History Manga / OnePunchMan

[[quoteright:335:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/onepunchman_7684.jpg]]
->''I became the hero I had always dreamed of being. But how can it be that, even though I should be satisfied, I feel so empty?...''

Z-City, Japan.

Suddenly, without warning, a terrible monster attacks, causing massive devastation. Many are killed instantly, and more are wiped out by the terrifying fiend. Then, when all seems lost, a hero appears and [[OneHitKill destroys the monster with a single punch.]] Who is this mysterious hero? He is...

Just a guy that serves as a hero for a hobby.

The story of ''One Punch Man'' follows the adventures of a [[NoNameGiven nameless superhero]] (later revealed to be called Saitama) who fights evil monsters and destroys them all with a single blow. [[CursedWithAwesome He's not very pleased about this,]] [[VictoryIsBoring since this means that he has no more challenges left in his life.]] A parody of Shounen Superhero stories, this tale takes many of the common tropes we see in such stories and either takes them to their natural conclusion, or ridicules them utterly.

Originally a [[http://galaxyheavyblow.web.fc2.com/index.html webcomic by One]], it is being redrawn by Yusuke Murata of ''{{Eyeshield 21}}'' fame.
------
!!This manga contains examples of:
* TheAce: Genos is patient, intelligent, self-sacrificing, and a terrifyingly skilled fighter with a strong sense of justice. All this means he's pretty much playing the eternal StraightMan to Saitama's lackadaisical approach to heroism, although ultimately Saitama is still stronger.
* AnArmAndALeg: Mosquito Girl rips off one of Genos' robotic arms in her first attack. Then a few seconds later she realises that Genos ripped off both her legs at the same time.
* ArmCannon: Genos has blasters built into both his hands. [[http://www.batoto.net/read/_/141999/onepunch-man_ch17.1_by_boon-scanlation/8 He can also upgrade them]].
* BadassGrandpa: Bang AKA The Silver Fang, the third ranked S class hero.
* BadassMoustache: The hero Spring Mustache is apparently named after his, admittedly very stylish, mustache. Bang also has an awesome old man-style mustache.
* BadassNormal: In the second issue, we get a flashback to the time before Saitama gained his incredible strength, when he fought a crab monster with nothing but normal human speed, strength, agility, and a tie. [[EyeScream He won.]]
* BaldOfAwesome: The protagonist. He used to have ShounenHair, but it fell out from all the training.
* BaldOfEvil: A gang of bald terrorists eventually appear, making people fear anyone who is bald, including the protagonist, who decides to defeat the gang simply to make his life easier.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor:
** Regular guy Saitama wished to become a hero who could defeat any enemy with one punch. After years of training he got what he wanted, which led to an existential crisis.
** Saitama also promised that if they both successfully registered as super heroes (because he didn't want to go alone), he would make Genos his official disciple. He [[http://www.batoto.net/read/_/141835/onepunch-man_ch16_by_boon-scanlation/16 soon regrets the decision]].
* BerserkButton:
** Saitama doesn't take missing his Saturday special sales very well.
** Mosquitoes seem to drive him crazy, especially when he can't kill them.
** Doing damage to his apartment also counts.
* BeyondTheImpossible: Saitama's strength training is absurdly simplistic, but it made him able to defeat skyscraper-sized monsters with less effort then Superman does.....somehow. The other characters who have heard his explanation comment on how flat-out impossible his strength is when compared to what he claims to have done.
** Not simply his strength, but his ''speed'' is so far beyond super-human it is ridiculous. During the first fight with Speed of Sound Sonic, Sonic performs a series of high speed dodges that would be impossible for any normal human to ''see'', let alone keep up with. When finally Saitama decides to move, he moves so fast that even Sonic can't see it.
* {{Bishounen}}: Sonic is very pretty and slender. [[ViewerGenderConfusion Many readers have mistaken him for a woman]].
* BishounenLine: Once Mosquito Girl absorbs all the blood her mosquitoes have collected, [[http://www.batoto.net/read/_/139643/onepunch-man_ch6_by_boon-scanlation/18 she becomes more human in appearance]].
* BlessedWithSuck / CursedWithAwesome: The protagonist is able to defeat any foe with a single punch... which means that to him, his battles with evildoers are about as exciting as a trip to the grocery store to pick up a gallon of milk. Even so... he can defeat ANYTHING with a single punch, up to and including 100 foot tall giant monsters. Effortlessly.
* BloodKnight: Saitama. He first became a hero when he rescued a child from a monster after being fired from his previous job with no hope of getting a new one. He felt such a rush after this first heroic rescue that he dedicated himself to becoming a hero. At one point he has a dream about being attacked by an army of monsters that actually CAN give him a challenge. The next morning, he goes up against enemies similar to those in his dream, but not as strong: he's left horribly disappointed.
* BodyHorror: The result of essentially being [[http://www.batoto.net/read/_/142543/onepunch-man_ch5v.2_by_boon-scanlation/12 mummified alive]].
