One-Punch Man is a web manga created by ONE that has been praised since its inception for its entertaining storyline. The original work has also been remade into an anime by Murata Yusuke, who is known for his excellent drawing skills. We would like to explore the abilities of One-Punch Man's protagonist, Saitama, the ultimate hero who is so strong he can defeat his enemies with a single punch, and explore his appeal.
【One-Punch Man】 Saitama's Charm and Abilities ①: The Strongest in the Series, His Strength is Otherworldly
Ending Anything with One Punch
Source: One-Punch Man ©ONE, Yusuke Murata / Shueisha, Hero Association Headquarters
A powerful enemy so powerful that it easily destroys an entire town in an attempt to eradicate humanity, a pathogen born from repeated human environmental pollution that continues to erode the Earth, a living organism. In another work, this monster would easily defeat the final boss of a chapter.
Every single one of them is defeated with one punch.
Source: One Punch Man ©ONE, Yusuke Murata / Shueisha, Hero Association Headquarters
He's defeated a giant foe resembling one from Attack on Titan, powerful enough to destroy an entire city with a single punch; an enemy powerful enough to overwhelm Genos, who would later become an S-class hero; a formidable foe that defeated numerous heroes, including S-class heroes; and a gigantic meteorite capable of destroying an entire city with one punch. While Boros, powerful enough to destroy humanity, wasn't defeated with one punch, Saitama never showed his true strength until the very end, and in the end, he defeated him with a single punch, including a special move that would put the Earth in danger.
What's the secret behind Saitama's strength?
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Before becoming a hero, Saitama was job hunting when he encountered a monster and fought it. From that moment on, he aimed to become a hero and trained hard to be unbeatable. Through intense training so intense that he went bald, Saitama traded his hair for invincible power. However, while the training menu is tough, it's fairly standard, and it's a complete mystery what went wrong to achieve such power.
Saitama's Fighting Style
Source: One-Punch Man ©ONE, Yusuke Murata/Shueisha, Hero Association Headquarters
Superhuman close-quarters combat. However, it's a one-hit kill with inflated attack power that lacks any ingenuity or technique. His fighting style, which he has perfected by leveling up and hitting with physical attacks, is at first glance unimpressive, and the names of his techniques are unimpressive as well. Unimpressive, in short. Looking at the results alone, he has defeated enemies worthy of the human race with a single punch, yet his unimpressive fighting style is likely to be a factor in why he has not received the recognition he deserves.
[One-Punch Man] Examining Saitama's Appeal and Abilities ②: His Intelligence is Below C-Rank
He's Not Good at Thinking Deeply
Source: One-Punch Man ©ONE, Yusuke Murata / Shueisha, Hero Association Headquarters
Saitama possesses overwhelming fighting abilities, but his intelligence is undoubtedly below C-Rank. Saitama is not the type of person who thinks things through too deeply, and even when faced with a problem, he tends to move forward on a whim, using his overwhelming fighting ability to smash through obstacles. If asked how he would overcome an insurmountable wall, Saitama would surely answer, "I can break it, so I'll break it and move forward."
Lacks common sense and can't read the situation
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He's a hero as a hobby, but he didn't know that heroes belonged to the Hero Association until Genos told him. Naturally, he doesn't know about disaster-level or famous S-class heroes, and he never loses his composure even when faced with arrogant people. He's not good at complicated conversations. This is generally true for S-class heroes, but Saitama is also quite different from the image of a hero that the general public has in their minds.
[One-Punch Man] Saitama's Charm and Strength, Part 3: Mental Strength
An Extraordinarily Tough Man
Source: One-Punch Man ©ONE, Yusuke Murata / Shueisha, Hero Association Headquarters
Perhaps because Saitama has become so strong, he has lost all sense of fear, joy, tension, anger, and other emotions. He's never emotionally shaken or discouraged in battle. He's proud of being a hero because he wants to be, and he has the determination to stick to his opinions without wavering in the face of status or power.
What if you thought that?
Source: One-Punch Man ©ONE・Yusuke Murata/Shueisha・Hero Association Headquarters
He possesses the tenacity to withstand any foe and displays mental strength, but this only applies to his own strength. His mental age is actually on the low side, and he warms up like a child when he gets beaten to a pulp by King in a game, when he has trouble killing a mosquito, or when he is called bald. Rather than being mentally strong, it might be more accurate to say that he is an extremely thick-skinned fool.
What is the reason for his thick skin?
Source: One-Punch Man ©ONE, Yusuke Murata / Shueisha, Hero Association Headquarters
Saitama's mental toughness is likely due to his overwhelming strength. He's become so strong that he no longer feels anything when defeating an enemy. To use a game analogy, it's like playing a game where you level up and can clear it by simply hitting with physical attacks. It's only natural that he would feel nothing when playing such a game.
[One-Punch Man] Examining Saitama's Appeal and Abilities ④: The Evolution of Hero Rank
What are ranks and hero names?
Source: One-Punch Man ©ONE, Yusuke Murata / Shueisha, Hero Association Headquarters
Heroes recognized by the Hero Association are ranked based on their strength and contributions, and are given hero names. Ranks range from C-class to S-class, and the top rank in each rank grants the right to be promoted. Hero names are decided based on how they represent the character, and Saitama was worried that his hero name would be something like "Hagemanto," but the hero name given to him was indeed "Hagemanto." .
