Warning: contains spoilers for One-Punch Man chapter #168
The hit manga One Punch-Man just proved that its protagonist, Saitama, is still full of surprises. Fans were led to believe that Saitama’s strength was a plot device that made the protagonist simply “stronger than everyone else”, but the latest chapter of the manga revealed that, in fact, Saitama can still improve and become even stronger, making him a completely different kind of character.
The whole premise of One-Punch Man is to have a protagonist that, rather than struggle and improve during the course of the story, is already more powerful than everyone else, enemies and allies included. This was used by the character’s creator One to parody shonen manga and their classic tropes, but then One-Punch Man was able to develop its own story and become an exciting shonen of its own. The digital manga remake of the original One-Punch Man webcomic, with story by One and art by Yusuke Murata, has further developed the Saitama character beyond his original premise, especially in the most recent chapters. Saitama recently showed strong emotions for the first time, after witnessing the death of his best friend Genos, and he even started reflecting on what it means to be a hero.
Chapter #168 of One-Punch Man revealed that Saitama’s strength is not an “absolute” value, as many readers believed until now. During the fight between Saitama and Garou, the Hero Hunter notices that, after he initially copied Saitama’s strength with his own technique, which made him almost as powerful, the bald hero is completely overwhelming him. Saitama is, in fact, growing stronger with every moment, and the manga even uses a rarely-seen third-person narrator voice to underline the fact. The reason given for the hero’s exponential growth is “an upsurge of emotion like none he had ever experienced“, in reference to Saitama’s distress for failing to save Genos’ life. The idea that Saitama can actually improve and become stronger is a total surprise, and it shows he is a different character than what readers were led to believe.
Perhaps even more interesting is the revelation that Saitama has always been growing, there was simply no one close enough to his level to notice that, before Garou. This shocking secret is a complete reversal of the series premise. Saitama is now more similar to any other shonen protagonists, who are usually defined by their ability to constantly improve and become stronger by overcoming challenges. Sure, Saitama does not have actual challenges in terms of opponents that could defeat him, but he has other hurdles to overcome, such as how to become a better hero. Until a few chapters ago, this kind of consideration would have been completely alien to Saitama, who was defined by his aloofness and complete apathy, and by the fact that he did not need to get better at anything.
The chapter also reveals that Saitama’s strength is now more than a plot device. If the hero is improving, it means that his power has an actual, definable amount, even if it’s on such a grand scale that quantifying it is impossible. This is especially important for the future of the series, as it seems that a showdown between Saitama and the mysterious villain God is getting closer and closer. One-Punch Man keeps getting better with each new chapter, as the manga shows that its protagonist Saitama is evolving from a parody of shonen heroes to a deeply nuanced character.
You can read One-Punch Man’s newest chapter now from Viz Media.