ONE came out to show why he is so loved…
Have you ever felt that an anime or series ends up “betraying your ideals”? Well, it seems that ONE will not be one of those mangaka who has done this as his story takes an interesting turn. Perhaps, you may have even noticed that Saitama seemed to have lost track of his humanity throughout One-Punch Man, but this has changed now that he has had to relearn what it means to not only be a hero, but to be a human.
This article will contain a couple of spoilers.if you want to follow Saitama’s story on your own, you can read it through Viz Average. Going back to the story, it’s clear that each One-Punch Man hero has his own goals and wishes: Garou wants to hunt down all the heroes, Genos wants to take revenge on a cyborg, Boros wants to find a worthy opponent. Saitama, on the other hand, is a hero because it’s his hobby, and for most of history he hasn’t taken the job seriously.
In the battle with Garou, Genos is “killed” when Saitama could have done something if he had acted faster. Saitama remembers Genos’s support for him and comments that he doesn’t have the instincts of a hero. When comparing Saitama’s attitude towards heroism after breaking his limiter with his earlier attitude when he was just a salaryman, the difference is clear. Saitama, who once risked his life to stop villains like Crablante even when he had no powers, he had lost someone important by not caring.
In the same way that many of the One-Punch Man characters let their obsessions control their entire lives to the point of turning them into monsters, Saitama too seems to have lost touch with his humanity. When he sees Genos’s death, he is filled with rage because he could have easily done something about it if he had acted sooner. Rather than end the fight as soon as possible to minimize casualties, Saitama was fooled into letting Garou rage. Giving in to his own desire to fight a strong guy, Saitama let his best friend be killed..
In essence, One-Punch Man is trying to tell a story about the purpose we have in life and how disaffection can prevent someone from being a “hero”, even if on paper they are one of the good guys. Genos wasn’t human because he had human anatomy somewhere inside of him, he was human because he was committed to doing the right thing no matter how difficult or overwhelming the probability.
Saitama began to lose track of that ideal as he grew stronger, and now he has been reminded of the way brutal as possible their responsibilities to the people of EarthWith great power comes great responsibility. The next few chapters illustrating his battle with Garou should only serve to further illustrate this principle that has been woven heavily throughout One-Punch Man.
Saitama remembers what it means to be a hero in One-Punch Man
The One-Punch Man series has always offered fans more complex themes than its apparent status as a parody suggests. In fact, despite being a goofy and selfish character at times, One-Punch Man’s hero Saitama has shown again and again the main philosophy of the series throughout its battles. The latest clash with Garou only serves to further underscore the incredibly important message within One-Punch Man.
One of Saitama’s first enemies was a giant named Marugori who consumed a steroid called “Biceps King” and quickly grew to a hundred times the size of skyscrapers, becoming nearly invincible. Due to his large size and a costly mistake of his, Marugori killed his older brother and started fighting Saitama as revenge. Sensing that he had beaten Saitama, Marugori comments that his only goal in life, to be the strongest man in the world, no longer matters due to how empty he feels. This statement can be taken as a very direct parallel to Saitama, who also seems to feel empty due to his overwhelming boredom when it comes to superhero theater. This emptiness even makes Saitama distance himself from other people, so Genos’s death has forced him to reconnect with humanity.