I’ve been waiting for this moment since 2019. Six long years after season 2 ended, One-Punch Man season 3 finally dropped, and I was pumped to see one of my favorite manga fights animated: Garou vs. Royal Ripper. But after watching episodes 3 and 4, I’m sitting here feeling… disappointed? Angry? Maybe both. Let me break down exactly why J.C. Staff completely dropped the ball on what should have been an epic showdown.
The Fight We Were Promised vs. What We Got
When I first saw the trailer for season 3, I got chills. There was this sick sequence where Garou parries Royal Ripper’s blade attack – smooth, dynamic, exactly what I’d expect from One-Punch Man. The animation looked crisp, the movements fluid, and I thought “maybe, just maybe, J.C. Staff learned from their season 2 mistakes.”
Boy, was I wrong.
When episode 3 finally aired and the Garou vs. Royal Ripper fight started, I kept waiting for that trailer moment. And waiting. And waiting. It never came. Instead, I got something that felt like it was animated by interns on their first day. The whole sequence was choppy, the movements stiff, and the impact? Nonexistent.
The Animation Disaster That Broke the Internet
I wish I could say the poor animation was the worst part, but things got so much weirder. During the fight, I noticed something… off about Royal Ripper. At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. But no – there it was, clear as day: Royal Ripper, a character who’s very much male in the manga, was animated with actual breasts and female proportions for a few seconds.
I’m not kidding. This actually happened. In 2025. With a major anime production.
The internet exploded with memes about this animation error, and honestly, I can’t blame them. How does something like this even make it past quality control? According to what I’ve read, this happened because J.C. Staff outsourced parts of the animation to subcontracted studios abroad who weren’t familiar with the characters. That’s just… sad. Really sad.
Technical Issues That Ruined the Experience
Beyond the obvious gender-bending mistake, the Garou vs. Royal Ripper fight suffered from so many technical problems that I almost lost count:
Color Disaster: Garou’s signature technique should be red – it’s a crucial detail showing his violent evolution and monsterification. But in season 3? They got the color completely wrong. I know it might seem like a small detail, but for fans who’ve followed this series, color matters. It’s part of what makes these techniques visually distinct and meaningful.
Neon Filter Nightmare: Every serious frame in this fight gets slapped with this blurry neon effect that absolutely ruins the impact. The final clash between Garou and Royal Ripper should have been epic – the kind of moment that gives you goosebumps. Instead, it felt slow and uninspiring, like watching someone else play a video game on low settings.
Static Image Syndrome: Episode 4 dedicated maybe 30 seconds to actual fighting. The rest? Conversations. Static images. Characters standing still while only their mouths move. I’m not even exaggerating here. The hotpot scene with Saitama, King, Genos, and Fubuki had so much potential for dynamic comedy, but instead we got still frames with voice acting. It’s like they forgot how to animate movement entirely.
Why This Fight Should Have Been Epic?
If you’ve read the manga, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The Garou vs. Royal Ripper fight is supposed to be brutal, chaotic, and emotionally charged. Every hit lands hard, you can feel the fear and chaos, and it’s a crucial moment in Garou’s character development.
In the anime version? It’s just… there. When fans say a fight “just exists,” you know something went really wrong. This should have been the highlight of the early season – the moment that proves J.C. Staff can handle the Monster Association arc. Instead, it became the poster child for everything wrong with modern anime production.
The Bigger Problem: Systemic Industry Issues
After digging into what’s happening behind the scenes, I’ve realized this isn’t just about J.C. Staff being bad at their jobs. The problems run much deeper:
Overworked Staff: The director of season 3, Shinpei Nagai, was reportedly overseeing multiple projects simultaneously. How can anyone give proper attention to a massive project like One-Punch Man when they’re stretched that thin?
Tight Deadlines: The anime industry’s obsession with quick turnarounds and profit over quality means studios don’t have time to properly animate complex scenes. They’re forced to outsource and cut corners just to meet release dates.
Lost Magic: Season 1 worked because it was made by a passionate, tight-knit team at Madhouse who loved the project. Season 3 feels like it’s being manufactured by people who don’t really care about the source material.
My Personal Reaction as a Long-Time Fan
I’ve been following One-Punch Man since the webcomic days. I’ve seen the highs of season 1’s incredible animation, the disappointment of season 2’s drop in quality, and now… whatever this is. The Garou vs. Royal Ripper fight was supposed to be the moment that redeemed the anime adaptation.
Instead, it’s become a cautionary tale about what happens when production committees prioritize speed over artistry. When I watched that final scene where Garou finishes off Royal Ripper, I didn’t feel the satisfaction I should have. I just felt… empty. Like the series I love has lost its soul.