Saitama's Hero Rank
Source: One-Punch Man ©ONE, Yusuke Murata/Shueisha, Hero Association Headquarters
Saitama's rank rose from 388th in C-Class (lowest) to 342nd in C-Class, 5th in C-Class, 2nd in C-Class, 1st in C-Class, 101st in B-Class, 63rd in B-Class, 33rd in B-Class, 7th in B-Class, and 39th in A-Class. Just as Bang said, his combat ability is definitely S-rank.
[One-Punch Man] Saitama's Appeal and Abilities ⑤: A Man Easily Misunderstood
Examining the Reasons for His Low Appreciation
Source: One-Punch Man ©ONE, Yusuke Murata / Shueisha, Hero Association Headquarters
Saitama, who is often considered a comedic character in One-Punch Man, is easily misunderstood and tends to be underappreciated by those around him. That's what makes One-Punch Man so interesting, but there are several reasons why he's not highly regarded despite his unparalleled fighting abilities.
Reason 1: He looks weak
Source: One-Punch Man ©ONE, Yusuke Murata/Shueisha, Hero Association Headquarters
One of the reasons Saitama, despite being the strongest hero, is not highly regarded is because he doesn't look strong at first glance. Saitama is bald and doesn't have any particularly powerful weapons, so it's hard to imagine how strong he is just from his appearance. Despite repeatedly breaking new records in the physical strength section of the Hero Certification Exam, he is judged to be cheating, and he is often insulted despite fulfilling his hero duties. Although he doesn't mind it at all, he gets angry when people point out his baldness.
Reason ② for Low Ratings: No Public Relations
Source: One-Punch Man ©ONE, Yusuke Murata / Shueisha, Hero Association Headquarters
His stance of being a hero because he wants to is a downfall, as he doesn't engage in any public relations activities or report to the Hero Association (he initially didn't even know the Hero Association existed). In addition, he quickly leaves the scene after defeating most monsters with one punch, which likely contributes to the lack of witnesses. Even if there were witnesses, he would obviously be treated as a fraud, so it's unclear whether he would have been highly esteemed anyway, as he has such a lack of virtue.
Reason 3 for Not Being Rated: His Timing is Fatally Inaccurate
Source: One-Punch Man ©ONE, Yusuke Murata / Shueisha, Hero Association Headquarters
As mentioned above, Saitama's timing is fatally inadequate, as he defeats monsters with one punch and then quickly leaves, leading to King, who happened to be present, taking credit for the feat. Even when he defeats monsters, his timing is often interpreted negatively by the general public. To put it bluntly, he's a comedy character.
[One-Punch Man] Saitama's Appeal and Abilities 6: Saitama's Friendships
While the general public may view Saitama as a fake bald guy, S-class heroes and other powerful characters honestly appreciate his abilities, which naturally draws people to him.
Friendship ①: Genos
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Genos, a cyborg with a dark past that would take too long to explain and a reason to fight, half-forcefully becomes Saitama's apprentice in order to discover the secret of his strength. Genos often appears alongside Saitama, often saving him in times of trouble, but he also possesses heroic qualities.
Friendship ②: King
Source: One-Punch Man ©ONE, Yusuke Murata / Shueisha, Hero Association Headquarters
Though they had no intention of doing so, a series of coincidences led to King stealing Saitama's credit. However, after Saitama found out, King and King frequently came over to play games together, making for a seemingly ordinary friendship. The two seem completely incompatible in terms of personality and strength, but perhaps their laid-back nature somehow gets them on the same wavelength.
Friendship 3: Bang
Source: One-Punch Man ©ONE・Yusuke Murata/Shueisha・Hero Association Headquarters
Even among S-Class heroes, Bang is a truly decent and respectable person. He harbors no ill will toward Saitama, acknowledges his strength, and shows the generosity of a man of his time by inviting him to his dojo and fighting alongside him.
Friendship ④: Fubuki
Source: One Punch Man ©ONE, Yusuke Murata / Shueisha, Hero Association Headquarters
After being rejected after a forceful invitation to join the B-rank Fubuki-Gumi faction, Fubuki, upon learning of Saitama's strength, makes him a member of the Fubuki-Gumi voluntarily (though he doesn't admit it; he just says it himself). He visits Saitama's apartment whenever something happens, and like King and Genos, he has completely blended in. Like Genos, he has become a heroine, having been saved from danger by Saitama and Tatsumaki on numerous occasions.
Friendship ⑤: Unlicensed Rider
Source: One-Punch Man ©ONE・Yusuke Murata/Shueisha・Hero Association Headquarters
Mumen Rider, the most characterful character in One-Punch Man, hasn't had much contact with Saitama since his fight with Deep Sea King. However, they do seem to be close enough to visit Mumen Rider when he's hospitalized after a serious injury. They're actually classmates.
A Summary of Saitama's Appeal and Strength
This time, we've summarized the appeal of Saitama, the ultimate protagonist. Saitama hasn't yet shown his full potential, but will the day come when he fights at full strength? The second season of One-Punch Man is scheduled to air in spring 2019, and it looks like the series will continue to gain momentum. We're sure to see Fubuki and other S-Class heroes in action in the second season!
