‘One Punch Man’ Season 2 Release Date Set For Early To Late 2017?
One Punch Man Season 2 is coming. Numerous fans believe the official announcement for its release date will be coming soon. The production of the anime’s second season has already been confirmed by One Punch Man’s official Twitter account, and needless to say, the franchise’s avid fans are more excited than ever.
??9/25????????????TV????????????2??????????????????????????????????????????????????? https://t.co/ZEx0x1ZFAM #onepunchman pic.twitter.com/f2nsdijGxY
— TV????????????? (@opm_anime) September 25, 2016
As much as the tweet confirmed that Season 2 of One Punch Man is indeed happening, the announcement barely had any concrete facts about the upcoming anime. Roughly translated, the tweet simply confirmed rumors that One Punch Man Season 2 is in the process of being produced.
As for the release date, however, the announcement did not provide any information. All that was stated was that more announcements would be made about the development of OPM Season 2 in the near future. Despite the absence of a definite release date, however, numerous fans are speculating that Saitama, the One Punch Man, would probably return early 2017.
OPM’s first season only ran for 12 episodes, which usually take about six months to complete. Accounting for the 2016 Holiday Season, avid fans of One Punch Man are speculating that the anime would most likely see a Spring, or at most, a Fall 2017 release.
With the production of One Punch Man Season 2 being confirmed, fans of the deconstructed satirical shounen anime have become more excited than ever. After all, the finale of One Punch Man Season 1 ended with the caped hero decimating Lord Boros, a “God-level” threat, with his first-ever “serious punch.”
What would be particularly interesting to see is how the anime would be able to meet and exceed the intensity of Season 1’s finale. The Lord Boros arc was no less than epic in the manga, and the anime’s production studio, Madhouse, did every frame of the story justice. One Punch Man Season 1 was so well done, both critics and fans were unanimous that the anime was very well-made.
Considering that the anime is following the progression of the manga closely, the second season of OPM would surely explore a particular arc that actually rivals, if not exceeds, the stakes in the Lord Boros arc. This would be the Hero Hunter arc, where another man, Garou, begins to hunt down the heroes of the series.
What makes the Hero Hunter arc compelling is the fact that Saitama and Garou are more like two sides of the same coin. Neither have powers, and both are just men. Both, however, have for some reason exceeded the limits of power, becoming almost god-like in terms of strength and stamina.
While the Hero Hunter arc will most certainly be the focus of One Punch Man Season 2, some fans are a bit apprehensive about the actual plot that the arc would follow. OPM’s manga has two iterations, an original webcomic by ONE and a remake by Yusuke Murata. What’s interesting is that between the two manga iterations, the Hero Hunter arc of Murata’s version was far more expanded than ONE’s original work.
There is, however, one problem. Murata is still working on the Hero Hunter arc, and considering the pace of the manga, it would be highly unlikely for Murata’s version to provide enough material for the second season of One Punch Man before its release. Thus, fans are speculating that unlike OPM Season 1, Season 2 would follow the progression of the original webcomic instead.
Regardless of which manga the upcoming anime would be based on, however, one thing is sure. Season 2’s Hero Hunter arc would be the franchise’s most intense story to date, as Garou, who has earned the title of the “Human Monster,” begins to hunt down every member of the Heroes’ Association.
Indeed, the final act of Saitama and Garou’s battle, which takes place in a decimated area where the franchise’s strongest heroes are laid to waste, is easily the manga’s most jarring battle. In fact, despite Garou’s lack of supernatural powers like Lord Boros, his no-holds-barred, first-to-fist fight with Saitama is one that fans of the anime should definitely not miss. If speculations are right, then One Punch Man Season 2’s release date cannot come any sooner.
[Featured Image by Madhouse Inc.]
