Well, it's officially May, and J.C. Staff has wasted no time in sharing new visuals for One-Punch Man Season 3. Keeping to its tradition of sharing new illustrations at the beginning of each month, the start of May marks the arrival of two new monster visuals.
First, we have an original drawing of Nyaan, the cat-like humanoid best known for his speed, agility, and sadistic personality. Introduced as a high-ranking member of the Monster Association, with a Dragon-level threat rating, Nyaan makes easy work of weaker heroes, often cruelly toying with them before he kills them. This image was illustrated by Season 3 character designer Ryosuke Shirakawa.
A second illustration was also released, focusing on Overgrown Pochi, the gigantic, dog-like monster who acts as a loyal pet to Monster Association executives. This illustration was drawn by Season 3 character designer Shinjiro Kuroda.
J.C. Staff launched its Monster-focused visual project last month following its Hero Visual Project, which ran for several months prior. Last month, we got illustrations for Monster King Orochi, also illustrated by Ryosuke Shirakawa, and Gyoro-Gyoro, illustrated by Kuroda.
The launch of the Monster Visual Project was met with a bit of disappointment from fans who are still hoping to see a proper trailer for One-Punch Man Season 3. Aside from the original announcement trailer and a disappointing character-focused promo video that featured lackluster visuals, we haven't seen much for the upcoming season of One-Punch Man. Coming off a disappointing second season, fans are understandably anxious.
The One-Punch Man anime series first debuted in 2015. Produced by Madhouse, it was met with critical acclaim, receiving praise for its animation, humor, characters, and overall uniqueness. Season 2, which came years later in 2019, was seen as a downgrade. Produced by J.C. Staff, a rushed production schedule was blamed for the drop in quality of animation. While the second season was still praised for its characters and story, the overall direction and pacing of the episodes were criticized.
This brings us to Season 3. Despite Season 2's critiques, there's still a lot of excitement surrounding the One-Punch Man franchise, which makes the lack of promotional material or major announcements, such as a premiere date, all the more disappointing.
One-Punch Man Season 3 has only been confirmed for an October release window, but an exact premiere date has not yet been announced.