I want to talk about One Punch Man. Why? Because I’ve fallen in love with the series and not ashamed to admit it. It’s become a guilty pleasure of mine now, for better or worse. For those people out there that have never heard of One Punch Man; 1.) I’m sorry to hear that, and 2.) I’ll explain what it’s all about.
The story of One Punch Man started off as a webcomic, then transitioned to magna (print) anime (television) video games and a live action movie, which is being developed. One Punch Man was created by ONE1 and Yusuke Murata; while the manga has sold over 30 million copies and has been translated into several different languages.
So, who or what exactly is One Punch Man? One Punch Man follows the story of a man named Saitama, that has trained and developed his body to a point that he has become so absurdly strong, that he can defeat any opponent with only one punch. He has also gained super speed and invulnerability through his training.
For his training, Saitama spent three years completing the same daily fitness workout: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, a 10 km run, as well eating healthy food, and not using the air conditioner or heater to reinforce his mental toughness. This training regime transformed Saitama into quite possibly, the strongest person in the world, but at the cost of his hair falling out, and slowly being disconnected from emotions.
There are many more facets about Saitama and his world, that I could explain to you, but I feel a lot of that can be found on other websites. Because of this, I want to talk about why I actually like this series, whether it’s the manga or anime.
I have the first 21 volumes of the manga, while the 22nd and 23rd volumes are still on pre-order for me. I have also watched both seasons of the anime, so I can come at this from both mediums. It’s just so much fun and entertaining! To me it’s just a guilty pleasure, it’s just so much fun.
I love how Saitama has deep and philosophical questions about himself, his role as a hero, as well as his place in the world. I find this very refreshing to see this coming from a protagonist, because Saitama is actually a complex character. He’s bored and he’s trying to find some adventure and bring meaning to his life. I think that’s awesome, I really do.
Another thing I love about the series; regardless if we talking about the manga or anime, is the fact that there are strong background characters. I mean, they really are amazing. There could be many spinoffs from these characters. I mean, I would love to have a backstory for Speed-o’-Sound Sonic; or for some of the Class S heroes, especially Pig God.
I also love the ranking system for the heroes, which I feel is very original and quite innovating, because it shows you superheroes from a completely different prospective and in my humble opinion; it works, it really works.
I don’t know if the ranking system could have been pulled off in American comics, because it would possibly come off as nonsensical. However, I think this is one of the advantages manga has over American and Western comics.
Sorry, I just love this series. Whenever I get a new volume, I try to make it a priority and read it within the first week; but usually, I go back and read the previous volume beforehand. This is because, it could have been four-eight months since I read the series, so it’s better to refresh myself with the story again.
I love how with the Class S heroes, everyone is quite different and they all have various motivations; and since I’ve already mentioned him, take Pig God for example. From what I have read and seen about him, he defeats his villains by eating them; that’s completely horrifying and hilarious at the same time.
Also there’s Puri-Puri Prisoner; he’s an amazing character because of his Angel Style fighting move, which can only be performed naked and the fact that he has a harem of men. He likes being in prison, because he’s closer to his “honies”. He is wickedly funny.
This series is so much fun, it’s rare for me to be reading something that makes me laugh so much. The series is so hilarious and it works, because Saitama is not a serious character, but Genos is. I feel the fact that these two have become heroes for different reasons, actually works in their favour, when working together. They are actually learning from each other.
There have been some magnificent scenes in the series, but I think one of best ones, is the practice fight between Saitama and Genos, especially in the anime. Reading it in the manga was brilliant, but to see it translated into anime, was simply just awe inspiring; it seriously was.
It was one of the coolest fight scenes I have ever witnessed; at one point Genos was fighting Saitama’s after images, and then displaying just how unbelievably and ridiculously overpowered Saitama is, his non-connecting thrown punch caused mountains to be smashed. It’s absurd and awesome at the same time. I can’t say enough about this series, I love it, I really really love it.
I feel that One Punch Man; just like Invincible, has added something to the superhero genre. The dialogue is funny, the art is exquisite and you can’t but help root for Saitama; not just to win, but because you are watching his internal growth.
One Punch Man is more than a comical or superhero spoof, it’s intelligent and it’s also very hilarious. This could be very naive of me to say, but I feel this series can make a lot of people happy.
And isn’t that the reason for storytelling; to make people think about things and themselves, but also to be entertained and One Punch Man does this. It doesn’t matter how long this series exists, I’m in for the long haul.
I can’t forget to mention about everybody’s fighting styles. Some of these are the best sounding names, this side of the Dragon Ball Saga. Lion Slash Meteor Shower, Tank Top Tackle, Void Shaking Tiger Fist, Hell Storm, and Collapsing Star Roaring Cannon, are just some of the epic fighting styles.
I think when it comes to One Punch Man, Saitama has become one of the new faces of superheroes in the 21st century; along with Class S, Class A, Class B, Class C heroes, and the monsters too.
I also think it would be a mistake for me to not discuss Mumen Rider. I think he is Class C, Rank 1 and to me, I think he is one of the most outstanding characters in the series.
This is because he has no powers; he is a rider for justice! When he turns up for a fight, he’s got his bicycle helmet, goggles and his bike, and that’s it. He get his arse kicked very single time, but that’s not what I like about him.
The reason is that they’ve created a character, that whenever there is someone that needs help, or if there is a crisis, Mumen Rider is usually the first person to put his hand up or the first person to turn up. Even though he is going to lose, he still turns up, which is actually extremely heroic.
One Punch Man is a series I only discovered 3 years ago, but it’s now become one of the greatest titles in my reading diet. If you have already read or seen One Punch Man, let me know. If you haven’t, do yourself a favour and correct that mistake.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you soon.
1 ONE originally created the webcomic, then Murata came on board as the artist for the manga.
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