Superalloy Blackluster's new design in One Punch Man season 3 leaves the fandom divided

Modified Jan 13, 2025 13:30 GMT

One Punch Man seaon 3 divides opinions with Superalloy Blackluster's new design (Image via J.C. Staff)

One Punch Man season 3 is due to come out this year and J.C. Staff recently released the designs of Flashy Flash and Superalloy Darkshine, with the latter's name being changed to Superalloy Blackluster. That alone was a divisive decision for people in the fandom, but the subtle changes in his design have been even more controversial.

When compared to his design earlier in the series and the manga, the Superalloy Blackluster look in One Punch Man season 3 shows differences in his eyes, nose, lips, and eyebrows. This led to some discussions in the community regarding whether this works for him or not, which adds to the doubts the fandom has about J.C. Staff after the debacle that was the second season.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and the people quoted.

Fandom divided after Superalloy Blackluster's design for One Punch Man season 3

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As mentioned earlier, J.C. Staff recently released the visuals for the characters Flashy Flash and Superalloy Blackluster, with the latter dividing opinions. There was even a user on X showing a comparison between a fan-made illustration and the official visual, which highlights the differences and the approach of the studio.

Some people brought up how the character's nose, eyebrows, eyes, and mouth look a bit different from the version in the manga illustrated by artist Yusuke Murata, which is perhaps why some people in the fandom don't warm up to this new interpretation.

There is also the possibility that this version could look better when animated with movement during One Punch Man season 3, although that is yet to be seen.

However, perhaps the biggest reason some people in the fandom don't like this design is because it reignites their fears of J.C. staff not living up to the expectations. The second season of the anime was viewed as a disappointment by a lot of fans, who don't believe this studio is cut out to deliver such a popular series, which is something that is going to continue in the coming months.

Reactions online

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One Punch Man season 3 has a tough task in hand because of the divided opinions that the second season had, which coincided with the current studio, J.C. Staff, taking over. The first season was done by renowned studio Madhouse and made the franchise into a worldwide phenomenon, but J.C. Staff has failed to reach those heights again.

The upcoming season is adapting the Monster Association arc and this includes some of the most beloved moments in the entire series, with the Saitama vs. Cosmic Garou fight being a key point for the whole anime.

"It definitely looks like darkshine But with a negative 10000 aura I'm not bashing the art, I just like how sturd and energetic darky is in the official He looks more like a Black Character," someone said.

"Thank you ...the new one looks like a completely different character," another person said.

"I like fan version because it matches manga design but in official version it's like it's not him, fans once again show that they are capable of much more than j.c.staff...," someone else said.

One Punch Man season 3 is due to come out this year and the actual episodes would decide people's views on the adaptation.

Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay