One-Punch Man season 3 has received quite a kicking over recent weeks thanks to its perceived poor animation and lackluster action scenes.
However, acclaimed animator Takashi Hashimoto (who was worked on everything from One Piece to Ghost in the Shell, Dragon Ball, and Neon Genesis Evangelion) penned an impassioned response on Bluesky surrounding the controversy – and points the finger at one section of the fanbase in particular.
"One-Punch Man has received a lot of criticism, and by that I mean from people overseas who are watching illegally," Hashimoto wrote (via machine translation, H/T CBR). "I think the people [in the production] are probably feeling a lot of pain. Everyone agrees that they're not trying to make something poorly done, but they're being criticized for the smallest of details."
Hashimoto continued, "Where should we put our motivation?... Please think about the people who are creating the footage behind the scenes. They're not doing it as volunteers, it's all a job. The more you bully them, the more staff will disappear."
One-Punch Man season 3, meanwhile, continues to chug along, all while receiving new lows on IMDb (remarkably, the latest episode is on a 2.7 rating, a jump from the prior week's 1.4 rating which stands as one of the lowest-rated anime episodes of all time).
Another One Piece staff member also came to animation studio J.C. Staff's aid in recent weeks, a clear sign that industry peers are sticking together to support a production that has been roundly mocked and belittled on social media. After a six-year wait, fans are becoming increasingly vocal in their displeasure, however.
If you're still keeping up week to week, you'll need our One-Punch Man season 3 release schedule. Then dive into our complete guide to new anime, plus an extended look at Jujutsu Kaisen season 3.
