History Analysis / OnePunchMan

Garou is another case. He was obsessed with getting back at society for mistreating underdogs and losers such as himself, so he started training under Bang to be stronger. When he attacked the other students at the dojo, he lost some of his humanity. Over the course of the Human Monster saga, he continues to lose his humanity as he brutalizes hero after hero for the sake of his obsession. However, unlike Genos who struggles to ''hold on'' to his humanity and stay a hero, Garou struggles to ''let go'' of his humanity and become a monster. He claims he wants to become the ultimate evil, and yet he can't bring himself to harm a child or side with the brainless violence of other monsters. [[spoiler: Saitama calls him out on this after their battle, describing his goal of becoming the ultimate monster as "half-assed." This is why even until the very end of the fight, even when Garou gains the bodies of a giant beast, Saitama just breaks it and refuses to kill him.]]

However, both heroes and monsters have their obsessions that give them strength. For example, Sweet Mask is obsessed with dishing out justice on the evil monsters of the world. If they're both driven by their obsessions, what makes the difference between a hero and a monster? In short, heroes have held onto their humanity and haven't let their obsessions replace it.

Sweet Mask is a particularly interesting character when discussing obsessions. Through him we see that heroes and monsters are not so different. He's obsessed with justice, leading him to committing monstrous acts such as mercilessly killing [=POWs=] from the Dark Matter Thieves. [[spoiler: He is also technically a Mysterious Being himself, since his obsession with becoming a beautiful hero eventually transformed him into one. He's like a reverse Ugmon.]]. And despite this, he's still considered a hero. Both heroes and monsters have their obsessions that give them strength. What makes the difference between a hero and a monster? In short, heroes have held onto their humanity and haven't let their obsessions replace it.

In a way, Saitama himself is a Mysterious Being. [[spoiler: Eat your heart out, Garou.]] His obsession with being a hero strong enough to defeat monsters in one punch led him to his ridiculous training, and he actually achieved his goal. [[spoiler: Just like Sweet Mask with his desire to be beautiful]]. However, after achieving this goal Saitama has found he's lost his humanity, or at least a portion of it.

Garou is another case. He was obsessed with getting back at society for mistreating underdogs and losers such as himself, so he started training under Bang to be stronger. Eventually he became bored of this and lost some of his humanity when he began attacking the other students at the dojo. Over the course of the Human Monster saga, he continues to lose his humanity as he brutalizes hero after hero for the sake of his obsession. However, unlike Genos who struggles to ''hold on'' to his humanity and stay a hero, Garou struggles to ''let go'' of his humanity and become a monster. He claims he wants to become the ultimate evil, and yet he can't bring himself to harm a child or side with the brainless violence of other monsters. [[spoiler: Saitama calls him out on this after their battle, describing his goal of becoming the ultimate monster as "half-assed." This is why even until the very end of the fight, even when Garou gains the bodies of a giant beast, Saitama just breaks it and refuses to kill him.]]

In a way, Saitama himself is a Mysterious Being. [[spoiler: Eat your heart out, Garou.]] His obsession with being strong enough to become a hero who could defeat monsters in one punch led him to his ridiculous training, and he actually achieved his goal. [[spoiler: Just like Sweet Mask with his desire to be beautiful]]. However, after achieving this goal Saitama has found he has nothing left. He's lost his humanity, or at least a portion of it.

This is getting long. Basically, ONE and Murata are telling a story about "staying human." There are people in the real world who let their obsessions control them: neglecting others for the sake of their hobbies, neglecting themselves for the sake of work, succumbing to addictions, etc. Having an obsession can lead you to become more powerful: whether you hold onto your humanity or not is what makes the difference between a hero and a monster.

This is getting long. Basically, ONE and Murata are telling a story about "staying human." There are people in the real world who let their obsessions control them: neglecting others for the sake of their hobbies, neglecting themselves for the sake of work, succumbing to addictions, etc. When obsessions Having an obsession can lead you to become more powerful: whether you hold onto your humanity or not is what makes the difference between a hero and a monster.

Garou is another case. He was obsessed with getting back at society for mistreating underdogs and losers such as himself, so he started training under Bang to be stronger. Eventually he became bored of this and lost some of his humanity when he began attacking the other students at the dojo. Over the course of the Human Monster saga, he continues to lose his humanity as he brutalizes hero after hero for the sake of his obsession. However, unlike Genos who struggles to ''hold on'' to his humanity and stay a hero, Garou struggles to ''let go'' of his humanity and become a monster. He claims he wants to become the ultimate evil, and yet he can't bring himself to harm a child or side with the brainless violence of other monsters. [[spoiler: Saitama calls him out on this after their battle, describing his goal of becoming the ultimate monster as "half-assed." This is why even until the very end of the fight, even when he gains the shell of a giant beast, Saitama just breaks it and refuses to kill him. Garou failed to let go of his humanity.]]

In a way, Saitama himself is a Mysterious Being. [[spoiler: Eat your heart out, Garou.]] His obsession with being strong enough to become a hero who could defeat monsters in one punch led him to his ridiculous training, which ended up bringing him to his goal, [[spoiler: just like Sweet Mask with his desire to be beautiful]]. However, after achieving this goal Saitama has found he has nothing left. His obsession was achieved, and now he's not sure what to do with himself. He's lost his humanity, or at least a portion of it.

This is getting long, I'm rambling. Basically, having an obsession can lead you to become more powerful: whether you hold onto your humanity or not is what makes the difference between a hero and a monster.

