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One-Punch Man is a Japanese superhero manga series created by One. It tells the story of Saitama, a superhero who, because he can defeat any opponent with a single punch, grows bored from a lack of challenge. One wrote the original webcomic manga version in early 2009.
A digital manga remake, illustrated by Yusuke Murata, began publication on Shueisha's Tonari no Young Jump website in June 2012. Its chapters are periodically compiled and published into individual tankōbon volumes. As of March 2024, 30 volumes have been released. In North America, Viz Media licensed the remake manga for English language release and has serialized it in its Weekly Shonen Jump digital magazine.
An anime adaptation produced by Madhouse was broadcast in Japan from October to December 2015. A second season, produced by J.C.Staff, was broadcast from April to July 2019. A third season also by J.C.Staff has been announced. Licensed in North America by Viz Media, it premiered in the United States on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block in July 2016. The second season premiered on the block in October 2019.
By June 2012, the original webcomic manga surpassed 7.9 million hits. By April 2020, the manga remake had sold over 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time.
Plot
See also: List of One-Punch Man characters
On a supercontinent version of Earth in which powerful monsters and supervillains wreak havoc. The millionaire Agoni creates the Hero Association, which employs superheroes to fight evil. Saitama, an unassociated hero, hails from City Z and performs heroic deeds as a hobby. For three years, he has trained enough to defeat any enemy with a single punch, his unmatched strength leaving him bored. He becomes a reluctant mentor to Genos, a cyborg seeking revenge against another cyborg who killed his family and destroyed his hometown, after Saitama defeats the monster Mosquito Girl that defeated Genos.
Saitama and Genos join the Hero Association, hoping to attain notability, but Genos instantly obtains an S-Class rank. Due to scoring low on the written exam despite having a perfect score on the physical exam, Saitama only becomes a C-Class hero. His feats remain unnoticed even after saving people from an asteroid and then the Deep Sea King, barely getting himself promoted to B-Class with help from Mumen Rider. Later, shortly before her death, the seer Shibabawa predicts that the world is in great danger as the alien Boros invades the planet. The heroes kill the invaders and destroy Boros's ship as Saitama defeats Boros in single combat.
Monsters begin appearing faster while the rogue martial artist Garo, a former apprentice of the hero Bang, and self-dubbed "Hero Hunter," begins terrorizing heroes. Due to childhood bullying, he holds a grudge against everything "heroic". The heroes learn that the monster influx comes from the Monster Association, an organization of monsters under City Z intent on destroying the Hero Association. They attack various cities, recruit fighters by offering them "Monster Cells" that mutate humans into monsters, and kidnap a Hero Association executive's son. Garo bonds with Tareo, a child who idolizes heroes, as he hunts down more heroes, his combat prowess slowly rising. The Monster Association attempts to recruit him and kidnaps the child when Garo refuses. He storms the Monster Association HQ trying to rescue the child, but ultimately gets captured.
The Hero Association assaults the headquarters to rescue the executive's son, causing a battle that destroys City Z and kills almost every monster. Saitama meets the highest-ranked hero Blast during the raid when he arrives to collect artifacts, who warns him of a threat known as "God". Many heroes are heavily injured when Garo emerges, mutated into a monster from the fighting. Unable to match the power of Saitama, Garo receives some of "God's" power when he meets it in a vision, causing him to emit radiation that kills all the heroes, including Genos by ripping out his core to get Saitama to fight him seriously. He briefly matches Saitama in a brutal battle that sends them across the Solar System. After Saitama defeats him, Garo becomes distraught over Tareo's death and teaches Saitama to time travel before God kills him. Saitama goes back in time and subdues Garo before he kills the heroes, destroying his monster mutation and cosmic power. Despite the objections of the other heroes, Saitama spares Garo and lets him flee after Tareo stops them. Only Genos, who reconnected with his core from the original timeline bought by Saitama (who seemed to remember nothing of his battle and time travel with the original Garo), remembers the entire events of the original ominous future caused by Garo.
With the Monster Association destroyed, Saitama gets promoted to A-Class for defeating Garo. As the battle destroyed his apartment, he relocates to the Hero Association's HQ in A-City. The Hero Association's poor performance causes public opinion of them to plummet. Several heroes and officials decide to retire or defect to the Neo Heroes, a rival group appearing to be more effective in handling the growing monster threats.
Leading it is the hero Blue, who claims to be the son of Blast. However, Neo Heroes has even worse shady activities on turning many of its members and other people outside the organization, including Hero Association members into cyborg slaves, and possibly connected to Genos' past and even Bofoi. On the same day, Genos received a final upgrade from Kuseno and Saitama's power level is being studied at a capsule, Kuseno's unexpected assassination by the hands of robot assassins was just a beginning of the robot invasion.
