One happened to "One Punch Man"? Will the popular anime series make its return?
Image: "One Punch Man" Manga chapter 1; art by Yusuke Murata.
One Punch man quickly became the talk of the growing anime community with its intense animation, witty characters, and fresh twist on the superhero concept. The story follows Saitama, a young man who always aspired to be a hero. Otherwise ordinary, through vigorous training Saitama becomes an incredibly powerful hero. So powerful that he can beat his enemies with just one punch in battle. Finally fulfilling his childhood dreams he runs into a problem he could never expect-being a hero isn't fun when you can so easily beat everyone.
Overwhelmed with boredom, things change quickly when Saitama meets Genos. Genos is a 19-year-old cyborg highly impressed by Saitama and yearning to be his disciple. Genos leads Saitama to the Hero Association where we viewers get to see the beginning of an excellent anime adventure.
The series leaves us in a bit of a odd ending point. Adapting directly from its manga counterpart, the concluding episode "Cleaning up the Disciple's Mess" focuses on the resurgence of Elder Centipede. The creature interrupts a quarrel between characters Bang and Garou. The creature is able to take out each person on the battlefield until Saitama shows up to face off with the formidable beast. Yet still, Saitama essentially splits Elder Centipede in half with a single punch; leaving his disciple Genos in further admiration.
There is an interesting element in the midst of all of this, character Garou being whisked away by the Monster Association. Garou spends much of the season leading up to all of this defining himself as a "Human Monster" and there are some foreshadowing elements that suggest the Monster Association may make this identity a reality. And then....roll the end credits, with no "next time on" preview clip attached might I add.
So, lets get right into the biggest question here. Will there be a season 3 of "One Punch Man"? The short answer is, maybe. While season 3 has not yet been confirmed, there has also been no confirmation of discontinuing the series. This is clear in a tweet from the One Punch Man twitter account. In the tweet, they thank viewers for watching season 2 and asked for fan support so that a season 3 could soon begin production. So while there is hope, fans will have to be supportive and patient especially with the way this pandemic has complicated all things.
Image: One Punch Man manga issue 18; art by Yusuke Murata.
It is important to note that, no matter how promising, the anime adaptation would likely not release for some time. According to the awesomeone.com, it is unlikely that the anime series will be back before Summer of 2022. A long time to wait for sure, but the manga is still releasing and boy is the content promising for the future of the anime. Reading manga panels can be tricky and confusing to get the hang of but if you're dying to stay up to date with your favorite anime there is simply no better way."One Punch Man" for example left off its anime adaptation on issues 83 and 84 of the manga. Since then, there have been several issues added (currently up to issue 153!) with weekly issues dropping consistently.
Image: One Punch Man manga 16; art by Yusuke Murata.
Finding manga panels can be incredibly challenging when you're new to the market, here are some of the ways we get manga panels. The most traditional style of manga consumption is to actually order weekly additions of the ShoneJump Manga. This is the preferred method amongst collectors and hard back readers alike. There are plenty of shops that you can source your manga from, the one we use here is Viz.com. This site is really easy to use and can help keep you up to date with all your favorite anime and manga content for an affordable price! Of course in the age of technology there are other choices for those not interested in collectors items. If you just want to enjoy the manga and save a few bucks, there is a growing supply of manga scan websites like this one, https://onepunch-manga.com. With sources like these you can stay up to date with most any manga for free with a simple google search, though be sure to thoroughly check the validity and security of each link.
So, in short, it is important that the fans of One Punch Man stay optimistic, hopeful, and loyal to the One Punch brand as we wait for new updates on Season 3 of the animated series. Until then, consider some of the many other anime that are up and coming on streaming sites like Crunchyroll or Funimation. Maybe even get started catching up on your reading of One Punch Man, reading the manga will only increase your excitement for the anime as we work to keep you up to date on this developing story!