What This Means for the Rest of Season 3?
If this is how they handled one of the most anticipated fights of the early season, what does that mean for the bigger battles to come? The Monster Association arc has so many epic moments ahead, and if they can’t even get Garou vs. Royal Ripper right, I’m genuinely worried about what’s coming.
Some fans are clinging to hope – maybe the studio saved their budget for later episodes, maybe the second half will deliver. But four episodes in, and Garou vs. Royal Ripper being the “highlight” is a pretty damning statement. As someone on X (Twitter) put it, it’s like finding two grains of rice after starving for days. Technically food, but come on.
The Competition: How Other Anime Handle Fight Scenes
I’ve been watching a lot of anime lately, and the difference in quality is staggering. Shows like Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen are delivering fight scenes that are fluid, dynamic, and emotionally impactful. They prove that good animation is still possible in today’s industry.
So why can’t One-Punch Man, one of the most popular anime franchises in the world, get it right? It’s not like they don’t have the budget or the source material to work with. The manga by Yusuke Murata is practically a storyboard for perfect animation – every panel is detailed, dynamic, and ready to be brought to life.
What Could Have Been Done Differently?
I’m not an animator or producer, but even I can see what went wrong with the Garou vs. Royal Ripper fight:
- Proper Planning: Don’t start production until you have the right team and enough time.
- Quality Control: Have people who actually know the characters check the animation before it airs.
- Respect the Source Material: If the manga shows a technique as red, make it red. If a character is male, don’t give him breasts.
- Focus on Impact: Fight scenes need weight and impact. Don’t rely on camera tricks and filters to make up for poor animation.
The Fan Reaction: Divided but Disappointed
From what I’ve seen across social media and forums, fan reactions to the Garou vs. Royal Ripper fight are split but mostly negative. Some people are trying to defend it, saying “insane animation” and praising the sequence where Garou finishes off Royal Ripper. But honestly, calling this “insane” just shows how low our standards have fallen.
When I compare this to the early days of One-Punch Man fandom, where we were amazed by the quality of every episode, it’s heartbreaking. We used to set the standard for what good anime animation could be. Now we’re making excuses for blatant mistakes and poor quality.
FAQ: Everything You Need to Know About Garou vs. Royal Ripper
Why was the Garou vs. Royal Ripper fight so poorly animated?
The fight suffered from poor animation quality due to J.C. Staff being overloaded with multiple projects, tight production deadlines, and outsourcing to subcontracted studios who weren’t familiar with the characters. The director was reportedly overseeing several anime simultaneously, leading to poor quality control.
What was the Royal Ripper animation error?
During the fight, Royal Ripper was briefly animated with female proportions and breasts, despite being a male character. This was a continuity error that became a meme online and highlighted the poor quality control in the production.
How does the anime fight compare to the manga?
The manga version of Garou vs. Royal Ripper is brutal, chaotic, and emotionally impactful with fluid action sequences. The anime version is short, underwhelming, with minimal actual fighting, poor technical execution (wrong colors, bad filters), and lacks the emotional weight of the original.
Will One-Punch Man season 3 animation improve?
Based on the first four episodes and the systemic production issues, it’s unlikely the animation quality will significantly improve. The same problems (overworked staff, tight deadlines, outsourcing) will likely persist throughout the season.
Which studio animated the original One-Punch Man season 1?
Season 1 was animated by Madhouse, who created a “dream team” of passionate animators who worked out of love for the project. This is why season 1 had such exceptional animation quality compared to the later J.C. Staff seasons.
Is there hope for future One-Punch Man seasons?
Unless there are major changes to the production committee system and more reasonable scheduling, future seasons will likely continue to suffer from the same quality issues. The anime industry’s focus on speed and profit over artistry is the root problem.
My Final Verdict
So, did One-Punch Man season 3 do justice to Garou vs. Royal Ripper? Absolutely not. It’s not just bad – it’s a betrayal of what this series once was. The fight lacks the energy, the hysteria, the sheer fire that made the manga version so memorable.
As a long-time fan, I’m not just disappointed – I’m angry. This series deserves better, the characters deserve better, and we as fans deserve better. The harsh reality is that One-Punch Man season 3 dropped the ball on one of its most crucial fights, and I’m not sure it can recover from this.
What’s Next for One-Punch Man Anime?
At this point, I’m not optimistic about the rest of season 3. If this is how they handle a relatively straightforward fight like Garou vs. Royal Ripper, I’m terrified to see how they’ll approach the more complex battles ahead.
But I’ll keep watching, because I’m still holding out hope that somehow, someway, this series will find its way back to the quality that made me fall in love with it in the first place. Maybe I’m just being naive, but a fan can dream, right?