One-Punch Man has soared above its competitors in an online poll for the unfortunate title of the most negative fanbase in anime.

A recent post from UberFacts on Twitter revealed a graph that quantified the highest amount of negative words used in fandoms on the platform. The superhero series stood tall in the anime category, with 174 negative words in every 1000 words spoken about the series. Despite its critical and commercial success, this statistic placed it above many other shows as the most negative fanbase in anime.

The explosive popularity of the anime's first season in 2015 quickly put it on par with the likes of Attack on Titan and Death Note regarding mainstream popularity. However, the show's long-awaited second season -- which arrived in 2019 -- saw a steep decline in its reception. The switch in animation studios, from Madhouse for season 1 to J.C. Staff for season 2, is one of the reasons believed to have caused the decrease in its popularity. The lackluster image quality and pacing disappointed many series fans in the show's second installment.

Other Anime Wth 'Negative' Fandoms

The graph features many other popular anime, with Death Note and One Piece falling just shy behind the series, hitting 172 negative words spoken. Demon Slayer and Fullmetal Alchemist are tucked behind, both sitting on an even 170 negative words. More anime appeared throughout, with Dragon Ball Z on 165, Attack on Titan on 160, My Hero Academia on 157, and Neon Genesis Evangelion on 156. Readers can find Cowboy Bebop, Bleach and Elfen Lied below them.

Anime wasn't the only category that saw some backlash within their communities, as video gaming saw poor showings for titles like Call of Duty, Mortal Kombat, and Sonic The Hedgehog. The movie franchises taking a hit included Transformers, The Twilight Saga, and Star Trek. However, the fandom that sat far atop the list with its negativity was Rihanna fans, with 186 negative words spoken.

One-Punch Man is an action comedy series based on the manga written by One. It tells the story of a hero named Saitama, who wins every fight he takes part in with one punch. While that sounds great, it acts as a huge problem for the hero, as he is forced to succumb to the overwhelming boredom of being overpowered in a world where power is everything. A host of characters, such as heroes like Genos, Bang, Metal Knight and Tornado, soon join him on his adventures.

The show's third season was confirmed to be in production in August 2022, with no clear release date yet. Rumors swirled that Mappa would take over for the third outing in between their work on multiple shows such as Attack on Titan: Final Season, Vinland Saga and Jujutsu Kaisen. However, this has yet to be officially confirmed.

Source: Twitter

Some recent developments have caught the fans of One-Punch Man off-guard. The series has just moved on from its epic "Monster Association" arc, so fans can still feel some leftover adrenaline from the action-packed matches. Even though the franchise has already introduced the series' next big evil organization in the form of Tsukuyomi, it also seems to be laying the foundation for a love triangle between Saitama and the Psychic Sisters Blizzard and Tornado -- and Saitama and Tornado's relationship is having some interesting developments in Chapter 177.

After learning that Tsukuyomi is on the hunt for the former Monster Association executive Pyschos, Tornado and Blizzard come up with a ruse to break the psychic out of confinement. The only reason Saitama is brought into the equation is that Blizzard stumbles upon him on her way to the new headquarters. Tsukuyomi and Tornado eventually clash, resulting in the former's loss. However, Tornado's anger is far from quelled. She shifts her attention to the members of Blizzard Bunch for letting a spy infiltrate their ranks. However, just as she is about to give them a taste of her wrath, Saitama steps in.

Terrible Tornado Unleashes Her Terrible Powers on Saitama

Seeing how Tornado's rampage is destroying the new headquarters, Saitama gets hold of Tornado and brings her outside. Doing so, however, doesn't help ease Tornado's anger. In fact, it only makes the psychic angrier. Realizing that the bald hero still hasn't let go of her wrist, she throws Saitama in a whirlwind and even slams him to the ground, yet the latter's grip remains tight. Saitama only lets her go after Tornado guarantees that she won't run away.

However, after he lets her go, Tornado continues to rage on. She flicks Saitama's huge forehead, sending him flying. She then summons her signature tornado and flicks gigantic rocks toward Bald Cape. With Saitama's immense strength, he deflects the rocks with ease, but Tornado continues to barrage him with debris and Saitama is also starting to lose his temper. Even so, he continues to humor the psychic without fighting back.

Terrible Tornado Got It All Wrong, But She Seems to Be Enjoying the Fight

Even though Tornado is irked with Saitama holding her, the No. 2 Hero's main issue is the Bald Cape's relationship with her sister. She is convinced that Saitama is in love with Blizzard and even asks him if he is also crushing on her given that he won't let go of her wrist. Of course, such is not the case. Saitama only views Blizzard as an acquaintance, meaning he doesn't even see her as a friend. The oblivious Tornado, however, won't stop literally fighting for what she believes in.

