Long before series like One Piece and Cowboy Bebop received live-action adaptations, and even before the infamous “Ugly Sonic” moment, the first and most heavily criticized live-action anime adaptation was Dragon Ball Evolution. This film was so poorly received that many believed no anime-related project could ever be worse.
However, according to reports shared on Reddit, One Punch Man Season 3, specifically episode 6 titled “Motley Heroes,” has been rated even lower than Dragon Ball Evolution. The episode currently holds a 1.4/10 rating on IMDb based on over 1,400 votes, while Dragon Ball Evolution has a 2.5/10 rating from 84,000 votes.
The situation is no better on Rotten Tomatoes, where One Punch Man Season 3 scores just 5% overall, compared to Evolution’s 19%.
Many reviews criticize the animation style, describing it as a slideshow of still images, calling it shockingly poor and embarrassingly cheap.
Notably, this isn’t the first time slideshow-style animation has sparked controversy in 2025. The Beginning After the End faced similar criticism, and Blue Lock has repeatedly disappointed fans. Yet, it seems One Punch Man has taken this to an unprecedented low.
Live-action adaptations of anime are always a risky gamble. Still, nothing compares to the disaster that was Dragon Ball Evolution. The film attempted to retell the original Dragon Ball story but failed miserably on every front. From terrible special effects and awful costumes to characters that bore no resemblance to their originals, every detail was a catastrophe. The actor who played live-action Goku even later apologized to creator Akira Toriyama for the serious disrespect shown to the source material.
If One Punch Man Season 3 is so bad that it surpasses the disaster of Dragon Ball Evolution, just how low has its quality fallen? This is a huge disappointment for fans who expected the animation quality to match the high standards set by Season 1.