‘One Punch Man’ season 3 release date, plot: Is the source material enough for the anime series to continue?

Most anime shows are based on manga and light novel series, and it is one of the most important aspects in determining the future of animated adaptations. Since “One Punch Man” season 3 has not been announced yet, fans could look at the state of its source material.

‘One Punch Man’ season 3: Are the manga chapters enough to produce new episodes?

Anime-only fans should note that the franchise originally started as a webcomic series created by ONE before it was picked up by Shueisha for a manga serialization. Yusuke Murata joined as the illustrator while ONE continues to write for the manga series. “One Punch Man” season 3 and the earlier seasons based its stories from the manga.

Seasons 1 covered stories until chapter 36, while season 2 used approximately 47 chapters (37th to 84th) as source materials. Fans likely know by now that season 2’s animation and pacing under J.C.Staff’s supervision have been under scrutiny since it premiered. Regardless where fans stand on that issue, the fact is there are only 34 chapters left for “One Punch Man” season 3. Chapter 122 is the latest manga chapter released as of this writing, which dropped in late November.

However, anime fans should not panic because Murata and ONE are still actively working on the manga series. Even though they do not push new chapters on a regular schedule, it is very likely to have more chapters released even before “One Punch Man” season 3 is announced.

Additionally, the chapters of the Monster Association Arc yet to be animated have action-packed scenes that could take more screentime in the anime series. Then there is no reason to worry about not having enough source material to produce “One Punch Man” season 3 with 12 new episodes.

‘One Punch Man’ season 3 possible release date in late 2020 or 2021?

The production of “One Punch Man” season 3 has yet to be confirmed. However, the franchise has become one of the biggest titles in the entire manga and anime industry. It is very unlikely for Viz Media not to order a third season, so the more pressing question is when the new episodes would be released.

“One Punch Man” season 3 is unlikely coming out within the first half of 2020 because season 2’s Blu-ray/DVD volumes still have release dates until March next year. The best-case scenario is for the new season to premiere in late 2020, although a 2021 release date is also possible.