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I was introduced toOne-Punch Manlike many other anime fans, in 2015 when the series debuted the unanimously acclaimed first season of its anime, andSaitamabecame a household name in modern mainstream otaku fandom. While the second season didn’t live up to the hype, those familiar with ONE’s original webcomic, or Yusuke Murata’s manga adaptation serialized inTonari no Young Jump,know the excellent potential for the series. However, one thing that’s revealed by subsequent arcs inOne-Punch Manis justhow much better its stories are when Saitama is nowhere to be found.
I was intrigued and impressed by the animation ofOne-Punch Manseason 1, with it being one of the few anime I could watch during my grad school years. However, as the years went by and I rediscovered my love for manga, I quickly fell for Murata’s intricate art, recently devouring every chapter up tothe redrawn current arc.
It’s easy to claimOne-Punch Manis better in its chapters without Saitama, but the truth behind such a statement is more complicated.
Saitama Is Not Interested in Being a Hero in One-Punch Man
He Mainly Craves a Strong Opponent
Suppose Saitama’s introduction inOne-Punch Manis not enough indication of his boredom driving him to become a hero “for fun”. In that case, he lacks awareness of the gravity of his fights, such as his fight with Lord Boros at the climax of the Alien Conquerors Arc. He finds hero work trivial,languishing in B-Class,a travesty, as he outclasses all other heroes in strength. Yet, Saitama is strangely relatable inOne-Punch Manfor this ennui, in how he struggles to find fulfillment when he’s worked out to peak condition.
Saitama famously comments on Boros after his fight, saying “he’s really strong” and that he was maybe the strongest Saitama had faced, at least until he fights Cosmic Garou.
There are great examples of Saitama’s disinterest in heroism, including the chapters leading to the Super Fight Arc, like chapter #48, where he’s promised a sea of tough opponents in a martial arts tournament. When the Ninjas Arc begins, even in the redrawn chapters ofOne-Punch Man, he’s content grabbing udon noodles, thinking Blast is a sufficient hero for any job without him. It’s not to say that Saitama’s complete absence fromOne-Punch Manis required; after all,to remove him would be to remove the series' essence, but the series gets far more exciting in arcs where he’s gone.
One-Punch Man Arcs Are More Interesting Without the Protagonist
Supporting Characters Get Focus When Saitama Is Absent
I loved the earlier arcs ofOne-Punch Man’smanga and felt frustrated that season 2 handled much of those fairly poorly, with shoddy animation not matching the quality of season 1. Beyond the gorgeous art of Murata’s manga adaptation, it gave me more chapters focusing on the supporting cast ofOne-Punch Man, namely, members of the Hero Association.
While less powerful than Saitama, these heroes are unique, exceptionally well-designed, and lovable. Mumen Rider is a humble treasure of a hero, Pig God’s abilities to devour even Dragon-class threats are imposing, and Tatsumaki is an incredible badass of an esper.
These characters are suddenly introduced and given multiple arcs, namely the Monster Association Arc and Super Fight Arc, where they fight increasingly dire global threats inOne-Punch Manwithout Saitama.
This is because Saitama is off chasing other pursuits, like a worthy opponent in battle, while others, including his disciple, Genos, are on the ground fighting the next big threat. Saitama makes power-scaling less interesting, but his absence reveals just how many dangerous threats outrank humans asthe strongest characters inOne-Punch Manas many struggle to handle the monsters and aliens tormenting the world.
Saitama Is a More Interesting Character Outside of Battle
Outside His Element, Caped Baldy Is Endearing Yet Hopeless
Out of any interpersonal dynamics, even more interesting than Saitama’s bond with Genos is that of Saitama and King, a perfect juxtaposition inOne-Punch Man.Saitama is so incredibly powerful that people either can’t comprehend it or conveniently find explanations to remain ignorant. At the same time, King is famously intimidating as “The Strongest Man on Earth,” yet he’s never fought before,bumbling his way into S-Class.
The two are drawn to hang out together, playing video games, with King aware of Saitama’s godly gift despite being continuously heaped with accolades he doesn’t deserve while feeling inspired by him. Yet, Saitama is completely hopeless, out of his element inOne-Punch Man,built to be the supreme defender of the planet.
Until he’s properly recognized for it, he remains unaware of how incredible his talents are. Even in episode #2 of the anime, Saitama struggles with something as simple as swatting a fly. When playing fighting games with King, he inevitably spams the same moves or relies on the same patterns, indicative of his fighting style.Even though he preaches a strict strength training regimen, his predictability and lack of willingness to adapt are odd, yet they ground him.
Saitama is a god in battle inOne-Punch Man. But in life,he’s still figuring things out while trying to find fulfillment,which I can certainly appreciate, and I am certainly guilty of similar habits holding me back. Granted, I’m fairly confident I can’t breathe in space, among other feats of his. Still, the basic concept that ONE came up with for this story was to make a hero completely unmatched in battle, but struggling with everyday tasks in real life, and he succeeded.
One-Punch Man Makes Saitama’s Returns Worth the Wait
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
The other side of whyOne-Punch Manis better without Saitama ishow it builds more anticipation for how he resolves the deadliest situations in the series.There is no greater case for this than chapter #166 of the VIZ digital release, and while I’m not eager to spoil events ofOne-Punch Manseason 3 and beyond, a key tragedyfinally pushes Saitama to get serious. The result is proof of Saitama lacking a true upper limit, as he unleashes a furious barrage of attacks on Garou, driving the pair into space and causing irreparable harm to the solar system.
While there are certainly more key moments of Saitama being a silly, incompetent goofball while the world’s heroes struggle to keep danger at bay, knowing he gets serious at least once helps shake up the formula for the series.
This fight is incredible,and given the amount of detail going into it, it’d be unsustainable and unreasonable to expect it to happen repeatedly in the story. Still, it’s a solid case for giving the people what they want at least once, and Murata executed it perfectly. While there are certainly more key moments of Saitama being a silly, incompetent goofball while the world’s heroes struggle to keep danger at bay,knowing he gets serious at least once helps shake up the formula for the series.
Saitama’s Absence Allowed Me to Discover My Favorite Character
He’s Come a Long Way from the Bathroom
I must admit that I simply adoreSpeed-o'-Sound Sonic, my favorite character in the series. He is the series punching bag in more ways than one, with his lowest, most hilarious point being when he thoroughly cooks a monster cell, rendering it inert, before eating it and getting nothing but diarrhea in chapter #76. This made Sonic seem more like a joke to me than anything, in a bad way, until the recent Ninjas Arc, where he reflects onSaitama as a rival.
Here,Saitama’s role becomes clear forOne-Punch Man’smany characters: whether he realizes it or not, his abilities inspire others to improve, such as Sonic, King, and more. Such is Sonic’s case where, after striving to reach Saitama’s level for so long, he realizes how much he’s grown as a fighter, able to keep up with his former comrade, Flashy Flash, an S-Class hero.
I don’t think Sonic is inspired to become a hero, but he has become a better fighter, a better person, and a more interesting character due to Saitama’s presence, yet shining in his absence inOne-Punch Man.
