Warning! Contains spoilers for One-Punch Man chapter 160!
The latest issue of One-Punch Man is about to settle the question of whether Saitama could beat its version of the Hulk. Saitama’s incredible power level has led to lots of speculation about whether the bald hero could beat the most powerful characters of other franchises. While most of these debates are based purely on speculation, One-Punch Man’s next battle may be able to give a more concrete answer to this question for the Hulk.
One-Punch Man is a manga written by ONE with art by Yusuke Murata. It focuses mainly on the adventures of Saitama, a Superhero who trained so hard that he went bald and gained the ability to defeat any enemy in just one punch. While it is debatable if Saitama could beat heroes like Superman or Goku, it is clear that there are very few characters (if any) in the One-Punch Man who can defeat Saitama. One of the few who potentially can is the Hero Hunter Garou. Garou has been increasing his power level throughout the Monster Association Arc and is now almost unrecognizable to how he was when he was first introduced. And in the latest chapter, it is revealed that he may have an easy way to become even more powerful.
In chapter 160 of One-Punch Man, Saitama easily knocks Garou away with a single punch. While this is par for the course for Saitama’s fights, given how powerful Garou has become, this is still somewhat surprising. This applies both to the reader and to Garou himself. His shock over being so easily beaten soon gives way to anger at Saitama for standing in his way when he is so close to his goal of becoming the ultimate evil in the world. This anger then causes him to transform into an even stronger form. Unfortunately for him though, Garou’s ultimate obstacle isn’t Saitama, but a little kid.
The ability to use anger to get even stronger is one of the iconic features of Marvel’s superhero the Hulk. The upper limits of Hulk’s strength are astronomical, and he has destroyed planets and shaken the multiverse with his most powerful blows. It is unclear whether Garou would also be able to perform such feats if his anger transforms him even more, but if ONE is basing his new powerups on the Hulk’s powers, then it is highly likely. Especially given that Garou has already shown an immense amount of power in his previous, weaker forms. The fight between Saitama and Garou is one of the most anticipated in the series, so it’s exciting to see how this new transformation will change the battle.
Despite Garou’s growth, Saitama is still able to easily slap him aside at the end of this chapter. However, this may just serve to make Garou even angrier and potentially trigger another transformation. Even if it doesn’t immediately, it is clear that this fight is far from over. Given the parallels between Garou and the Hulk presented in this chapter of One-Punch Man, this fight may provide some concrete evidence for whether Saitama could actually beat the green Avenger in a fight.