One Punch Man Filler List: Every Episode Explained + Where to Place the OVAs

Does One Punch Man have filler? No. Across 36 episodes and three seasons, every episode adapts ONE's webcomic and Yusuke Murata's manga remake directly, and every filler guide on the internet agrees on the count: zero.

But the One Punch Man filler list is only half the story. The franchise also has 13 OVAs and special episodes, all canon, all approved by ONE, and all scattered across Blu-ray releases with no built-in viewing order. Stream the main series on Hulu or Crunchyroll, and you won't see any of them. They exist outside the episode count entirely, and the only way to know where they belong is a placement guide.

One Punch Man Filler Quick Stats

Every filler database says the same thing about One Punch Man: zero. The real question isn't what to skip but where to place the 13 OVAs and whether Season 3's production quality changes your watch plan.

Every Season at a Glance

The full OPM episodes list across all three seasons is 36 entries of unbroken canon, and not one is worth skipping for story reasons. The only number that changes across those rows is the MAL score, and that drop from 8.47 to 4.76 is worth understanding before you decide what to do with Season 3.

The OVA Guide: All 13 Specials Placed in Watch Order

One Punch Man has 13 OVA and special episodes released between 2015 and 2020. All were written or approved by ONE, making every one canon. They're side stories set between main episodes, and the Season 1 specials in particular benefit from Madhouse's animation, making them feel like deleted scenes from S-Class production.

Two recap specials also exist (one before Season 2, one before Season 3), but both just rehash prior seasons and are safe to skip.

Season 1 OVAs (Madhouse, 2015-2016)

Season 2 OVAs (J.C. Staff, 2019-2020)

Three OVAs stand above the rest. Road to Hero is the franchise's only prequel, showing Saitama before he went bald. The Sisters gives Fubuki and Tatsumaki their best joint screen time in the anime. And The Murder Case is a locked-room comedy that plays to OPM's strengths better than most of the main series. If you only have time for a few extras, those three are the ones.

Is Season 3 Worth Watching?

Season 3 is fully canon, same as the rest. But whether it's worth your time comes down to what drew you to One Punch Man in the first place.

Season 1's Madhouse animation was legendary partly because the animation itself was the joke: Saitama's bored expression against absurdly fluid fight choreography. J.C. Staff's takeover for Season 2 was a visible downgrade, but ONE's writing carried it. Season 3 broke something. A clip of Garou walking became the defining meme, spawning nicknames like "One-Frame Man" and "One Slideshow Man." Episode 6 earned a 1.5 on IMDb, reportedly the lowest-rated anime episode on the platform. The MAL community scored the full season at 4.76, nearly half of Season 1's rating.

The story underneath is still ONE's Monster Association arc, one of the manga's strongest. Garou's transformation, the Hero Association's fractures, and the Monster King Orochi confrontation all land as plot beats even when the animation doesn't serve them. Part 2 (2027) will adapt the Saitama vs. Cosmic Fear Garou fight, widely considered the best fight in the entire manga. Skipping Season 3 means skipping the setup for that payoff.

If you watch One Punch Man for the visual spectacle that made Season 1 legendary, Season 3 will frustrate you. If you watch for ONE's writing and the Garou arc, the season delivers what you need before Part 2. Everything in it is canon, and the extended production timeline for Part 2 suggests Bandai Namco knows the presentation needs work.

Three Ways to Watch One Punch Man

Since the One Punch Man filler list has nothing to cut, the watch paths here work by addition. The 36-episode main series is your starting point, and each path adds a layer of OVA content on top of it.

Path 1: Main Series Only (~15 Hours)

All 36 episodes in release order with no OVAs. The main series never references the specials, so you won't miss any plot points or character introductions by saving them for later.

Path 2: Main Series + Best OVAs (~17 Hours)

All 36 episodes plus three standout OVAs woven in where they land best:

Roughly 48 extra minutes, all Madhouse-animated, so they visually match Season 1's quality.

Path 3: The Complete Experience (~20 Hours)

All 36 episodes plus all 13 OVAs in chronological order using the tables above. Skip the two recap specials. At 20 hours total, you can finish everything in a single dedicated weekend.

Class C Ranking, S-Class Punch

The One Punch Man filler list is the emptiest guide on this site, with nothing to skip and nothing to debate across all 36 main-series episodes. OPM earned that record by staying short, staying faithful to the source, and ending each season before the material ran dry. The real decisions live outside the filler count: 13 OVAs that are canon but invisible on streaming platforms, a season that delivered the right story with the wrong production quality, and a Part 2 that could adapt the best fight in the manga if the execution holds up.

Saitama sits at the bottom of the Hero Association rankings despite being the strongest hero alive. The One Punch Man filler list works the same way. It looks like the simplest page on the site, but the questions underneath it punch harder than you'd expect.

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FAQ

Does One Punch Man have filler?

No. One Punch Man has zero filler episodes across all 36 episodes and three seasons. Every episode adapts ONE's source material directly. The anime also has 13 OVA/special episodes, all canon and approved by the series creator, separate from the main episode count.

Are the One Punch Man OVAs canon?

Yes. Every OVA and special was written or approved by ONE, and they all fit within the main timeline as side stories between episodes. The standouts are Road to Hero (Saitama's prequel), The Sisters (Fubuki and Tatsumaki), and The Murder Case (the franchise's best comedy OVA).

Is One Punch Man Season 3 good?

The story is strong. ONE's Monster Association arc is one of the manga's best, and the season covers essential setup for the Saitama vs. Cosmic Fear Garou fight in Part 2 (2027). The animation drew historic backlash, landing the season at a 4.76 on MAL. Whether it's worth watching depends on whether you prioritize story or presentation.

What order should I watch the One Punch Man OVAs?

Chronologically, placed between the main-series episodes they were released alongside. Road to Hero before Episode 1. Season 1 specials between Episodes 2 and 12. Season 2 specials between Episodes 14 and 24. The full placement table above matches every OVA to its ideal position.

How many episodes of One Punch Man are there?

36 main-series episodes across three seasons, plus 13 OVA/special episodes and 2 recap specials. The complete OPM episodes list totals 51 entries. Season 3 Part 2 is confirmed for 2027 and will continue the Monster Association arc with the Saitama vs. Garou confrontation.