Amidst Tornado's rage and barrage of attacks, she happens to let some of her emotions slip, even though she isn't necessarily known for being expressive. Since Tornado is one of the most powerful characters in the entire One-Punch Man universe, there are only a few characters who can make her go all out. She is similar to Saitama in this aspect. The more she fights with the bald hero, the more she seems to be enjoying herself. Even the exchange of insults between the two seems nothing more than a silly fight between five-year-olds. That being said, it won't be surprising if the two come out as the best of friends after the fight. At this point, they fit each other more as best friends than romantic partners, although only future developments of One-Punch Man can ascertain where their relationship is heading.

Contains spoilers for One-Punch Man chapter 167!

The epic new power level shown by Saitama in One-Punch Man's latest arc creates a fascinating possibility for God's true, hidden identity, connecting the horrific villain to the series titular 'hero.' In an epic battle against Garou, Saitama is able to unleash the Zero Causality Fist, punching back through time to take out the villain and save his allies.

In One-Punch Man lore, God is a mysterious being who seems to have a power level befitting its name. Little is known about God other than that it is seemingly trapped in another dimension, is willing to lend its incredible powers to others to serve its own agenda, and appears to have a connection to the moon.

God's true identity and agenda are perhaps the biggest questions of One-Punch Man, however Saitama's new ability to alter time suggests a possible answer. In One-Punch Man chapter 167, Saitama's ally Genos attempts to explain how the hero's power allowed him to interact with the multiverse, changing events by splitting the original timeline. The moment is played for a joke, as Genos unleashes a lengthy explanation that goes over Saitama's head, and yet it still subtly introduces this concept to readers. Combined with earlier moments, this all but confirms that it's possible God is actually a version of Saitama from another timeline.

With a Zero Punch that travels back through time, it's becoming clear that Saitama's power has no upper limit, giving him godlike potential - indeed, Garou refers to this technique as "a god's power" while teaching Saitama to unlock it. It's also clear that time can be altered, or at least that individuals from one timeline can create a new one. With time travel in the mix, it doesn't matter that God pre-dates Saitama, as it could easily be a version of the hero who transcended time or reality and now sits outside them both. This concept is supported by many similarities that seem to invite a comparison between God and Saitama. The two are visually similar, with rangy bodies and bald heads, and both are able to extend their limbs through portals. Similarly, it's easy to see how God's willingness to lend out its power would result from Saitama's original obsession with finding a worthy challenger, especially if he lost his humanity and underwent the monsterification process. How better to create a real challenge than by learning to empower others (perhaps to train one's past self to become a worthy challenger)?

There are some issues with this theory. First, that when they first met, God showed no recognition of Saitama. Second, God seems to have some limits on its abilities that stop it simply fully manifesting on Earth. Third, that God apparently considers Saitama "the fist that rebelled against God," at least according to its proxies. Of course, this final point could also go in favor of the theory, as it's possible to read this as meaning God considers Saitama its own fist, which would make sense if God is some future version of Saitama being challenged by its past self (or, rather, a new self created by a change to the timeline.)

It's therefore possible (and would be a genius twist) that the events of One-Punch Man take place after the original Saitama's quest for a worthy challenger turned him into a literal god which then changed the timeline, creating the story fans have actually been following - one in which it comes into conflict with a drastically altered version of itself. This would actually suit One-Punch Man even in a meta sense, as the popular manga is based on a webcomic which depicts events slightly differently. The only way to prove this theory will be to see how One-Punch Man unfolds, but it certainly seems to be the way the creators are prompting fans to think, and with this idea in mind, it's hard not to look at God's imposing form and see a cosmically powerful version of the Caped Baldy.

One-Punch Man's titular superhero has come up with the whackiest and strongest moves in the series, but his latest shatters even his previous records. It allows Saitama to make the impossible possible, though it turns out this move does not come without drawbacks as initially presumed. Chapter 167 shows exactly what happens when Saitama uses his newly-learned Zero Punch technique.

Garo and Saitama might have been at each other's throats recently, but they were quick to change their attitude after the fight's conclusion. The Hero Hunter realized the futility and recklessness of his actions and asked the bald hero for a favor: to copy his abilities, granting him a God's power without borrowing it from one. Saitama did and managed to master it before Garo perished, resulting in the conceptualization of the Bald Cape's recent, time-transcending ultimate move.

After copying Garo, time immediately started flowing backward for Saitama. He watched as the events flashed through him in reverse, and let out a punch when he saw Garo attempting to terrorize the heroes. Interestingly, his punch landed and knocked the Hero Hunter back to his senses. The same hit destroyed the entire future timeline Saitama came from, resulting in him being thrown back into his past's body. However, he just didn't turn back time -- he came back with future Genos' core and a dangling willie.

