One-Punch Man Artist Shares Impressive Animation of Saitama

The second season might have been divisively received, and a third season is currently nowhere in sight, but One-Punch Man remains one of the most popular action series released in the last decade. Much of this is due to the Shonen Jump release of the series which takes ONE's original webcomic and boosts it with with new art from illustrator Yusuke Murata. Murata often has an impeccable eye for still image visuals, but it appears that the famed illustrator is beginning to develop a good knack for animation as well.

Murata recently caught the attention of fans when he shared a special practice animation he had drawn up for Saitama, and seeing the Caped Baldy in action again is certainly a great way to ease the wait for the unconfirmed third season. Check it out below:

練習 pic.twitter.com/ESEgMO4HXI

— 村田雄介 (@NEBU_KURO) January 6, 2020

Murata's short animation is definitely a fun look into the artist's process, and certainly emphasizes the idea that Saitama is such a well designed character that he's great in pretty much any situation. Given Saitama's deceptively simple design, it makes the character quite malleable and easy to blend into any situation. Many of the best gags in the series come from his wackier faces, and the same can be said at the dramatic shift in his look when he becomes serious as well.

Saitama's personality is definitely thanks to original series creator ONE, but Murata's art has given the hero a greater range of expression than anyone would have guessed otherwise when reading the original webcomic. But thankfully Saitama isn't gone forever as you can currently find more of Saitama in Viz Media's bi-weekly manga releases and the second season of the anime series!

Viz Media has licensed One-Punch Man's second season for an English release, and the series is currently airing Saturdays as part of Adult Swim's Toonami programming block. You can also find the original Japanese runs of the two season series now streaming on Hulu. They describe One-Punch Man Season 2 as such:

"Saitama is a hero who only became a hero for fun. After three years of "special training," he's become so strong that he's practically invincible. In fact, he's too strong—even his mightiest opponents are taken out with a single punch. Now, the great seer Madame Shibabawa's prediction about the Earth being doomed seems to be coming true as the frequency of monster incidents escalates. Alongside Genos, his faithful disciple, Saitama begins his official hero duties as a member of the Hero Association, while Garou, a man utterly fascinated by monsters, makes his appearance."