Once incredibly anticipated, One-Punch Man Season 3 is already considered to be one of the worst anime of 2025 by both critics and fans alike. Just six episodes in, Season 3 has received some of the lowest-rated scores of all-time among anime.
While it's possible these ratings may change over time, the general sentiment is that One-Punch Man Season 3 has been a major disappointment with most of the negative feedback geared towards the animation quality.
Unfortunately, a lot of this negative sentiment has not only resulted in harsh criticism, but verbal harassment as well. Fans on social media have been especially critical, leading to Season 3 director Shinepei Nagai deactivating his social medi account.
In light of this harassment, acclaimed animator Takashi Hashimoto has spoken out about the consequences of bullying those who work in the anime industry. Hashimoto -- whose credits include One Piece Film: Red, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, and Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War -- addressed the overwhelming negativity surrounding One-Punch Man Season 3.
In an impassioned plea, Hashimoto's lengthy post urged fans to think about the feelings of those who have worked not just on One-Punch Man Season 3, but the anime industry in general.
"Regarding One-Punch Man, the criticisms -- or rather, the sheer volume of criticism from people watching illegally overseas -- are overwhelming," he wrote. "The production team probably feels a lot of pain because of it. Everyone shares the same feeling: nobody sets out to make a bad product. Yet, we get criticized for the smallest details. Where is our motivation supposed to go?"
"I'll be blunt: in the next few weeks, something we poured our hearts and souls into will be aired. If people call it crap or a ‘paper play’ (limited animation), then so be it, but we pushed ourselves to the very limit," he continued. "Please, think about the creators behind the screen. We aren't doing this as volunteers; this is everyone's job. The more you bully us, the more the staff will disappear. Guaranteed."
ワンパンマン、皆さんと言うか、解くに違法で視聴してる外国の方々からの批判がすごくて。現場は多分かなりこころが痛んでると思います。不出来なものを作ろうとしてないと言う気持ちは皆一緒ででも細かいとこを責められる。我々のやる気ってどこに行ったら良いのでしょうか？はっきり言いますがここ数週間で魂を込めたものが放送されます。それを糞だとか紙芝居だとか言われたら仕方ないですがギリギリまで頑張りましたので、映像の奥の作り手の事を思ってください。ボランティアでやってるわけではなく皆仕事なんですよ。いじめればいじめるほどスタッフは消えていきます。必ず。
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— 橋本敬史 Takashi Hashimoto (@takashihashimoto.bsky.social) November 22, 2025 at 6:08 AM
One-Punch Man Season 3 is animated by J.C. Staff, which also worked on the divisive second season after inherited the series from Madhouse. While Season 2 also faced criticism for its animation quality, there was hope that the extra production time on Season 3 would result in a return to form for the series, which received widespread praise for its inaugural season under Madhouse.
Unfortunately, the same issues that plagued the second season have popped up in Season 3. Shinpei Nagai, who directs Season 3, also addressed the negative feedback and harsh criticism on social media before ultimately deleting his accounts.
"There are a few people among my followers who are pretending to be allies but are actually engaging in rage-baiting," he wrote, "So 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."
"I've always done my best for the fans with the utmost sincerity, but I've concluded that continuing in this environment is untenable for this project," he pleaded. "It's always the genuine fans who suffer the most. I cannot forgive those who tarnish the staff's honor or exploit the creators' struggles for profit through hate. Therefore, I will also be deleting Shimpai Nagai's account entirely. I will not create any accounts in the future either. I cannot overlook actions that degrade the work itself, so I ask for your understanding."
One-Punch Man Season 3 is still airing with new episodes releasing weekly in the United States on Hulu and Disney+.