Receiving future Saitama's punch also left Garo hunched and defeated; it also managed to knock out his divine powers, allowing the other heroes to gang up on him. While Garo was receiving their anger, Saitama and Genos were having a chat. Saitama presented the core he was holding to Genos, stating he had no recollection as to how he got it. Of course, the same was true regarding the ripped area on his crotch. Even when Genos retrieved the memories from the core, Saitama still failed to remember the events his future self experienced.

Saitama failing to recall the feats he accomplished prior to traveling back in time suggests his memory of those events only lasts for a couple of moments. It is still unclear whether the memories simply remain dormant within his subconscious or if they are gone forever. Whichever the case may be, Saitama can no longer use his Zero Punch move in his current state in One-Punch Man.

There is also the question of Saitama's current power level. Given that he manages to destroy the law of causality and take future Genos' core back into the past, it is possible his current strength is the same as his future self's. But the greatest letdown of Saitama's amnesia is that it cancels out all the character development he's gained and shown. After all, future Saitama has experienced the worst-case scenario -- witnessing Genos' murder and failing to save the world.

One-Punch Man has pit Saitama against Garo on multiple occasions, and they've never failed to provide the readers with quality entertainment. However, Garo and Saitama are more than just rivals. Garo is Saitama's villainous and lesser counterpart, and his experiences and transformations are good indicators of how the bald protagonist could stray from the right path.

Their long-lasting feud finally ended in Chapter 166, wherein Saitama planted Garo's face from outer space down the Earth with a punch. Garo then realized the unsurpassable gap between them, succumbing to self-pity. He mulled over his failures and sulked about failing to achieve his life-long dream of becoming evil supreme. While he believed that no one could empathize with him, he realized his myopia upon realizing Saitama was still holding Genos' core.

Garo's origin started with him setting his sights on a goal -- becoming the embodiment of fear and evil. He was nothing more than the above-average villain who sought to become stronger. It was just that Garo's preferred training method was through battles with his life on the line, and his efforts eventually paid off. He got stronger after every fight, and when he received various transformations, his power exponentially grew. It came to a point when he could defeat everybody he faced, including the strongest members of the Monster Association.

Even after everything he went through, Garo retained a fragment of his humanity. He only had a few phases of going berserk, but he always eventually regained his sanity. He also met Tareo during his journey, and the young boy became a reason for him to keep himself in check. He never went too far when it came to fighting humans, even though his dream was to become the supreme evil. The moment he forgot to consider Tareo after acquiring immense power, the result was devastating. Saitama utterly defeated him, but it was already too late for the young boy.

Saitama's story isn't too different from Garo. He also started as an average human, but his path to unparalleled strength was training -- a very specific training routine, to be precise. Unlike Garo, power and strength easily came to Saitama. His power levels skyrocketed after consistent effort until he could obliterate anybody with a single punch. Similar to Garo, Saitama also met all his friends -- more importantly his disciple, Genos -- prior to reaching his peak, and they were also the main reason he kept himself grounded and human.

The only time Saitama emitted murderous intent was after witnessing Genos' death. He went all out against Garo without any regard for the planet's safety. Though he returned to his nonchalant self after widening the gap in power between him and the Hero Hunter, it was evidence that Saitama himself wasn't immune to losing himself, and it was well-represented by the fact he held Genos' core even while dishing out planet-destroying techniques. The moment he let go of it may be the moment he also lets go of his humanity. Once that happens, Saitama can become the embodiment of apathy, not caring what happens or what havoc he can possibly cause in the world of One-Punch Man. Needless to say, that may also be the day the entire world will meet its doom.

Ahead of the highly anticipated third season of the One-Punch Man anime, one fan has already animated the manga’s most epic fight between Saitama and Garou. While it is unclear if when the anime will even reach that fight (it still has a lot of other chapters to get through first) this animation can satisfy fans in the meantime. In addition, given the drop in art quality in the second season of the show, this animation may even be more satisfying than the eventual version of the fight in the official anime adaptation.

One-Punch Man initially started as a webcomic written and drawn by ONE with art that was a bit lacking. It does certainly hold a certain charm to it, and can enhance the comedic elements of the series extremely well, but it is also not the most pleasing to look at. Eventually, veteran manga artist Yusuke Murata worked with ONE to turn One-Punch Man into a more traditional manga with extremely impressive art. Murata’s art is so good that it can even feel animated to the point that many fans recommend reading the manga instead of watching the second season of One-Punch Man’s anime. This art reached its peak during the Monster Association arc, which culminated in an epic, planet-shattering fight between Saitama and the God-enhanced Garou.