* BubblegumPopping: Saitama annoys the speaker at the hero seminar by chewing gum and then making a bubble so big it covers his whole face when it pops.
* CasualDangerDialogue
* CharlesAtlasSuperPower: As far as we know, Saitama has no magic or mystical superpowers, just an incredibly strong and well trained body.
** To a lesser extend, there is [[OldMaster Silver Wolf]] [[BadassGrandpa Bang]].
* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler:The boy who the protagonist saved in his OriginStory has a grandfather who's a multimillionaire and thus founded the National Super Hero Registry. The grandfather founded it exactly three years ago after hearing how Saitama saved his grandchild.]]
* ClothingDamage: In Chapter 6, Saitama has all his clothes blown off by the blast from one of Genos' attacks.
* ComicallyInvincibleHero
* TheComicallySerious: Genos doesn't acknowledge the hero's weirdness one bit.
* ContinuityNod: Chapter 20 has the Hero's organization investigating Saitama's neighboorhood and finding all the damage from his previous fights, with the destruction caused by the giant in the B and D cities also mentioned.
* CurbStompBattle
* CuteMonsterGirl: Mosquito Girl is [[http://mangafox.me/manga/onepunch_man/c005/7.html pretty creepy looking]] at first, but it helps that [[FullFrontalAssault she doesn't wear any clothes]].
* DecompressedComic: Very much so. Just read chapter 25, the entire chapter is just Metal Knight arriving and landing near Genos.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: Speed of Sound Sonic. As Genos puts it, "It's like saying a round circle".
* {{Determinator}}: The main reason Saitama has become so strong is due to his ability to stick to his hellish workout schedule for three years in a row.
** A later flashback chapter shows this may have always been the case [[spoiler: as far back as age 12, where he kept chasing a man-sized mysterious being that stole his money from two bullies that were shaking him down until it knocked him out. ]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: Lampshaded when Saitama calls out a crab monster for trying to kill a little boy who drew nipples on its shell with permanent marker.
* DissonantSerenity: Saitama usually approaches his fights with a completely impassive, almost bored expression.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: [[http://mangafox.me/manga/onepunch_man/c006/9.html Hot, sticky juices...]]
* DontCallMeSir: Genos insists on calling Saitama 'teacher', and when Saitama tells him not to, he switches to 'master' instead. So 'teacher' it is.
* DungeonBypass: [[http://www.batoto.net/read/_/140446/onepunch-man_ch9_by_boon-scanlation/16 Attempted]], but ultimately subverted, since the actual stronghold was underground.
* ElectronicEyes: Genos of course. As demonstrated [[http://www.batoto.net/read/_/152048/onepunch-man_ch17.2_by_boon-scanlation/2 here]], they possess some kind of Search & Destroy feature. They also [[GlowingEyesOfDoom glow when he's fighting]].
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: The story of ''One Punch Man'' is the story of a man who can defeat anything with one punch.
* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: Standard villain reaction to the protagonist.
* FacialMarkings: Sonic has red stripes under his eyes. Tank Top Tiger has tigerish markings.
* FightingTheLancer: The "Sparring" two-parter. Genos takes it ''very'' seriously.
* AFriendInNeed: Despite complaining about the way Genos follows him around, the protagonist shows concern for him and even fights Asura Rhino on his behalf when he gets turned into "[[ItMakesSenseInContext modern art]]".
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Garou, [[spoiler: who goes from being a nobody to becoming one of strongest being on the series capable of fighting against several S Class heroes and defeating them. He's also the first person in the series to survive Saitama's punch.]]
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: When our heroes must climb a mountain to get to the House Of Evolution headquarters, we see the path they have been following and a sign saying 'Beware of the Bears'... with an unconscious, bloodied bear lying right beside it.
* FunTShirt: Saitama seems to have a liking for them.
* GaiasVengeance: The monster that the protagonist defeats in Chapter 1 wanted to wipe out humanity as punishment for poisoning the Earth.
* GoneHorriblyRight: After three years of ruthless training, so intense and hellish that [[BaldOfAwesome it made all his hair fall out at the age of 23,]] Saitama got what he sought: the ability to defeat any foe with one punch. He didn't realize just how boring that would be.
* {{Gonk}}: Any of the family gifted with unfortunately large cleft chins.
* {{Gorn}}: The titular One Punch can make [[YourHeadAsplode your skull explode]]. The one time so far that the hero uses a multi-hit combo (called Proper Chain Punch), it liquefies every part of his opponent above the waist.
* TheGreatestStoryNeverTold: The hero eventually realized he isn't famous even though he's been saving the city as a hobby for quite some time. [[spoiler:Turns out, he needs to be ''registered'' to be a superhero, otherwise everyone just thinks you're a weirdo.]]
* GroinAttack: The protagonist does this (accidentally) to a {{Ninja}}. [[spoiler:The ninja survives, though Saitama held back.]]
