In an unexpected twist, Season 3 of One-Punch Man has now set an unfortunate new benchmark that no anime series aspires to achieve.

The latest installments of this popular series have plummeted in ratings on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), descending below the infamously low score held by the live-action film, Dragonball Evolution. Notably, Episodes 6 and 7 of this season fell short of even that low bar, with ratings of 1.4 and 2.4, respectively.

Previously, One-Punch Man garnered impressive scores, with episodes from its first two seasons boasting ratings between 7.3 and 9.5 on IMDb. However, Season 3 has not fared as well, consistently receiving the poorest reviews in the show’s history. At the time of reporting, the highest rating in this season belongs to the premiere episode, yet it lingers at a disappointing 4.1. Meanwhile, Episode 6’s 1.4 rating represents the series’ nadir.

One-Punch Man S3 Fails the Ultimate Anime Litmus Test

Image via 20th Century Fox

While episodes from the first two seasons of the One-Punch Man anime hold IMDb ratings ranging from 7.3 to 9.5, Season 3 has consistently produced the lowest review scores that the series has ever seen. As of the time of writing, the highest score Season 3 has to offer belongs to its first episode, which still sits well below the average at only 4.1, whereas Episode 6’s 1.4 rating marks the lowest to date.

The negative response to One-Punch Man Season 3 has been so overwhelming that director Shinpei Nagai recently deleted his X (formerly Twitter) account, exiting from the platform shortly after posting a note reading, “There are a few people among my followers who are pretending to be allies but are actually engaging in rage-baiting. So I’ve decided to delete my account. Their actions, such as taking my statements out of context, trying to elicit comments that violate NDAs, or turning them into profit, are unacceptable and cannot be overlooked.”

While comparing any anime to Dragonball Evolution may not seem fair, the live-action feature film adaptation has become something of a litmus test for determining whether any given anime is genuinely bad or merely mediocre. Directed by James Wong from a screenplay by Ben Ramsey, Dragonball Evolution arrived in theaters in 2009 to abysmal reviews from both critics and audiences. The film starred Justin Chatwin as Goku who, in this version of the story, is an 18-year-old martial artist who is thrust into an explosive story after being given four of the eponymous Dragonballs as a gift.

Dragonball Evolution featured a star-studded ensemble cast including Chow Yun-fat, Emmy Rossum, Jamie Chung, James Marsters, Joon Park and Ernie Hudson, yet failed to make any positive impression upon viewers. While the film did eke out some financial success at the box office, bringing in $56.5 million against a budget of $30 million, it was widely considered a dud by critics. As of the time of writing, Dragonball Evolution holds a mere 14% “Fresh” rating via review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, as averaged across 63 critical reviews of the film.

One-Punch Man Season 3 is currently available for streaming on Hulu for U.S. fans and on Disney+ in Canada.

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  One-Punch Man

  Release Date

  October 5, 2015
  

  Network

  YouTube, TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC

  Directors

  Shinichiro Ushijima, Makoto Sokuza, Nobuhiro Muto, Ryoh Ando, Shuuji Miyazaki, Youhei Suzuki, Miyuki Ishida, Katsushi Sakurabi, Hideki Okamoto, Yoshio Suzuki, Hiroyuki Okuno, Riki Fukushima, Shigeki Awai

  Writers

  Tatsuro Inamoto

  
  

  • Makoto Furukawa

    Saitama (voice)

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    Kaito Ishikawa

    Genos (voice)

  
  

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  Dragonball Evolution

  Release Date

  March 12, 2009
  

  Runtime

  85 Minutes

  Director

  James Wong

  Writers

  Ben Ramsey