Mob Psycho 100 makes a strong comeback into the anime world with the premiere of season 3! Mob Psycho II, released in 2019, left us wanting more and wondering if the story had already come to an end. In October 2021, Studio Bones announced that season 3 was on its way and would premiere the following year. Anime fans had been looking forward to the release of the new season ever since and now it is finally here! 

The series first aired in 2016 as an adaption of the manga written and illustrated by Japanese manga artist ONE. The story follows Shigeo Kageyama, ‘Mob’, who on the surface looks like any ordinary kid, but he is a powerful esper, a person with psychic abilities, who struggles to keep them under control. To learn more about his abilities, he works for his mentor, self-proclaimed “Greatest Psychic of the 21st Century” Reigen Arataka. Mob wants to live a normal life, as normal as a psychic’s life can get. Keep his powers under wraps, make friends, talk to his crush. However he is constantly sucked into the vortex of never ending trouble coming from evil spirits, rivals, and other espers interfering with his life. All of these things contribute to the inevitable explosion of Mob’s emotions. In other words, he goes 100%. 

While season two explored the horror genre, this season seems to be diving into more existential territory. Season 3 kicks off with the question we all ask ourselves at some point: What do you want to do with your life? Mob is challenged with this question in episode one when he is given a career survey. A trope we’ve seen demonstrated countless times in many media. However it is still important, especially for Mob who doesn’t exactly have any significant traits. Even as a psychic he is extremely modest about his abilities. Reigen has his hopes for Mob’s future but he is still not quite sure what he wants or how much longer he will continue to work with him. With the burning question eating away at Mob’s mind, he sees the consequences of choosing the wrong paths in life early on. This makes for an incredibly heartfelt scene and a perfect place to leave off for the next coming episodes. 

Of course, Mob’s identity crisis isn’t the only thing season 3 has to offer. Like always, Mob Psycho has some absolutely hilarious scenes that really make the anime worthwhile. This season also welcomes some new characters, both funny and ominous, as Mob Psycho does a great job of conveying both factors. Our favorite supporting characters gain a bit of spotlight this season as we get some insight on the next steps they plan to take in life. The Psycho Helmet Cult, a recurring theme in Mob Psycho, has become a larger part of the story since the dawn of the Divine Tree introduced at the end of season two.  The cult has claimed and begun to worship it as some divine entity and now searches for their leader, which is where our ominous new character comes into play. 

Overall, Studio Bones has done an excellent job as always and definitely hasn’t strayed away from the Mob Psycho we know and love. Their incredible animation team has wowed anime watchers for years in previous seasons of Mob Psycho as well as popular anime such as My Hero Academia, Bungou Stray Dogs, and Fullmetal Alchemist. It is exciting to see what they have in store for the rest of the Mob Psycho 100 series and future works. Check out Mob Psycho 100 season 3 streaming on Crunchyroll!