* HardWorkHardlyWorks: Completely subverted with the hero's training schedule. It's a brutal training schedule that is of the "Kill You Or Make You Stronger" variety. And said schedule has made him stronger than any other character out there. When he registers to become a full-fledged hero, while he did poorly on the written test, in the physical portion, ''he set records in every category.'' It has been hinted that, in addition to whatever the protagonist did, something else contributed to his becoming so incredibly powerful, something the hero himself does not know of.
* HeroicBSOD: Our hero has a brief one when he realizes he's become too strong and can't enjoy fighting any more. Luckily Genos then turns up to make things interesting. Then he has another one when he realizes he's not famous.
* HeroKiller: Garou, [[spoiler: one of Bang's former student.]]
* HollywoodCyborg: Genos; it's currently unknown how much, if any, of his body is still organic.
* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: Most of the registered super heroes wear these, from a snakeskin suit to ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''-esque armour. Saitama, however, averts this by dressing in what look like pajamas.
** Even further subverted by the S-Class hero Watchdog. A guy in a dumb looking dog costume who [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass single-handedly takes care of Q-City, one of the biggest hotspots of monster activity]]. When he's introduced, we see him [[AtopAMountainOfCorpses sitting on top of a massive pile of monster corpses]]. If Saitama and Watchdog are any indication, a character's actual power level may be in inverse proportion to the coolness of their outfit in this series.
* InstantFanclub: Genos accumulates an offscreen one thanks to a popularity poll which deems him as one of the most handsome (and therefore highest ranking) heroes.
* InvincibleHero: Saitama was quite possibly created as a TakeThat to these kinds of heroes, showing how after a while VictoryIsBoring both for the audience and, in his case, the characters themselves.
* {{Kaiju}}: Gargantuan humans and bugs.
* LeaveHimToMe: [[http://www.batoto.net/read/_/139871/onepunch-man_ch7_by_boon-scanlation/15 Genos attempts this]], but is [[LongSpeechTeaTime interrupted when Saitama plants both opponents in the concrete]].
* LowerDeckEpisode: The "Rumor" two-parter, focusing on an outside investigation into rumors about Saitama's neighborhood.
** The special chapter features a B-class hero who finds himself in over his head.
* MadeOfIron: Whatever training Saitama took didn't just make him insanely strong, but also gifted him with incredible endurance, so much so that hitting him can actually harm his opponent.
** Hammerhead, the leader of the bald terrorist group, has an unusually thick skull which allows him to survive a lot of head trauma.
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction:
** Genos after his brush with Asura Rhino.
-->'''Genos''': [[CaptainObvious That didn't work]].
-->'''Saitama''': Dude, he cracked your face open!
** When his entire arm got ripped off earlier, he only glanced at it blankly for a moment before going back to his fight.
* MesACrowd: The scientist who founded the House Of Evolution made numerous clones of himself to assist with research. They get turned into a RedShirtArmy.
* MistakenForGay: When Saitama is informed that a scientist has "taken a great interest in your body" (for experiments), he replies that he doesn't swing that way. Genos corrects him.
* MookHorrorShow: Asura Rhino can sense how powerful the protagonist is. [[http://www.batoto.net/read/_/140546/onepunch-man_ch10_by_boon-scanlation/30 This is how he looks to someone who can sense how powerful he is.]] All the more terrifying because Asura Rhino is indicated to be the most powerful being encountered so far (stronger than even the hundred foot giant from an earlier issue), and has never feared anything in his life, but in seconds, he goes from being a SmugSuper to screaming in fear and immediately breaking off his attack.
--> ''All my instincts are screaming at me... Get away from him! He's dangerous!''
* {{Ninja}}: "Speed of Sound" Sonic.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Normally, Saitama looks like he's drawn very simply, in comparison to the detailed designs of everything around him. [[ArtShift Sometimes he shifts to a more serious-looking action style.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Saitama has a brief moment of this after meeting Hammerhead.
* OffhandBackhand: To a giant bug that had just mopped the floor with 5 registered heroes.
* OffWithHisHead: Sonic's favourite method of attack. [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdivmuynRZ1qg0ruko1_500.png "Why is everyone collapsing all of a suddennnnnnnnnnnnn..."]]
* OhCrap:
** Asura Rhino, the most powerful being encountered so far, is the first villain to be able to accurately gage the protagonist's power. Before doing so, he was supremely confident in his invincibility, [[http://www.batoto.net/read/_/140546/onepunch-man_ch10_by_boon-scanlation/27 but then his survival instinct kicks in]].
** Also, anything rated threat level Demon tends to cause a MassOhCrap for anyone in the city.
** The previously smug super hero candidates suffer a collective one when they realise just how powerful Saitama is.
* PettingZooPeople: The members of House Of Evolution are all these, including a mosquito, a lion, a slug, a frog, a mole, and a cyborg gorilla.
* PlanetEris
* PunchClockHero: Saitama mentions that he doesn't really believe his heroics will have much of an effect upon the world and he only does them because they bring him excitement; or at least they used to.
* PursueTheDreamJob: The main character quit being a run of the mill salary man and trained for three years so he could take up superheroing as a hobby.
* RealityEnsues
** Being a hero doesn't mean you can neglect daily necessities such as buying groceries and taking a piss.
** Destroying a [[spoiler:giant meteor]] with a single punch? Awesome. [[spoiler:Its fallen debris destroying the city?]] Not so much.
* RelaxOVision: Used in Chapter 15 after a particularly... ''[[GroinAttack painful]]'' attack, the scene cutting to the words "Please wait a moment" over a picture of grassy hills.
* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Were it not for the protagonist's baldness, he'd have no distinguishing features whatsoever, but at the same time, his baldness makes him even more nondescript.
* RoboSpeak: Armoured Gorilla originally talks like this, but drops it after he's defeated and admits he was only trying to sound cool.
* SceneryGorn
* SceneTransition: Several of the chapters are just one scene drawn out over a dozen or so pages, with scenes flowing into each other so fluidly that you could make an animation out of them.
** In fact someone has [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2013/03/06/chapter-of-one-punch-man-manga-turned-into-incredible-animated-gif here]].
* ShoutOut:
** To the Shounen and Tokusatsu stories it mocks.
** Several to ''Franchise/{{Anpanman}}'': the series' name in Japanese is a pun on ''Anpanman'' (''Onepanman/Wanpanman''), Saitama's costume is based on Anpanman's, and the name of the series' first villain, Vaccine Man, riffs on Baikinman ("Germ Man"), Anpanman's main villain.
** Vaccine Man also looks a lot like [[DragonBallZ Piccolo]].
** The cover page to chapter 3 features a suspiciously Franchise/{{Godzilla}}-like kaiju.
** Genos's backstory is similar to several ''{{Franchise/Kamen Rider}}s'', especially those of the Showa Era. There's also the ''Licenseless Rider'', who rides a bicycle to battle.
** The simplistic training that made Saitama so strong is reminiscent of [[HunterXHunter Netero's]] 10,000 punches a day training that made him such a monster.
* SlasherSmile: Sonic is often sporting one, which he refers to as a bad habit. [[http://www.batoto.net/read/_/141396/onepunch-man_ch14_by_boon-scanlation/21 Here's a nice close-up.]]
--> ''You just want to try your techniques on me. I can tell by that child-like smile on your face.''
* TheSocialDarwinist: The House Of Evolution was made for the purpose of evolving humans beyond their current limits, since the genius creator found everyone he met to be inferior to him.
* SpotlightStealingSquad:
** Done deliberately in group artwork, where the protagonist is often pushed to the side and cooler-looking characters like Genos are made the most immediately noticeable.
** A good example is the [[http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mduhwvx33J1r5g2zmo2_1280.jpg Volume 2 cover]], which consists of Genos looking good in the foreground and Saitama crammed into the corner, looking stupid.
* TeachMeHowToFight: The already ridiculously strong cyborg Genos starts following the protagonist around calling him 'sensei' and asking to become stronger. When the protagonist tells him how he achieved his strength, however, Genos is kinda disappointed.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill
* TrainingFromHell: [[spoiler:The protagonist does 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and 10 kilometers of running ''every single day with no breaks''.]] Said training was what caused him to go completely bald.
* ATwinkleInTheSky: Mosquito Girl is slapped aside by the hero to the sky and is said to have died from it, most likely because she was knocked through at least one building in the process.
* UnlikelyHero: Though the decision to become a hero was Saitama's own, his main motivation seems to be boredom and he often gets annoyed by the ridiculous situations he finds himself in.
* WallOfText:
** [[http://www.batoto.net/read/_/139871/onepunch-man_ch7_by_boon-scanlation/5 Ever wonder what an origin story]] [[http://www.batoto.net/read/_/139871/onepunch-man_ch7_by_boon-scanlation/6 sounds like without a flashback?]]
** We get another one explaining the National Super Hero Registry, presumably also provided by Genos for Saitama's benefit.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Saitama never hesitates to kill monsters--even one that was running away--regardless of intelligence, yet he lets human criminals live, including a guy who killed a whole building full of people for no reason.
* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Several of these, exploring Saitama's life before the story began.
* TheWorfEffect: Genos has yet to win a good, honest, major fight, despite his S class status. The one fight he did win was all off-screen.
* WorldOfBadass
* YouKilledMyFather: Genos is looking for the cyborg who killed his family and damaged him enough so that [[WeCanRebuildHim he had to become a cyborg to survive]].

-----

Just an average guy who serves as an average hero.

** He also promised that if they both successfully registered as super heroes (because he didn't want to go alone), he would make Genos his official disciple. He [[http://www.batoto.net/read/_/141835/onepunch-man_ch16_by_boon-scanlation/16 soon regrets the decision]].

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Regular guy Saitama wished to become a hero who could defeat any enemy with one punch. After years of training he got what he wanted, which led to an existential crisis. He also promised that if they both successfully registered as super heroes (because he didn't want to go alone), he would make Genos his official disciple. He [[http://www.batoto.net/read/_/141835/onepunch-man_ch16_by_boon-scanlation/16 soon regrets the decision]].

** Being a hero doesn't mean you can neglect daily necessities such as buying groceries and taking piss.
** Destroying a [[spoiler:giant meteor]] with a single punch? Awesome. [[spoiler:Its fallen debris destroy the city?]] Not so much.

* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: Most of the registered super heroes wear these, from a snakeskin suit to ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''-esque armour. Saitama, however, averts this by dressing in what look like pyjamas.

* BadassMoustache: The hero Spring Mustache is apparently named after his, admittedly very stylish, mustache. Bang also has and awesome old man-style mustache.

* BadassMoustache: The hero Spring Mustache is apparently named after his, admittedly very stylish, mustache.

* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Saitama never hesitates to kill monsters--even one that was running away--regardless of intelligence, yet he lets human criminals live, including a guy who killed a whole building full of people for no reason.

* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Saitama never hesitates to kill monster--even one that was running away--regardless of intelligence, yet he lets human criminals live, including a guy who killed a whole building for of people for no reason.

* AFriendInNeed: Despite complaining about the way Genos follows him around, the protagonist shows concern for him and even fights Asura Rhino on his behalf when he gets turned into "[[ItMakesSenseInContext modern art]]".

* DecompressedComic: Very much so. Just read chapter 25, the entire chapter is just Metal Knight arriving and lading near Genos.

* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: Most of the registered super heroes wear these, from a snakeskin suit to ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''-esque armour. Saitama however averts this by dressing in what look like pyjamas.

* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: Most of the registered super heroes wear these, from a snakeskin suit to ''VideoGame/FinalFantasy''-esque armour. Saitama however averts this by dressing in what look like pyjamas.

* AwesomeArt

* InstantFanclub: Genos accumulates an offscreen one thanks to a popularity poll which deems him as one of the most attractive and therefore highest ranking heroes.