REVIEW: ‘One Punch Man’ Season 3 Episode 9 — “Brave Child”

One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 9 is another great episode that lives up to the high expectations set in the previous episode and makes it easier to hope this season may just turn around for the better. While the episode is mostly dedicated to a long, intense bout between Child Emperor and Phoenix Man, it remains entertaining throughout.

One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 9 begins where the last left off, with Child Emperor (Minami Takayama) and Waganma evading G5. On their way out, Waganma notices the passed-out body of Phoenix Man, and Child Emperor reassures him that he defeated Phoenix Man with ease. This leads Waganma to reveal details about the cartoon character the monster is based on, specifically his bird costume and how the character dies repeatedly but keeps coming back.

This also prompts Child Emperor to voice out that humanity doesn’t know the origins of monsters or the reasons for their unusual traits, especially regarding their powers. This point is interesting, as while we don’t know much, it’s possible that more details about the monsters, including Monsterization, could be revealed in the future, given how much focus it’s received this season.

Child Emperor brings out his trump card in One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 9.

Right as he finishes his sentence, Phoenix Man revives himself, but this time, his awakened version is a more enhanced and noticeably stronger Demon-level threat monster called Resurrected Phoenix Man. Aside from the uncreative name, he is now much stronger, faster, flashier, and cockier. A long fight between him and Child Emperor begins, and it’s one of the longest and best fights in the season so far, almost on the same level as last episode’s.

To compete on equal footing, Child Emperor brings out his trump card, a giant, highly advanced mech. However, he can only pilot it for about two minutes before its power goes out. This results in a frantic, fast, and flashy fight. Phoenix Man transforms and resurrects himself several times as the fight goes on.

The fighters also crash from one stage to the next. While there isn’t much fight choreography, the composition, specifically the flashy animations of each fighter’s powerful attacks, the colourful visuals, and the highly detailed character designs of both Phoenix Man’s transformations and Child Emperor’s mech are incredibly captivating.

Phoenix man’s history is revealed in a flashback.

Halfway into the fight, Phoenix Man revives some monsters underground, but during his ramblings, he admits even he doesn’t know how this ability works, which is funny but also bad writing. It makes no sense that a villain can easily use an ability he doesn’t understand. The episode also shows a small flashback of Phoenix Man while he was still human. He is shown getting fired from his previous job—likely one that had him wear the suit in the first place.

He also notes during the fight that he hates kids, which would explain his animosity towards the Child Emperor and his resentment against the world. While the flashback scene reveals a bit about the villain, it doesn’t reveal key details, like how the suit transformed him in the first place, which is disappointing.

The fight reaches its tipping point as Phoenix Man and Child Emperor execute their ultimate attacks, both of which are animated excellently by J.C.Staff with fluid motions and explosive impact frames. Additionally, for the first time in the season, the fight background music enhances the fight and makes it incredibly engaging.

One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 9 mostly maintains the momentum the season has started building.

The long fight ends with the Child Emperor’s ingenuity and quick thinking. Right after his ultimate attack fails to take down the monster, he reveals he slipped a tickle gadget into Phoenix Man’s suit, which makes him laugh uncontrollably and forces him to tear into his own suit.

This depletes the suit’s energy, allowing Child Emperor to attack him and rip the suit off completely, winning him the battle. However, it would have been more fitting and satisfying if there had at least been hints during the fight that he did this. Instead, he only reveals it at the end, which makes it feel less deserved.

After the battle, Hellfire Flame and Tempest Wind wake up after their fight in the previous episode, only, they’re naked for some reason. As they leave the area, they run into Saitama. The episode ends with them trying to fight him but running away after realizing how tough he is.

Overall, One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 9, while not without some obvious flaws, still maintains the standard set in the previous episode. Whether this standard will be maintained in future episodes remains to be seen, it seems safe to be excited for whatever the next S-Class hero fight will be.

One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 9 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.

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