Who is Shinpei Nagai? 'One Punch Man' Season 3 director quits social media after online harassment from fans

Shinpei Nagai, the director of season 3 of One Punch Man, quit social media after being harassed by fans on the internet. According to reports, the bashing was related to the direction as well as the animation quality of the third season of the manga series. Earlier this week, Nagai deleted his X account, citing mental health concerns.

In a final tweet, Nagai wrote,

"There are a few people among my followers who are pretending to be allies but are actually engaging in rage-baiting, so I've decided to delete my account."

Shinpei Nagai spoke about the reasons behind his decision in detail. He added,

"Honestly, this is taking a toll on my mental health, and it only brings negatives to the work, the staff, and the original creators."

Nagai further thanked his fans who had been kind towards him and then confirmed he would never return to social media. In the farewell post, Nagai also condemned those who were trying to profit from the controversy. Nagai also alleged that many "exploit the struggles of the creators for profit."

Many netizens reacted to this decision and ended up calling out those who had been bashing Nagai. Apart from being the director of the third season of One Punch Man, Shinpei Nagai reportedly is also an animator. He is also known for the thriller series Psycho-Pass and Niehime to Kemono no Ou.

One Piece animator Vincent Chansard defended the studio after the show, and director Shinpei Nagai received massive criticism

Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding fans' disappointment with the third season of One Punch Man, Vincent Chansard has decided to defend the studio. Chansard, who is the animator for One Piece, believes that the situation is more complicated than it seems.

During a live stream with KOL: Requiem on YouTube, Chansard said,

"I think a lot of people blame J.C. Staff, but it's a bit more complex. Sometimes, it's not about the animation studio; sometimes, it's about the production committee that is on top of everything."

According to Vincent Chansard, the Japanese animation studio is already under immense pressure. He further believed that harassing artists and attacking the animators should not be treated as a solution. Chansard continued,

"J.C. Staff is just a studio that's trained to survive, you know what I mean? Like again, the Japanese industry is very difficult."

The first season of the series was directed by Shingo Natsume, and the second one was led by Chikara Sakurai. The third season premiered on October 12, 2025, on multiple streaming platforms worldwide. The first season of the anime series, which dropped in 2015, received massive attention at the time. The second season premiered four years later in the year 2019.

One Punch Man Season 3 is ready to be streamed on Crunchyroll. In the US, the new season will be available on Hulu, while in Canada, it will be available for streaming on Disney+. According to reports by Variety, viewers from Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand can stream the show on Netflix.