Why isn’t MAPPA animating One Punch Man Season 3?

The latest announcement of One Punch Man Season 3 has surprised fans: MAPPA is not its animation studio – here’s why.

The wait is finally over for One Punch Man fans, who have been anxiously waiting for any updates about Season 3. The lack of news was quite worrying since the previous season was released back in 2019.

The series made its anime debut in 2015 and was created by studio Madhouse. The second season was the work studio J.C. Staff in 2019. The anime again changed studios for its third season, and this time, the studio was supposed to be MAPPA.

After MAPPA’s controversies in 2023 surrounding Jujutsu Kaisen, many were worried that the upcoming One Punch Man Season 3 would face a similar production meltdown. However, after the latest announcement confirming that J.C. staff will remain in its studio, the rumors about MAPPA involvement have been put to rest.

Why MAPPA isn’t animating One Punch Man Season 3

Netflix

MAPPA was never officially confirmed to the animation studio of One Punch Man Season 3.

The franchise announced its third anime season in August 2022, along with a key visual by character designer Chikashi Kubota. Kubota was the character designer in Season 2 as well when J.C. Staff was working on the series.

Additionally, back in December 2022, the official X/Twitter account of One Punch Man warned fans not to believe misleading information. The account posted: “This account is the only official Twitter account for the anime One Punch Man. Please be careful not to be misled by information from fake accounts or leaked accounts. Publish the right information at the right time. Thank you for your cooperation.”

The post was shared after rumors about MAPPA animating One Punch Man Season 3 were circulating online. Until the latest official announcement by J.C. Staff on February 29, many still believed that MAPPA would work on the project.

The series composition will be done by Tomohiro Suzuki. Chikashi Kubota, Shinjiro Kuroda, and Ryosuke Shirakawa will be the character designers in the upcoming season. In the trailer, Garou takes center stage as the villain prepares to put his immense might to the test. So, if anyone could stop him, it’d be Saitama.

As of yet, the franchise hasn’t revealed the release date of One Punch Man Season 3. However, we should expect an announcement shortly, as it has been a while since the previous season dropped. If all goes well, the series might start airing in 2024.