One-Punch Man season 3's latest controversy is not about the animation

The anime decided to adapt the first version of Child Emperor vs. Phoenix Man

It seems that every new episode of One-Punch Man season 3 brings its share of controversies. Episode 9 immediately generated discussion among fans after airing, but this time it's not because of the low-quality animation that made this season a complete disaster. Instead, fans are complaining about which version of the fight between Child Emperor and Phoenix Man was adapted into the anime.

[Ed. Note: minor spoilers for the One-Punch Man manga.]

Anime-only fans may be confused by this, but several chapters of the One-Punch Man manga exist in different versions. The artist, Yusuke Murata, tends to redraw chapters (and sometimes entire arcs) before their publication in volume. Murata is a pioneer of digital manga, and he likes to make use of the possibilities offered by the medium. Sometimes this means having amazing colored or animated spreads, and other times this means redrawing entire sections of the story.

One of the most prominent examples is the fight between S-Class hero Child Emperor and Phoenix Man, one of the strongest members of the Monster Association. There are two versions of this fight available online, with differences not just in the design of the characters and the paneling, but also in the fight's development. The first version, which was the one used for the anime, has Child Emperor face Phoenix Man alone and defeat him after a non-stop battle. The second, instead, sees the involvement of Saitama, and has more pauses in the action that allow for story developments concerning Child Emperor and the Monster Association, and that even tease a future arc.

Many fans are complaining that the version chosen by the anime is inferior because it does not include these important story beats. It doesn't have Phoenix Man using his "Phoenix Space" to talk telepathically with Child Emperor (which alludes to the mysterious being behind the monsters, God) and it also skips important character development for the young S-Class hero, which is highlighted in the redrawn version through a conversation with fellow hero Zombieman. More importantly, perhaps, choosing the first version of the fight means the anime missed a chance to feature Saitama, who, despite his lack of screen time, is still the protagonist and the most popular character.

Not everyone, however, agrees with this stance. Many believe that the first version has longer and better fight sequences, and that not having Saitama show up lets Child Emperor shine more, as he wins this hard fight only through his skills and resources. Since fans are divided on this issue, there are also those who believe that the anime could have taken this chance to blend the two versions of the fight from the manga, keeping the best bits from both. For example, Phoenix Man survives in the redrawn version, allowing him to appear later in the story and have a meaningful conversation with Child Emperor, setting up the future Neo Heroes arc.

Beyond the choice of the version of the fight, episode 9 of One-Punch Man doesn't step away from the controversies that plagued the rest of the season. The animation is barely acceptable, and the hurried production is evident in the skipping of important details from the manga. For example, when Child Emperor's attack, "Millennium Emperor Nova", pierces the ground and blasts off into the sky, the manga shows the Moon with the crater left by Saitama in season 1, which is an important tease of the future appearance of God, the mysterious big villain of the series that might be imprisoned in the satellite. The anime completely cuts the Moon from that shot.

Yusuke Murata's tendency to redraw chapters makes One-Punch Man a difficult manga to adapt, especially for an anime with a rushed production schedule whose episodes are seemingly made just two weeks before airing. In these conditions, it was unrealistic to expect that the anime would give us a third and improved version of the fight. With an expected episode count of 12 for season 3, fans' biggest worry right now is that One-Punch Man could end abruptly and never come back, unless a full reboot is greenlit.