Introduction

Y'all remember the smash hit One Punch Man (OPM) in the mid to late '10s? The persiflage of the entire shounen genre as an invincible but bored superhero defeats all enemies with just one punch? Filled with other nonsensical characters like the strongest man on earth who's essentially the weakest man alive or the guy whose basically just a male feminist (male feminist) in real life? Anyways, that shit is still going strong but I've to elaborate here, OPM is based on a shitty drawn but sovlful webcomic by ONE, which in turn got adapted into an official (tm) manga with much better art by MURATA. The thingy got picked up as an anime and rose to immense popularity. Naturally, the original tone of the comic has been lost as it essentially became what it was making fun of - but that's a given for japanese "writers" as they're all whiny or talentless hacks or a combination of the aforementioned - except Fukumoto he's bae(sed). Anyway, OPM has always had a terrible release schedule but lately it's gotten so disgusting that even long-time fans are dropping the series.

Context

To reiterate, here's the release schedule of the original comic (ONE):

while lazy he managed something

Here's what Murata has managed to draw after late 2023:

You may notice the Retconned tag after some chapters. And yes, it's exactly like you are thinking. He draws those chapters, releases them, and then later decides he isn't happy with the chapter (or the entire arc) and revisions all of it while making slight adjustments. Anyway, the latest chapter is a redraw of an already redrawn chapter originally released in 2023 featuring a filler side story of a filler arc. So basically the entirety of chapters released in 2024 are retconned - people don't like this ... at all:

Drama

/r/OnePunchMan

This sub can be insufferable

I love OPM, I love all the stupid drama over which wiafu is best (they're cartoons and y'all are weird), I love the characters and story, I love the art. But the thing is we are getting a product for free here, and early. We don't have to wait for the Manga to get released, we don't have to wait for the finalized product to be able to read what's going on. We literally get a look behind the curtain as this is being made. And part of that process is fixing work that they felt needed to be fixed. Who's to blame? Murata? One? Who cares. It's their work. I'll complain about redraws when I have to rebuy my physical mangas because there's an updated version. It's not done until it's been printed and released. It feels like people are acting privileged and entitled because One released his content online, and now they assume they deserve access to finalized and completed content at our convenience. It will be done when they say it's done. Can we just enjoy what we have in the meantime?

https://old.reddit.com/r/OnePunchMan/comments/1i8rbxz/this_sub_can_be_insufferable/m8vtavd/?context=8

I'd argue that trying to pretend that deleting 14 month of progress out of nowhere is completely fine is far more insufferable.

This isn't a look behind the curtains. It's officially released chapters that also gets official translations. No other series even remotely com close to this mess so of course there is nothing wrong about pointing it out.

Another moment of silence for the poor fools read the official version of OPM on VIZ's app. Because VIZ doesn't translate redrawings.

It is fine? That's how the creative process works sometimes

Literally no other manga series does that.

https://old.reddit.com/r/OnePunchMan/comments/1i8rbxz/this_sub_can_be_insufferable/m8vsw9i/?context=8

why make us wait a whole year for a promised move forward in this story and then throw it all away? Its not us being ungrateful but if Murata truly wants quality for this manga he ought to take his time rather than rush and give us half-assed butchered storylines and retcon it constantly

What you don't understand is you're not the audience.

He is getting it right, and the version he wants is what will actually make it into the volume.

He is the audience. Fans like him are the reason why OPM got an official English physicals in the first place. His opinion will be valid if he says it in Japanese or so? That's just silly. He's still a supporting fan, and he could buy the physical manga just like any Japanese fan could. That's a narrow way of looking at it. Every fan contributes to the series' success.

Thread Dump

https://old.reddit.com/r/OnePunchMan/comments/1i7eqxi/basically_everyones_reaction/

https://old.reddit.com/r/OnePunchMan/comments/1i7p0p9/i_made_a_meme_about_the_pitiful_current_state_of/

https://old.reddit.com/r/OnePunchMan/comments/1i8a4nr/battle_for_the_ages/

https://old.reddit.com/r/OnePunchMan/comments/1i7eies/im_still_reading_it/

/r/Manga

DISC One Punch Man Chapter 195 - 2nd Revision

To be entirely precise, we were at chapter 195 in November 2023. We're in January 2025 and we're now at chapter 195. A whole year thrown away.

https://old.reddit.com/r/manga/comments/1ia11m5/disc_one_punch_man_chapter_195_2nd_revision/m96wrxa/?context=8

Ngl the constant redraws have killed my excitement for this series. Doesn't help that I personally think the story gets worse with each version (just my own opinion)

Simple redraws or changes to the pacing is one thing, but changing the literal plot or direction is too far. It feels like that they don't have a vision for the manga and is just drawing whatever they feel works, which they then don't stick to and subsequently and in my opinion wastes my time and attention.

https://old.reddit.com/r/manga/comments/1ia11m5/disc_one_punch_man_chapter_195_2nd_revision/m96oshu/?context=8

This manga fell off so hard, it really needs to be studied. Being so utterly clueless in what direction you want to take the story that you have to rewrite an arc for a third time. Just copy paste the webcomic at this point.

The funny thing is the defenders of the comic on the main subreddit

Well, it's easy to find defenders when the powertripping mods on there will parma ban anybody even remotely stating something negative about the manga.

https://old.reddit.com/r/manga/comments/1ia11m5/disc_one_punch_man_chapter_195_2nd_revision/m97n48e/?context=8

OPM is genuinely starting to feel like an afterthought with both of its artists at this point.

I know Murata has that animation project he's working on, and ONE seems occupied with Versus and Bug Ego.

Deleting an entire year's worth of chapters, after having already done a complete 180 on the direction of the climax of the most pivotal arc of the series, is actually mental.

What's the point of reading any of this if it can just be retconned whenever ONE or Murata feel like it?

And the people that are on maximum strength copium trying to justify this shit by saying it's some sort of meta-level 4th wall interference by God to prevent his will from being hindered by the plot are just hilarious. Yes, it's totally that and not just blatant mismanagement and confusion by the creators as to where they want to take the narrative.