After the premiere of One-Punch Man Season Three, although the episode wasn't packed with dramatic twists and instead focused largely on supporting characters, the audience response was overwhelmingly positive.
After last week's frustration with the recap episode, this week's proper premiere felt like a breath of fresh air. Fans were no longer nitpicking every detail, and on the very night of broadcast, Season Three received a wave of praise.
"It's still the same familiar feeling, still the same familiar flavor!"
"Long live Teacher Shirogane!"
"So Season Three is Hero Association versus Monster Association?"
"The monsters have formed an organization too? That's kind of terrifying."
"Of course they would. Monsters aren't mindless. If heroes band together, are monsters really just supposed to wait and be picked off one by one?"
"But who founded the Monster Association? Someone who can command a being like Centipede Elder, could they actually fight Saitama?"
"Stop dreaming. The only character who ever forced Saitama to throw two punches was Boros. Vaccine Man, Rhino, the Giant Brothers, every single one went down in one hit."
"Don't forget Mosquito Girl. She's shown up across multiple seasons. At first I thought she was a joke character, but if she's tied to Season Three, these monsters might be world-ending threats."
"You think Centipede looks huge? Official materials say that compared to the Younger Giant Brother, Centipede Elder would barely be big enough to wrap around his waist like a belt."
"Wait, Younger Giant Brother is that strong?"
"Absolutely. One slap could level a city. Even an S-Class hero like Genos would probably get one-shot."
"Honestly, the OP alone showed so many weird silhouettes, they have to be Monster Association members. Damn it, why can't Teacher Shirogane release anime as fast as manga? One episode a week is torture."
"That's impossible. Manga can burst-release, but anime can't. You'd need two teams working simultaneously, and the difference in art style and storyboarding would be painfully obvious."
"Sigh… I know. I just want the next episode already."
"Slow work makes fine results. As long as the quality holds, that's enough. Rushing animation is how disasters happen."
All night long, One-Punch Man fans continued discussing the episode across forums and social platforms.
Meanwhile, professionals within Japan's animation industry were closely watching the ratings.
Everyone understood that One-Punch Man was still the strongest contender for the season's ratings crown, but even champions are judged against their own past.
Other series couldn't compete with One-Punch Man.
But One-Punch Man had to compete with itself.
Around noon on Saturday, Capital TV Station released the official ratings for the first episode of Season Three.
6.59%.
A result that perfectly carried over the momentum of Season Two.
For Rei, however, ratings were no longer something he obsessed over.
The Japanese television market has a clear ceiling. Even if Season Three continued to rise, breaking past 7% would already be near the upper limit. Beyond that, explosive growth was unlikely.
Instead, what truly mattered now was the expansion of One-Punch Man's merchandise ecosystem.
Put bluntly, the anime itself doesn't make real money.
Creators don't pursue anime adaptations for the modest licensing fees or Blu-ray sales. The true value lies elsewhere.
Anime brings a work directly in front of Japan's largest ACGN audience, driving explosive demand for manga, games, novels, figures, apparel, and countless derivative products.
At this point, One-Punch Man's viewership growth had reached a saturation point. Pushing ratings higher held diminishing returns. Expanding its global merchandise presence, however, was critical.
Rei had understood this since Season One.
Back then, his merchandise partners weren't top-tier companies. Production capacity was limited, and some products suffered from quality complaints.
But by the time Season Three premiered, the situation had completely changed.
Several major Japanese merchandise manufacturers and distributors now treated One-Punch Man as their top-priority project of the quarter.
Not only were domestic stores fully stocked, but overseas distribution channels were actively expanding as well.
Naturally, these companies worked for profit, and Rei had made concessions.
He wasn't a god. He couldn't personally oversee creation, production, logistics, marketing, and global sales.
He wasn't some mythical being with three heads and six arms.
As long as the IP continued to grow, Rei didn't mind giving up a portion of short-term profit.
He never intended to rely on One-Punch Man for the rest of his life.
He still carried too many outstanding works from his past-life memories.
While handling matters related to One-Punch Man, the Hunter × Hunter manga continued updating steadily.
And then there was Rei's new project, Arcane.
"Scheduled for January next year, still airing on Capital TV Station, still one episode per week…"
When Rei laid out the plan, Himari frowned. After a moment, she let out a helpless sigh.
"Teacher Shirogane, you really are a devilish investor."
In Rei's previous life, Arcane had taken several years just to complete a single season.
In Japan's animation industry, as long as funding was sufficient, talent could be gathered rapidly, key animators, directors, production managers, background artists.
And if recruitment wasn't enough, you could always poach.
Himari understood Rei's meaning immediately.
This was a project with strict quality standards, a fixed broadcast schedule, and forty-minute episodes.
To deliver it on time, Illumination Production would have to expand aggressively, bringing in more top-tier talent and partnering with elite animation companies. If certain segments exceeded their in-house technical limits, those parts would simply be outsourced to stronger studios.
"If the budget isn't enough, tell me."
Rei looked straight at her, his tone calm but firm.
"One-Punch Man is expected to bring in several hundred million in global revenue this year. Hunter × Hunter will bring in a similar amount. You don't need to worry about funding."
Himari felt her heart skip a beat.
Money wasn't omnipotent, but in animation production, she genuinely couldn't think of many problems that couldn't be solved with sufficient capital, especially backed by her own network and her father's connections.
After a brief pause, Rei continued.
"Miss Himari, we've worked together for a long time. If you're interested in Arcane, I'm willing to let you invest in the project."
He stopped briefly, then added with precision.
"Your stake will not exceed 4%. You'll only receive dividend rights from the Arcane anime itself. The IP, characters, and all derivative rights remain mine. I also reserve the right to repurchase the stake at a capped price at any time."
"If you agree, and if you trust me, you're welcome to invest."
In most cases, animation studios working for Party A only receive production fees and hold no copyright.
Sometimes, studios invest partially. And occasionally, original works are fully funded and produced by the studio itself.
But Rei didn't need outside investment.
This offer was clearly a gesture of trust, and a strategic binding of interests. By tying Himari to the project financially, he ensured her commitment wouldn't just be professional, but absolute.
A 4% stake, based on Arcane Season One's budget, meant several million in upfront investment.
For Himari, that was no small sum.
She would have to commit nearly all her personal savings, and reinvest a significant portion of the production fees and profits earned from One-Punch Man.
But considering Rei's track record…
After deducting costs, this wasn't risk, it was closer to Rei handing her millions in future returns.
As for Arcane failing?
She hadn't even considered that possibility.
Some people in the industry were mocking Shirogane for pouring hundreds of millions into an anime that might lose money.
Himari trusted neither their judgment, nor her own.
She trusted Rei's.
Could someone this steady, this rational, truly gamble hundreds of millions on a doomed project?
And while Rei mentioned the repurchase clause, she knew his character well enough. Unless their cooperation collapsed entirely, he would never bother reclaiming such a small stake.
All of these thoughts flashed through her mind in seconds.
"Alright," she said, nodding without hesitation.
"Then… happy cooperation."
Rei smiled.
"I'm currently tied up with multiple projects. For Arcane, I'll personally handle character design, visual direction, storyboards, and part of the music."
He met her gaze.
"For everything else, I'll be relying on you, Miss Himari."