One-Punch Man's Greatest Battle Exposes the Series' Entire Philosophy
Warning: contains spoilers for One-Punch Man chapter 165!
The series One-Punch Man has always offered fans more complex themes than its seeming status as parody would hint at. In fact, despite being a goofy and selfish character at times,One-Punch Man’s hero Saitama has time and time again put the series’ main philosophy on display throughout his 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 ever was a giant named Marugori who consumed a steroid called “Biceps King” and quickly grew to a hundred times the size of skyscrapers, becoming nigh invincible. Due to his large size and a costly mistake, Marugori killed his older brother and began to fight Saitama as revenge. Upon feeling as though he’d beaten Saitama, Marugori comments on how his one-time life goal — being the strongest man in the world — no longer matters because of how empty he feels. This statement can be taken as a very direct parallel to Saitama, who also seems to feel empty because of his overwhelming boredom when it comes to superhero theatrics. This emptiness even causes Saitama to become distant from other people.
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There is a distinct comparison drawn throughout the story of One-Punch Man between Saitama and almost every recurring character — that being their desire to achieve some specific goal. Garou wants to hunt all heroes, Genos wants 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 the story he hasn’t taken the job seriously at all. In the battle with Garou, Genos is “killed” when
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