally passes out from exhaustion and Phoneix Man plans to take him to Orochi.
Will there be One Punch Man Season 3?
Yes, there will be One Punch Man Season 3. The official website for the One Punch Man TV anime confirmed on August 18, 2022 that a third season of the hit show will be going into production. A key visual drawn by character designer Chikashi Kubota was posted alongside the announcement. The artwork features Saitama and Garou, but it doesn’t offer any teasers of what will actually evolve in the upcoming season.
One Punch Man Season 3 Release Date
On the official Twitter account of the anime adaptation of ONE’s superhero manga One Punch Man, it was announced that a third season of the series is in the works. Fittingly, a first visual has been released, which you can see further down in the article.
The makers of One Punch Man felt compelled to warn against fake news in a statement due to a current rumor.
Towards the beginning of December, the self-proclaimed leaker account Shonenleaks claimed that Studio MAPPA was currently working on the third season of One Punch Man. The studio J.C. Staff and director Chikara Sakurai, who produced the second season, would have been replaced.
So far, however, it has only been officially confirmed that a sequel to “One Punch Man” has been given the green light and that it is a new season. Concrete details about the participants in the production as well as a release date are not yet known.
And also on the Twitter account of One Punch Man it was emphasized that further information will only be announced via one’s own account and that one should not be misled in any other way. At this stage, however, there is nothing new to announce.
However, we expect, Season 3 could release in Japan in late 2023 or early 2024, with an English dub released around six months afterward. However, this is just speculation and may change depending on various factors such as the production schedule, the COVID19 pandemic situation, and the availability of the cast and crew members.
Where Can You Watch One Punch Man?
One Punch Man is available to watch on various streaming platforms such as Hulu, Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Funimation. Hulu has both seasons of One Punch Man with English subtitles and dubbing. Netflix has only the first season of One Punch Man with English subtitles and dubbing. Crunchyroll has both seasons of One Punch Man with English subtitles only. Funimation has both seasons of One Punch Man with English dubbing only.
One Punch Man Season 3 Plot
One Punch Man Season 3 will likely adapt the Monster Association arc from the manga, which is one of the longest and most action-packed arcs in the series. The arc spans from Volume 16 to Volume 23 of the manga and covers chapters 78 to 139.
The Monster Association arc follows the events of Season 2, which mainly revolved around the emergence of Garou the Hero Hunter and the arrival of the Monster Association. At the end of Season 2, Garou was beaten by old man Bang before being snatched away by Phoenix Man to Monster Association HQ. A dragon class monster centipede was then defeated by Saitama.
Based on Season 2’s ending, Season 3 is expected to start its adaptation from Volume 17, Chapter 86. Given that Garou has been taken to Monster Association HQ, it’s possible that he will be invited to join the group or forced to undergo monsterification. Moreover, much-awaited clashes between the Heroes of S-Class and the high-ranking members of the Monster Association might be in the cards. Orochi, the Monster King, is also expected to be Season 3’s big bad.
Some have speculated that Saitama will only have a supporting role in the third season, considering that he only jumped into battle because Monster’s HQ is right under his house. However, fans can still expect some epic moments from the bald hero, such as his encounter with Orochi and his final showdown with Garou.
One Punch Man Season 3 Trailer
There is no official trailer for One Punch Man Season 3 yet. However, fans can watch the key visual that was released along with the announcement of the third season. The key visual shows Saitama and Garou facing each other, hinting at their inevitable confrontation in the new season. The visual also has the tagline “The hunt begins”, which could refer to Garou’s hunt for heroes or the heroes’ hunt for monsters.
It will be interesting to see if Saitama can get into the S-Class Ranking. Will Genos finally get revenge? Will King’s Secrets be exposed? Will Garou return in Season 3? A lot of questions remain unanswered.
One Punch Man Season 3 Visual
One Punch Man Characters, Cast & Anime Staff
I. Characters & Cast
The main characters and cast of One Punch Man are expected to return for the third season. They are:
- Saitama: The protagonist of the series, a bald hero who can defeat any opponent with one punch. He is voiced by Makoto Furukawa in Japanese and Max Mittelman in English.
- Genos: Saitama’s disciple, a cyborg hero who admires Saitama’s strength and seeks to become stronger himself. He is voiced by Kaito Ishikawa in Japanese and Zach Aguilar in English.
- Garou: The main antagonist of the current arc, a former disciple of Bang who turned into a selfproclaimed hero hunter. He seeks to challenge and defeat all heroes in order to prove his superiority. He is voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa in Japanese and Greg Chun in English.
- Bang: A martial arts master and one of the top heroes of the Hero Association. He is Garou’s former teacher and tries to stop him from his rampage. He is voiced by Kazuhiro Yamaji in Japanese and Paul St. Peter in English.
- King: A hero who is considered to be the strongest man on Earth, but is actually a coward who relies on his reputation and luck to survive. He is Saitama’s friend and often plays video games with him. He is voiced by Hiroki Yasumoto in Japanese and Rich Brown in English.
- Fubuki: A psychic hero who leads a group of lowerranked heroes called the Blizzard Group. She is the younger sister of Tatsumaki, one of the most powerful heroes of the Hero Association. She is voiced by Saori Hayami in Japanese and Laura Post in English.
- Tatsumaki: A psychic hero who is ranked second in the Hero Association. She is Fubuki’s older sister and has a haughty personality. She is voiced by Aoi Yuki in Japanese and Tara Sands in English.
Other characters who may appear or have important roles in the third season include:
- Metal Bat: A hero who uses a metal bat as his weapon and becomes stronger as he gets more injured. He is voiced by Wataru Hatano in Japanese and Kyle Hebert in English.
- Suiryu: A martial arts champion who participated in the Super Fight Tournament and fought against Saitama and Garou. He is voiced by Masaya Matsukaze in Japanese and Xander Mobus in English.
- Orochi: The leader of the Monster Association, a mysterious and powerful monster who can transform his body into various shapes and forms. He is voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa in Japanese and Jamieson Price in English.
- Gyoro Gyoro: The second-in-command of the Monster Association, a psychic monster who controls and manipulates other monsters. He is voiced by Youko Hikasa in Japanese and Abby Trott in English.
II. Anime Staff
The anime staff of One Punch Man Season 3 has not been officially announced yet, but it is likely that some of the staff from the previous seasons will return. They are:
- Director: Chikara Sakurai (Season 2), Shingo Natsume (Season 1)
- Series Composition: Tomohiro Suzuki (Season 1 & 2)
- Character Design: Chikashi Kubota (Season 1 & 2)
- Music: Makoto Miyazaki (Season 1 & 2)
- Opening Theme: JAM Project (Season 1 & 2)
- Ending Theme: Makoto Furukawa (Season 1), Saitama CV. Makoto Furukawa, Genos CV. Kaito Ishikawa, Bang CV. Kazuhiro Yamaji, King CV. Hiroki Yasumoto (Season 2)
