One Punch Man: The Punch That Shook The Heavens!

It’s about to get epic in three… two…

ONE PAAAAAAWWWWWNNNCH!

If you’ve ever seen the opening to the One Punch Man anime series, you automatically know where that comes from. And you probably just yelled it out yourself because that part is just so balls-to-the-walls awesome and exhilarating.

And, truthfully, that’s a good way to describe that bald guy who punches and his (mis)adventures: exhilarating. A thrill ride of blood-pumping action and side-splitting comedy. Because that’s what One Punch Guy is at it’s roots, comedy. An uproarious satirical slant against all the established shonen-tropes we’ve come to know and love and hate.

Bald and majestic, just like an eagle. …A deadly, punch-happy eagle.

If you’ve ever read the manga, which I highly encourage you to do (no, seriously, read it, both versions, the one drawn by the creator himself, One, and the updated version drawn by Yusuke Murata) because without experiencing the ink and lines, you won’t come to appreciate seeing those same ink and lines spring to life in animation. Sure, you can not, and that’s totally okay, but there’s a certain hype that comes with knowing a favorite manga scene of yours is seconds away from playing across your TV.

I was first introduced to One Punch Man via One’s version, the original version, I suppose. I laughed myself sick, then immediately jumped onto Murata’s version and never looked back.

It seemed like I had only started the twelfth chapter and then, bam, all seventy-something chapters read in the span of an afternoon… in the span of six hours. The last manga I read that feverishly was Prison School.

Left: One’s version. Right: Murata’s version.

But what is One Punch Bald about? (Deeeeep inhale!) It’s about a very bored, very disinterested superhero-for-hire dubbed Saitama, who goes around in search of an opponent who can take one of his all-powerful punches and possibly deliver one back, all while encountering a cyborg disciple named Genos and a host of other colorful, simple-named superheroes. (For instance, you have a Yakuza-themed hero who carries around a metal bat, aptly nicknamed… Metal Bat. Don’t laugh. For reasons you probably already know or will know, he’s easily one of the better superheroes as of late.)

“It’s fightin’ spirit!”

You can’t not like Metal Bat, especially once you see his… ‘softer’ side.

Moving on, One Punch Dude has been steadily catching fire (in a good way) ever since the anime debuted. Running the same vein as Attack On Titan, it’s skyrocketed up the charts of manga/anime to “one-punch” the established popular mainstays right in the gut. And, just like Attack On Titan, it’s attracted that same kind of flack that a thing attracts when it gets a bit too popular, to the point where people start to hate on it just because it’s popular to do so. I believe Frozen went through the same stages.

Some of the dislike is warranted, and some of it’s not, so to that effect, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.

You’ll love One Punch Hero if you enjoy gorgeous art (both drawn and animated), deadpan comedy, side-characters who are far and away more interesting than the titular/main character, over-the-top action, Saitama’s blasé attitude, and, just… his Godly ability to decimate anything and everything with a single punch.

On the other glove, you’ll hate One Punch Oppai if you dislike comedy aimed at the source material even if it is intentional, a main character who’s way too over-powered to the point where you feel he’s reached his maximum growth both mentally and physically before the series even starts, over-the-top action, and the main characters ability to decimate anything and everything with a single punch.

“Next.”

So, basically, the stuff to love about One Punch Glove can easily be stuff to hate about it.

Me? The artistic style of the manga and the animation of the anime is what drew me in (no pun intended) and kept me hooked. To me, Saitama is at his best when he’s decimating foes, simply because I love action. And although I would love to see him struggle once in awhile, seeing all the other more appealing support characters (like Genos, Metal Bat, King, Fubuki, Mumen Rider) do all the struggling and get all the character growth is enough for now. By himself, Saitama is a boring, over-powered shell of a character. But surrounded by others? He’s the undeniable main character changing the world.

Annnnnd, my own personal collection: