This article contains spoilers for Season 3 of One Punch Man.
One of the greatest aspects of the One Punch Man series is the incredible humor that has become a core feature of its storytelling. The crux of this humor stems from the fact that the main character, Saitama, is the single strongest being in existence, whose power is so great that he can defeat even the most terrifying foes with just a single punch, hence the name of the series.
However, despite him having such an easy way out for every fight, the battles in One Punch Man are easily among the greatest in the entire industry, both in the manga and anime. These are mostly between villains and side characters since Saitama never struggles. However, Season 3 of the anime will bring him face-to-face with the strongest opponent he has ever had, forcing him to fight seriously for the first time.
One Punch Man: What Disaster Level Would Saitama Be?
Saitama is the most powerful hero in One Punch Man, but if he was a monster instead, which disaster level would he fall under?
The Birth Of The Greatest Foe In The Universe; Cosmic Fear Garou
The Ultimate Evil
- Cosmic Fear Mode Garou is the greatest villain in the franchise's history.
The entire Monster Association Arc is one massive adrenaline-infused ride from start to finish, owing much of its incredible run to the best fights in the series. On top of that, there is a lot of character growth for many, and none more so than Garou, who not only becomes far more nuanced, but also grows in power exponentially. This makes him far beyond the strength of anyone except for Saitama.
Initially, Garou starts off by refusing the monsterification procedure and turning into a monster through sheer force of will and endurance, something no one else has been able to do. Through the many losses and victories he experienced in the arc, he would grow in strength substantially, to the point where he eventually became Cosmic Garou. This form was so strong that he not only surpassed every other monster, but also surpassed Blast, the number 1-ranked hero in the world.
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Some surprises are in store for anime watchers trying to predict which villains will be the ones to pose the greatest threats in this new season.
Saitama Is Forced To Fight Seriously Against Garou's Strongest Form
The Best Fight In The Series
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Fight Start |
One Punch Man, Chapter 162, "Greatest Hero" |
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Fight End |
One Punch Man, Chapter 169, "Daybreak" |
Throughout the entirety of the Monster Association Arc, no character shines more than the Hero Hunter. First, he decides to take on the leader of the Monster Association itself, Orochi, who is one of the most powerful beings to ever be introduced in One Punch Man. However, he suffers a swift defeat, but one that begins to change him, opening the door for him to undergo monsterification without the need for Monster Cells.
Eventually, Garou reenters the scene, defeating some powerful demons and, eventually, even the S-Class hero Superalloy Darkshine in a one-on-one battle, proving that his strength is unprecedented. Through these many battles, he uses his incredible mastery of Martial Arts and his special knack for copying and adapting to others' techniques to grow so much in power that he was able to pull off some of the most broken feats in the series. These included moving faster than light, defeating Bang, and killing some of the strongest monsters in the world.
If you don't want to get bossed around or mocked by the people around you... You just need to become stronger.
All this while, Saitama was off on his own side quest with Flashy Flash and Manako, and in the battles he underwent, even against some of the strongest foes in the story, he coasted by easily. At the end of the arc, these two powerhouses stood against one another, laying the groundwork for the most hyped battle in all of One Punch Man. However, even at the beginning of their clash, Saitama was simply toying with Garou, despite the villain's near-infinite growth making him even stronger and more beast-like by the second.
This all led to his fully monsterized 'Gargoyle' form, which was strong enough to sunder entire mountains with his fists. However, he still couldn't match Saitama. This eventually spelled Garou's ultimate defeat, as Saitama proved that none could match up to him or even make him try. Then, suddenly, Garou was granted a vision by God, and although he rejected the mysterious being, a single touch of his hand changed everything.
This interaction awakened Cosmic Fear Mode Garou, or simply Cosmic Garou. This version of the villain was the greatest threat in the history of the franchise, as he embodied the entire universe within himself, letting out an insane amount of radiation that killed everyone on the planet aside from Saitama, Genos, and Blast. While the Caped Baldy's attitude was largely the same when this happened, everything changed when Garou killed Genos and ripped out his core, forcing Saitama to get serious for the first time in the series.
What followed will go down in the history books as one of the best battle sequences ever put to paper. Seeing how their raw strength would eventually tear the Earth apart, Blast teleported Garou and Saitama to Jupiter's moon Io, where the two could battle to their heart's content. For the initial part of the contest, they were evenly matched in strength and speed. Funnily enough, this was something Saitama always wanted, but due to the pain and destruction Garou had caused, Saitama took no enjoyment in the battle as he simply just wanted to beat the villain to a pulp.
Bring it on. One hand is all I need for you.
The battle raged on for quite a while, with Io and Jupiter itself being torn apart by the strength of these two characters. Eventually, however, Garou began to realize that while they were initially equal, Saitama's rate of growth was something he just couldn't match, so he used his ultimate technique to copy Saitama's strength, unlocking his 'Saitama Mode'. The battle raged on for a little longer after that, but Garou eventually found out that his opponent's strength and rate of growth were otherworldly.
Realizing that he had no chance to beat him, Garou opted to escape back to Earth, but was followed there at faster-than-light speeds by his adversary, who then hit him with a final punch that sent him crashing onto Earth and losing all of his powers. Many argue that Saitama still wasn't at full strength in the battle due to him holding Genos' core with one hand, but the fact is that this is the most effort he has ever put into a fight.
One Punch Man: Saitama’s Serious Series Moves, Explained
You don't get to see them often in One Punch Man, but when Saitama busts out his Serious Series moves, the fight is as good as over.
At the end of the altercation, Garou realized what he had done to the world and saw the error of his ways, losing God's bestowment of power and teaching Saitama the ultimate Martial Arts technique that would allow him to travel back in time to stop everything from happening in the first place. Saitama did exactly that and put an end to the past version of Garou after traveling to the past, ending the Monster Association Arc in the process.
This battle not only goes down as the best in the Monster Association arc and the One Punch Man series as a whole, but also as one of the greatest battles in anime/manga history. Seeing Saitama go all out has been the dream of One Punch Man fans since the start of the series, and although he may have only used one hand in this fight, his fight against Cosmic Garou will always be one of the highlights of the franchise.
One Punch Man can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
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One Punch Man
One Punch Man is one of the most popular anime series. It first aired in 2015 and follows the hero Saitama, who can defeat any opponent with a single punch. This leads him to become bored so he goes on a quest to find a worthy adversary after joining the Hero Association. The series is known for its humor, ridiculous battle scenes, and satire of the superhero genre.
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