Production
One began the original webcomic of One-Punch Man in 2009. The Japanese shortened name Wanpanman is a play on the long-running children's character Anpanman, wanpan being a contraction of wanpanchi. One became interested in creating a comic superhero who was already the strongest in the world. He wanted to focus on different aspects of storytelling than those normally relied on in standard superhero stories, such as everyday problems. One said: "Punching is oftentimes pretty useless against life's problems. But inside One-Punch Man's universe, I made Saitama a sort of guy who was capable of adapting his life to the world that surrounded him, only armed with his immense power. The only obstacles he faces are mundane things, like running short of money."
One has taken several breaks from updating the webcomic. In February 2010, he put the series on hiatus, deciding to take a one-year break due to family circumstances. After releasing the 109th chapter in January 2017, One took a two-year break, releasing the following chapter in April 2012019. When One returned to drawing in 2011, he was contacted by artist Yusuke Murata about a possible partnership in which Murata would redraw the webcomic for One. Murata had been an enormous fan of One-Punch Man and was ill at the time. Fearing he was going to die, he contacted One. Looking back, he said, "Around that time, I was actually really sick. I broke out in hives, my inner organs were infected, and I couldn't breathe well with my windpipes [sic] swelling. I was in the hospital when I thought, 'Ah, I guess people die just like that.' If I'm going to die, I want to do something I really love to do. I want to draw manga with Mr. One. That's what I thought." Murata, already a successful manga artist, used his connections in the industry to get a publishing deal with Weekly Young Jump comics. The manga became a digital publication on Weekly Young Jump's spin-off manga website Tonari no Young Jump, published by Shueisha.
Anime
See also: List of One-Punch Man episodes
An anime adaptation was announced in the 15th issue of Weekly Young Jump on March 10, 2015. The first season was directed by Shingo Natsume at Madhouse animation studio and written by Tomohiro Suzuki. The series features character designs by Chikashi Kubota, who also served as chief animation director. The music was by Makoto Miyazaki, with art design by Shigemi Ikeda and Yukiko Maruyama. Ken Hashimoto served as the color key artist, Akane Fushihara served as the director of photography, Kashiko Kimura served as the series editor, and Shoji Hata did sound design. One-Punch Man's first season ran for 12 episodes. It aired in Japan from October 5 to December 21, 2015, on TV Tokyo. It aired later on Television Osaka (TVO), TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting (TVQ), Kyoto Broadcasting System (KBS), BS Japan, and AT-X. The season streamed on Niconico and was simulcast on Hulu, Daisuki, and Viz Media's Neon Alley service. A preview screening of the first two episodes was held at the Saitama City Cultural Center on September 6, 2015. The opening theme song is "The Hero!! ~Ikareru Ken ni Honō o Tsukero~" (THE HERO!! ～怒れる拳に火をつけろ～, "The Hero!! Set Fire to the Furious Fist") by JAM Project, and the closing theme is "Hoshi Yori Saki ni Mitsukete Ageru" (星より先に見つけてあげる, "I'll Find It Before the Stars for You") by Hiroko Moriguchi. An original animation DVD (OAD) was released with the tenth manga volume on December 4, 2015. Additional original video animation (OVA) episodes are included with Blu-ray Disc/DVD volumes of the season, the first of which was released on December 24, 2015.
The second season of One-Punch Man was announced with a change in production. J.C.Staff replaced Madhouse as the animation studio, and Chikara Sakurai replaced Shingo Natsume as the director. The new season aired from April 9 to July 2, 2019. It also ran for 12 episodes and covered the story arc of the manga from the introduction of Garo to the defeat of Boros. The opening theme is "Seijaku no Apostle" by JAM Project, and the closing theme is "Chizu ga Nakutemo Modoru kara" (地図が無くても戻るから, "Even Without a Map, I'll Return") by Makoto Furukawa, the voice actor of Saitama.
In June 2021, a third season of the anime was announced. It will once again be produced by J.C.Staff, with Chikara Sakurai returning as director. Further details, such as the release date and story arc coverage, have yet to be announced.
Influence and Reception
One-Punch Man has received widespread acclaim for its unique premise, engaging characters, and stunning artwork. It has been praised for its humor, action sequences, and exploration of themes such as existentialism and the nature of heroism. The series has garnered a large and dedicated fanbase both in Japan and internationally.
The manga's digital remake, illustrated by Yusuke Murata, has been particularly well-received for its dynamic artwork and detailed fight scenes. Murata's skillful adaptation of One's original story has elevated One-Punch Man to even greater heights of popularity.
The anime adaptation has also been highly successful, attracting both longtime fans of the manga and newcomers to the series. It has been lauded for its faithful adaptation of the source material and high-quality animation.
Overall, One-Punch Man stands as a shining example of the creativity and innovation present in the world of manga and anime. Its impact on the industry is undeniable, and it continues to captivate audiences around the globe with its epic battles and thought-provoking themes.
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