One-Punch Man Watch Order: Seasons, OVAs and the Studio Change

Watch One-Punch Man in broadcast order: season 1, season 2, then season 3, which has aired its first 12 episodes and returns with a second part announced for January 2027 in Japan. Nothing has to be watched out of sequence. The OVAs are optional extras, and the studio change between seasons 1 and 2 affects how the show looks, not the order you watch it in.

Everything, in order, with the numbers

Entry	Episodes	Aired in Japan	Studio
Season 1	12	October to December 2015	Madhouse
Season 2	12	April to July 2019	J.C. Staff
Season 3, part 1	12 (overall episodes 25 to 36)	October to December 2025	J.C. Staff
Season 3, part 2	Not yet announced	Announced for January 2027	J.C. Staff

The counts come from Anime News Network's encyclopedia entries for season 1, season 2 and season 3. ANN's episode list for season 2 runs from "Return of the Hero" to "Cleaning Up the Disciple's Mess," dated April 10 to July 3, 2019. ANN's report on the second part says the third season's first new episode, the overall 25th, aired on October 12, 2025, and that Bandai Namco Filmworks announced the second cours for 2027. The official site's broadcast notice for episode 36, the twelfth episode of season 3, scheduled it for December 28, 2025. The official second-part announcement, dated October 11 in Japan and checked October 10, 2026 in New York, narrows the Japanese broadcast window to January 2027. The official staff page now lists J.C. Staff and director Shinpei Nagai in the new block with part 2's opening song. These sources do not specify a premiere day or episode count for part 2.

Season 3 is one season in two parts

The January 2027 episodes are the second half of season 3, not a fourth season. That matters when you check a streaming service or a release list: if you have finished twelve episodes of season 3 and the story stops, you have not missed anything. You have reached the gap between the two parts.

Season 3 also began with a recap. ANN reports that it "premiered with a recap on October 5" before the first new episode a week later. The official site's broadcast page separately lists a season 2 recap (第2期総集編) among its Japanese streaming notes. A recap repeats material you have already seen, so anyone watching straight through can skip it; it is more useful after the six-year gap between seasons 2 and 3.

The change of studio, and what it does not change

Season 1 was animated by Madhouse and directed by Shingo Natsume. For season 2, ANN reported in September 2017 that Chikara Sakurai was "replacing Shingo Natsume to direct the season at J.C. Staff." Season 3 stayed at J.C. Staff with another new director: ANN's 2025 report names Shinpei Nagai as directing "the anime at J.C. Staff."

Several key staff members carried across. Tomohiro Suzuki has handled series composition on all three seasons and Makoto Miyazaki has composed the music for all three, according to the official staff page. Chikashi Kubota designed the characters for all three seasons, sharing the role with Shinjiro Kuroda and Ryōsuke Shirakawa on season 3. The voice cast also continued: Makoto Furukawa is credited as Saitama and Kaito Ishikawa as Genos on all three seasons' staff and cast lists.

Whatever you make of the change in animation, it is a question about style rather than order. ANN lists season 2 as the sequel to season 1 and season 3 as the sequel to season 2, so skipping season 2 to get to a later season means skipping the story in between.

The OVAs and specials

There are three sets of extras, none of them required.

• Road to Hero (one episode, Madhouse). ANN reported in November 2015 that "a bundled edition of the 10th volume of the manga will also include an original video anime (OVA) on DVD on December 4," with a story by ONE about "the birth of Saitama's hero suit." ANN's encyclopedia entry classifies it as a prequel: "the story of Saitama before he became super strong and was trying to become a hero."
• The season 1 OVAs (six short episodes, Madhouse). The same report says the six were "bundled with the anime's home video releases in Japan," the first shipping on December 24, 2015, and that ONE would "write the original story for all six." ANN's entry lists them as a side story to season 1, at 11 minutes an episode. When Viz Media released season 1 in North America, its Blu-ray and DVD combo pack "shipped with six original video anime (OVA) episodes," per ANN.
• The season 2 OVAs (J.C. Staff). ANN reported in October 2019 that the second season's Japanese Blu-ray and DVD volumes would include OVAs, as season 1's had, the first shipping on October 25, 2019, and the second, "#02: Ossan-tachi to Tsuri" (Old Dudes and Fishing), on November 26. ANN's encyclopedia entry lists them as a side story to season 2. Sources disagree on how many there are, so we have not given a count.

Where to put them is our suggestion, not an official order: after the season they belong to. Road to Hero is set earlier, but it was released as a bonus with the tenth manga volume in December 2015, while season 1 was still airing, so watching it after season 1 follows release order; if you prefer story order, it can go first. The side-story OVAs are short standalone pieces; watching them after season 1 and season 2 respectively keeps each one next to the cast it uses.

Where to watch it in North America

The official site's broadcast and streaming page lists Hulu and Disney+ for the United States and Canada in its season 3 streaming information (checked October 7, 2026), without saying which covers which; ANN's report says season 3 streamed on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in Canada. Those listings do not establish North American streaming arrangements for part 2. Streaming deals change, so check the service before you subscribe for it.

If a line from the show has brought you here, one of Saitama's better-known ones has its own fact-check. For other franchises with films and side stories to place, see the Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer watch orders.