One Punch Man Season 3 Episode 3 Recap: What Happened To Tareo?

Even though it’s too early to predict, as only three episodes have been released so far, the quality of storytelling and animation in the ongoing third season of One Punch Man has viewers worried that this season too is going to take a nosedive. The previous couple of episodes had little to no narrative progression, and things don’t change much with the latest one either, which spends most of its runtime in an unnecessary exposition dump. Previously, the rematch between Garou and Saitama ended within seconds as Saitama knocked him out with a single punch. Insect God and King the Ripper, who were following Garou under Gyoro Gyoro’s command, decide to attack him after doubting his true intentions. S-class hero Zombieman, a former test subject of the House of Evolution, believed the organization to be responsible for the creation of the Monster Association, but much to his shock, learned that it had been disbanded long ago.

Spoilers Ahead

Dr. Genus Remembers Saitama

One Punch Man episode 3 begins with Zombieman having a discussion with evil genius Dr. Genus, the creator of House of Evolution, who was responsible for all the vile experimentations done on the test subjects. Genus’ pursuit of immortality resulted in Sample 66 being turned into a zombified being who took the name Zombieman and became a high-ranking hero. Zombieman demands answers from Genus, asking him why he disbanded his organization. Genus mentions that the disappointment of realizing that none of his creations can surpass the mighty Saitama implored him to disband the organization. Viewers will surely remember in the first season Saitama killed Genus’ strongest creation, Carnage Kabuto, with a single punch. Genos doesn’t remember Saitama by name, but he still remains awestruck by the fact that Saitama transformed himself from an average nobody to the strongest being through sheer will and hard work. Genus further explains to Zombieman that strong negative emotions and loss of humanity might naturally mutate people into monsters, or experimentations might turn them into such hideous destructive creatures. Similarly, heroes of the world are either born with unique abilities or use tech or similar scientific knowledge to transform into stronger versions of themselves. But Saitama is exceptional, as he forged his path without following any such route and surpassed the natural limiter of strength that exists for everyone. 

Does Garou Die?

The narrative shifts to Garou’s fight with Insect God and King the Ripper, who pose quite a strong challenge as they beat him up pretty bad. However, Garou’s dogged determination and natural ability to adapt help him to go toe-to-toe with brute monsters like them despite not being in his best shape. Just when it seems Garou is going to take the upper hand in the battle, he gets distracted by Hedro Jellyfish, his old enemy from the second season, who has taken Tareo hostage. Using this as an opportunity, Ripper launches a sneak attack on Garou and delivers a severe beatdown with Insect God. Ripper goes overboard as he seemingly kills Garou by slashing him up, and the monster trio returns to the Monster Association with Tareo as their hostage. Garou lies lifeless, and his fate remains in question. 

Saitama’s Segment Acts As Comic Relief

Meanwhile, Saitama returns to his apartment, where his friends—Bang, Bomb, King, and Genos—are anxiously waiting for him. They wonder whether Saitama faced hero hunter Garou in a battle, and seeing him in distress, they grow concerned about how the fight went. However, Saitama reveals he is concerned due to losing his wallet, and moments later his concerns shift to leaving his belongings in the restaurant from which he fled earlier. The humor is pretty on point, as fans are familiar with the usual juxtaposition of Saitama dealing with every serious situation in an extremely casual way, but the animations are so badly done it feels off-putting. Fubuki has followed Saitama to his apartment, carrying his belongings, and calls him out for leaving her to pay his bills. 

Dr. Kuseno, who transformed a severely wounded teenage Genos into a cyborg, makes a surprise visit to Saitama’s apartment. The genius inventor has followed the distress signal that Genos’ machine body released after sustaining severe damage during his fight with Elder Centipede. Kuseno is surprised to learn Saitama took care of the threat, which nearly put Genos on the verge of death, and thanks him for looking after Genos. Saitama is bored to death as Kuseno continues to talk but becomes extremely polite when Kuseno offers him a box of premium beef cuts as a token of gratitude. Fubuki regrets not realizing she could convince Saitama to join the Blizzard group simply by bribing him with food. 

What Happened to Tareo?

Ripper lies to Gyoro Gyoro, mentioning it was Garou who attacked them first, and shares his wish to have Tareo as a hostage, as he wants to torture him along with Waganma, son of Hero Association sponsor Narinki. Gyoro Gyoro mentions that a surveillance robot from the Hero Association was already sent to locate their underground lair, and it’s only a matter of time until the Hero Association sends their S-class champions after pinpointing their location. He has no time to entertain Ripper’s frivolousness, as monsters need to be prepared for the impending war with heroes. As Ripper keeps Tareo in captivity with Waganma, it is hinted that Metal Knight, the S-class hero who went on his own to find the Monster Association, did not survive and was hunted down by the newest recruit to the organization, G5, aka Machine God Battle Robot. Listening to Tareo’s plight, Waganma assures him that his father will send heroes to rescue them and immediately shows his irritable, entitled attitude by asking Tareo to serve him. Overhearing their conversation, Hedro Jellyfish pays a visit to the kids and claims that even S-class heroes are no match for the upper echelon Dragon-class monsters. Hedro is convinced that none of the human heroes can put up a fight against the vicious monstrosities of their organization and derives great pleasure by making the kids terrified. 

As One Punch Man episode 3 comes to an end, Garou lies in a pool of blood where his battle with the monsters took place, and a faint movement of his hand indicates he is still alive. However, after he eventually recovers, it will be interesting to see whether he returns to the Monster Association once again or decides to forge his own path. 

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