REVIEW: ‘One Punch Man’ Season 3 Episode 7 — “Counterstrike”

One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 7 is one of the best episodes of the season so far, though that’s not saying much, considering the several disappointing episodes it’s received so far. The episode is actually entertaining, thanks to its main focus on fun fights and interesting heroes. The animation, while not superb, is also notably better than the horrendous quality of the previous episode.

One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 7 picks up right from the end of the last episode and sees the heroes get approached by a giant psychic monster who threatens them all. However, Tatsumaki (Aoi Yûki), unenthused as ever and the strongest psychic, notes that the monster isn’t that strong, and in response, he threatens her and her sister. She then decides to go all out, flexing her devastating powers in the process, and takes him out pretty easily.

Meanwhile, the other heroes fight the smaller monsters and do a good job of holding their ground against them. The highlight of One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 7 is the many unique heroes, each with a distinct theme, whose powers and abilities are based on that theme. This includes Captain Mizuki, who is seemingly just a simple Olympic athlete with no superpowers, who uses her strength and agility to throw enemies and spike them. There’s also Narcisstoic, who’s incredibly narcissistic but attacks monsters with flair.

One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 7 has a few funny moments sprinkled throughout.

The character designs of both the monsters and superheroes are especially a treat. Each monster is intricately and uniquely designed, and every hero has designs themed around their powers. The art style is still as great as ever, with many frames, scenes, and backgrounds being highly detailed, and character expressions are very emotive.

One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 7 also has a few genuinely funny moments. From Pig God casually consuming smaller monsters to Puri-Puri Prisoner (Masaya Onosaka) getting punched in the face while trying to look cool and Narcisstoic getting made fun of, then proceeding to throw a violent tantrum. These moments, unlike previous episodes, offer genuine humor, making the episode more entertaining.

While the A to C rank heroes are trying their best to fight off the waves of monsters, the S-rank heroes take the opportunity to display their strength via many of their flashy moves and skills. The most notable being Atomic Samurai (Kenjiro Tsuda), who takes out a rampaging rhino wrestler effortlessly with one single slash.

The animation from J.C. Staff is slightly better than in previous episodes.

While this scene is a bit disappointing, as it isn’t a full-fledged fight, it features a striking visual style, and his abilities are impressive nonetheless, especially after the other heroes struggled to defeat the monster. However, the S-Rank hero fights, especially Tatsumaki’s fight, being incredibly short due to their strength, is also disappointing, as every single monster they faced was dealt with in mere seconds.

Additionally, the fight animation from J.C. Staff is notably slightly better than in previous episodes, especially the last episode. While fights still have some awkward stills, the explosive motions of both the monsters and heroes, along with their visually striking visual effects from their powers, are eye-catching. However, while still better than the last episode, One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 7 unfortunately also has awkward animation moments seen chiefly with Captain Mizuki having sex fingers in one frame. While this is on screen for only a brief moment, it still shows that not enough attention or effort is being put into the production, or that the animators are struggling in some way.

One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 7 is one of the most entertaining episodes thus far.

One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 7 ends with Gyoro-Gyoro threatening the weaker monsters, who are scared of the heroes, to put their lives on the line to slow them down or at least gather research. He also alludes to the fact that the higher-tier monsters aren’t afraid of the S-class heroes who are now heading underground.

Overall, One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 7 is one of the most entertaining episodes in the season thus far, thanks to its humorous moments and visual elements. However, the animation still struggles in many ways. 

One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 7 is streaming now on Crunchyroll. 

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