YouTuber landberry has animated the final stages of that fight in an epic YouTube video that is almost ten minutes long. Animating Murata’s already incredibly dynamic art, they are able to give each of the extremely powerful punches featured real weight. They are able to make extremely epic moments like Saitama’s sneeze that blew away half of Jupiter somehow even more awesome through both great animation effects and through awesome sound design. Their attention to detail also elevates more subtle details of the fight, such as causing the universe in Garou’s face to swirl like real stars, giving him an even more ominous sense of power.

One Punch Man Season 3 has been confirmed to be in production. It will herald the return of all the amazing action, comedy, and character designs that only Saitama and his associates can seem to deliver. It will also mark the continuation of the overarching story that was left on a cliffhanger in Season 2.

With that in mind, it would be good to go over some basic plot points to remember going into Season 3. There are all sorts of characters and story threads that will likely be expanded upon in the next Season. To keep up with what's happening, here's what there is to remember from the first two seasons of the anime.

One-Punch Man: The Story So Far

The premise as it's presented in Season 1 is simple. Saitama is a hero for fun who trained so hard that his hair fell out, and he can now beat just about anybody with one punch. This overabundance of power has made life boring for him, and now he seeks an opponent strong enough to give him a good fight. His casual heroism earns him the attention of Genos, a cyborg and his self-proclaimed disciple. The two of them decide to become professional heroes for the Hero Association. Genos is immediately promoted to S-Class Rank 17, but Saitama mistakenly ends up placed at the bottom of C-Class, the lowest class in the association.

Thanks to Saitama's overwhelming power and accomplishments, he's able to climb through the ranks quickly. By stopping a meteor, defeating the Sea King, and helping out against the Dark Matter Pirates, among other things, Saitama manages to get all the way up to B-Class Rank 7. Unfortunately, most people still don't acknowledge how powerful he is, though he doesn't seem to mind.

Outside of Saitama and the heroes of S-Class, the most notable heroes are the ones with the highest rank in each class. C-Class Rank 1, Mumen Rider, is a cyclist with no special powers, but he compensates for this with his drive to do the right thing. B-Class Rank 1, Fubuki, is the younger sister of S-Class Rank 2, Tatsumaki; she tries to make up for the power gap between the two of them with strength in numbers through her own Blizzard Group. A-Class Rank 1, Amai Mask, is a powerful pretty boy who will eliminate all monsters with cold efficiency.

There are two major antagonistic forces opposing the Hero Association right now. The Hero Hunter Garo has been using the martial arts he learned from S-Class Rank 3 Bang to fight heroes in the name of monsters, the general villains of the series. He wants to create a world where the heroes don't win all the time and monsters can have their chance in the spotlight. To this end, he has been slowly turning into a monster himself.

The other group to look out for is the Monster Association. This organization of powerful Mysterious Beings seeks to destroy the Hero Association and create a world of monsters. They are currently considering allowing Garo to join their ranks.

Saitma is about to get back to work! Over three years since the conclusion of its second season, it has been announced that One Punch Man Season 3 has officially begun production, having also released a teaser image from Chikashi Kubota, character designer of the first two seasons of the anime series.

The announcement was made on the official One Punch Man website, though further details outside the announcement have been kept under wraps as of now. The new teaser image that was released alongside the announcement shows series protagonist Saitama and Garou, a major villain introduced in Season 2, standing back-to-back without much more being able to be pulled from the image pertaining to the upcoming season. The statement announcing the third season's production reads:

This time, we will start the production of the long-awaited sequel of the animation "One-Punch Man" 3rd season. At the same time, a new teaser visual drawn by Osamu Kubota, who was in charge of character design for the first and second seasons, has also been released. The latest information will be announced on the official TV anime website and official SNS as needed, so please wait for further details.

While Kubota is returning for the new season, it is currently unknown who else will be returning for the project or if there will be a change in the studio behind the series' animation like there was between the first and second season. It is also unknown how many episodes the third season will be, though if it is in line with its predecessors it will likely find itself at 12 episodes. Future details will first arrive on the official One Punch Man website​​​​​​.

Created by ONE and first published in 2009, One Punch Man started as a manga before being adapted into anime form starting in 2016. The series follows Saitama, the titular One Punch Man, who has trained himself to be able to take down any foe in a single blow. While easily able to defeat any monster or villain that might threaten him, Saitama has found himself becoming bored with not having any challenges in his life. The manga series has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most popular and fastest-selling series in the world. The series is also set to have a live-action adaptation film from Sony that was first announced back in 2020 and is set to see Fast & Furious director Justin Lin direct the film and will be written by Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner with MCU producer Avi Arad also attached to the superhero project.

There are currently no details on when Season 3 of One Punch Man will be released.