One Punch Man
Nobody knows who he is
Author: One
Artist: Murata Yusuke
Year first published: 2009 (webcomic), 2012 (Shonen Jump)
Original Language: Japanese
Genre: Comedy, Action, Superhero, Shonen
Where to start?
I love this manga. It is one of my absolute favorites. This is not the first time I’ve read it, although it has been a while. Still I’m glad I picked this up at the library, even if they only had the first three volumes. It was nice to be able to read the tankoban, especially as they had some bonus chapters that I hadn’t read before.
The premise is simple: Saitama is a man who became a hero for fun. He’s so powerful, that nothing lasts more than one single punch against him. However, this has caused him to feel listless after a fight. He became a hero, but there is no challenge. No one can match up to him.
However, this isn’t one of those super serious fighting manga where the overpowered protagonist just rides on easy street, forming a harem or whatever, getting fame and fortune wherever he goes. In fact, Saitama doesn’t really have power fantasy vibes at all.
As he says himself at the end of chapter 3, “Overwhelming power is boring.”
At the core of it, One punch man is comedy. This is what makes the super overpowered aspect work, and is a key part of the formula. Being so powerful that fights end in one punch isn’t even the main point. The biggest draw of the story and why it’s so fun to read is the colorful cast, and how nonchalant Saitama is about fighting. Everything is utterly boring to him when it comes to combat. He got so strong that no one can stand against him, and the thrill is completely gone. He cares much more about whether or not he can make it to the store for a big sale than he does about being powerful.
The gags are hilarious. A seaweed monster gets in his way and his reaction is to harvest him for kombu for soup stock. He goes to a fight and gets upset that he got the day wrong and that big sale he was waiting for is today and not tomorrow! A young man asks to be his pupil and he turns him down, only to immediately accept him once he offers to pay cash for rent.
The power scaling isn’t really an issue here, like it is in much more combat focused stories like Dragon Ball Z or My Hero Academia. While the side characters have to spend time training and leveling themselves up, Saitama just wants to get through the day and maybe if he’s lucky he’ll find someone strong enough to put up a real fight.
But until then, there’s some good deals on tofu right now, so he needs to get some shopping done.
The bonus chapters added some nice extra backstory. Even when he was in middle school he was just kinda…like that. His unimpressed personality has always been there.
Not a whole lot happens plotwise in the first three volumes, frankly. He does learn about the Hero’s Association and gets his liscence, and reluctantly takes Genos under his wing, but we still haven’t really met most of the cast yet at this point, other than Mumen Rider, as well as Fubuki and Tatsumaki showing up in a bonus chapter at the end of volume 3. But that’s okay, its still entertaining nonetheless.
Volume one introduces us to our shiny headed hero, the man who became a Hero as a hobby. He also meets Genos, who begs to be his pupil once he sees how easily he’s able to deal with Mosquito girl, who nearly kills Genos. Bonus chapter has an interesting cameo by our favorite bike-riding C class hero.
Volume two introduces us to the House of Evolution, the secret laboratory of a genius who has perfected cloning and wishes to force the evolution of humans into a superior species, with powerful monsters that can level a city in mere moments– except they can’t really stand against our bargain-hungry hero.
Volume three introduces the Heroes’ Association, allowing Saitama to finally get recognition for his work…or will he? The bonus chapter has a very important lesson about not judging someone from a one off meeting!
This volume introduces one of the more…complicated characters that I have mixed feelings about, Puri-Puri Prisoner. While his concept of being a hero that is intentionally in the worst part of the Max Security prison just to keep the lowest of scum in line is already very compelling, I really don’t like is the rapey bits. Him also being a very openly gay character makes this even more irksome, as gay men are already accused a lot of being predators. Honesty just remove the flagrant sexual assault aspect of his character and he would be one of my favorites.
Denizens of the sea are rising up, with their leader taking out Puri-puri with ease and making his way to the evacuation shelter. A few heroes that decided to flee to the shelter make a feeble attempt to stand up to him, buying time for Genos to show up, as well as a personal fave of mine, Mumen Rider.
Saitama, once again, does not get the respect he deserves because a couple of idiots dont want nice things. I did, however, always really like Saitama at the end of this. He wants some recognition, mostly so he doesn’t have to do smalltime heroism weekly like stopping purse snatchers, but not at the cost of all of these beloved and well respected heroes getting torn down just because people don’t believe he’s the real deal. So he takes up the mantle of “cheat” or “fake” that just rides on the coattails of others, because he can’t stand seeing his fellow heroes get disrespected by some punks, especially when they had just almost given their lives for these civilians. This is the main reason I read the series, is not the flights and the power and the action, but because of the characters behind it all.
Saitama and Genos pay Bang a visit at his Dojo, only for there to be an emergency summons for all S-rank heroes, and of course Genos insists that his Master come along.
A great seer, Madame Shibabawa, who has 100% accuracy, has predicted that the world would face a great catastrophe within six month, wherin she promptly died by choking on a cough drop. As they are having a meeting at the Heroes Association HQ, the impenetrable fortress of a building is attacked by invaders from beyond the stars, at a threat level of Dragon.
Saitama just punches his way into the space ship and starts wrecking things of course. As one does when they’re the strongest being to currently exist and some aliens start wrecking your home.
Boros, the leader of the alien forces, has travelled lightyears, seeking a prophecy. He had become too strong, and began defeating all of his opponents in a single punch, and a seer told him he would be able to find a real fight off on a distant planet, which happened to be earth. Real big Dragon Ball vibes in this arc.
This is about where season one of the anime leaves off.
This volume also has quite a few bonus chapters, including one I really like about Saitama helping the cops out as payment for giving him a cutlet bowl.
This volume goes more into detail about one of the S-rank heroes, the strongest man on earth, King, and a dark secret he’s been hiding. This is one of the funniest mini arcs in the series.
And there’s an adorable bonus manga about Saitama helping find a lost cat.
Fubuki, AKA Hellish Blizzard, runs a rather large group of C and B rank heroes called the Blizzard Bunch. They team up to take on monsters much bigger and more powerful than their paygrade, and split the credit. Fubuki has set her sights on Saitama, and wishes to bring him into their fold, by any means necessary. Also Speed’o’sound Sonic decides to harass Genos and Saitama some more.
This volume also introduces Garo, a man who wishes to be a monster, as well as formally assigning Genos and Saitama their Hero Names.
Garo is running amok, attacking any heroes he can get his hands on, even going after Bang’s pupil, Charanko. Saitama, now curious about martial artists, asks Charanko, who gives him a ticket to a tournament he entered, but now cannot participate in due to injuries. Surely our Bald Caped Crusader wouldn’t do something stupid.
I love the one of the bonus manga. More of Blizzard trying her hardest to get Saitama to join her, with them making a bet that whoever loses has to do what the winner asks. Blizzard makes him sign a contract and we are again reminded why Saitama was only placed in C rank: because he is an absolute idiot. He doesn’t read the contract at all, and the contest was never intended by The Blizzard Bunch to be physical.
Originally posted 2023/09/13
Last updated 2023/10/23