Garou is another case. He was obsessed with getting back at society for mistreating underdogs and losers such as himself, so he started training under Bang to be stronger. Eventually he became bored of this and lost some of his humanity when he began attacking the other students at the dojo. Over the course of the Human Monster saga, he continues to lose his humanity as he brutalizes hero after hero for the sake of his obsession. His obsession lies outside the law. However, unlike Genos who struggles to hold onto his humanity and stay a hero, Garou struggles to let go of his humanity and become a monster. He claims he wants to become the ultimate evil, and yet he can't bring himself to harm a child or side with the brainless violence of other monsters. [[spoiler: Saitama calls him out on this after their battle, describing his goal of becoming the ultimate monster as "half-assed." This is why even until the very end of the fight, even when he gains the shell of a giant beast, Saitama just breaks it and refuses to kill him. Garou failed to let go of his humanity.]]

!Webcomic/OnePunchMan and Obsessions

There's a pretty strong theme in One-Punch Man regarding people's obsessions and desires. Many characters in the series have a certain strong desire they are trying to satiate. One of the ways normal people turn into Mysterious Beings is by succumbing to their obsessions: Crablante, for example, was so obsessed with eating crabs that he turned into one. Phoenix Man was obsessed with grief and with his role in his cancelled TV show, so much that he merged with his bird costume. Ugmons are a particular type of Mysterious Being whose jealousy and hatred for more attractive people turn them into monsters, such as Fuhrer Ugly.

Sweet Mask is a particularly interesting character when discussing obsessions. Through him we see that heroes and monsters are not so different. He's obsessed with justice, leading him to committing monstrous acts such as mercilessly killing [=POWs=] from the Dark Matter Thieves. [[spoiler: He is also technically a Mysterious Being himself, since his obsession with becoming a beautiful hero eventually transformed him into one. He's like a reverse Ugmon.]]. And despite all this, he's still considered a hero. One way you could see it is that heroes are beings whose obsessions lie within the law, while monsters are beings whose obsessions lie outside the law. And why do (most) heroes have obsessions that lie within the law? It's because they have held onto their humanity and haven't let their obsessions replace them.

Genos is obsessed with becoming stronger so that he can get revenge on the mad cyborg who destroyed his town. He goes to great lengths to achieve this goal, undergoing the change into a cyborg body of his own and consistently fighting so hard he loses limbs in battle. His obsession is what keeps him going, but it doesn't fully control him like it does with Sweet Mask. Genos realizes Sweet Mask is a reflection of who he could become if he doesn't hold on to his humanity. Before he met Saitama, he was teetering on the edge of losing his humanity and succumbing to his lust for power and revenge - even now he still struggles with it. Dr. Kuseno warns him to not push himself too hard, and with every upgrade, such as his post-Elder Centipede one, he looks less and less like a human.

Garou is another example. He was obsessed with getting back at society for mistreating underdogs and losers such as himself, so he started training under Bang to be stronger. Eventually he became bored of this and lost some of his humanity when he began attacking the other students at the dojo. Over the course of the Human Monster saga, he continues to lose his humanity as he brutalizes hero after hero for the sake of his obsession. His obsession lies outside the law. However, unlike Genos who struggles to hold onto his humanity and stay a hero, Garou struggles to let go of his humanity and become a monster. He claims he wants to become the ultimate evil, and yet he can't bring himself to harm a child or side with the brainless violence of other monsters. [[spoiler: Saitama calls him out on this after their battle, describing his goal of becoming the ultimate monster as "half-assed." This is why even until the very end of the fight, even when he gains the shell of a giant beast, Saitama just breaks it and refuses to kill him. Garou failed to let go of his humanity.]]

Sweet Mask is a particularly interesting character when discussing obsessions. Through him we see that heroes and monsters are not so different. He's obsessed with justice, leading him to committing monstrous acts such as mercilessly killing [=POWs=] from the Dark Matter Thieves. [[spoiler: He is also technically a Mysterious Being himself, since his obsession with becoming a beautiful hero eventually transformed him into one. He's like a reverse Ugmon.]]. And despite all this, he's still considered a hero. One way you could see it is that heroes are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie within the law, while monsters are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie outside the law. And why do (most) heroes have obsessions that lie within the law? It's because they have held onto their humanity and haven't let their obsessions replace them.

Genos is obsessed with becoming stronger so that he can get revenge on the mad cyborg who destroyed his town. He goes to great lengths to achieve this goal, undergoing the change into a cyborg body of his own and consistently fighting so hard he loses limbs in battle. His obsession is what keeps him going, but it doesn't fully control him like it does with Sweet Mask. Genos realizes Sweet Mask is a reflection of who he could become if he doesn't hold on to his humanity. Before he met Saitama, he was teetering on the edge of losing his humanity and succumbing to his lust for power and revenge - even now he still struggles with it, and Dr. Kuseno warns him to not push himself too hard.

Garou is another example. He was obsessed with getting back at society for mistreating underdogs and losers such as himself, so he started training under Bang to be stronger. Eventually he became bored of this and lost some of his humanity when he began attacking the other students at the dojo. Over the course of the Human Monster saga, he continues to lose his humanity as he brutalizes hero after hero for the sake of his obsession. However, unlike Genos who struggles to hold onto his humanity and stay a hero, Garou struggles to let go of his humanity and become a monster. He claims he wants to become the ultimate evil, and yet he can't bring himself to harm a child or side with the brainless violence of other monsters. [[spoiler: Saitama calls him out on this after their battle, describing his goal of becoming the ultimate monster as "half-assed." This is why even until the very end of the fight, even when he gains the shell of a giant beast, Saitama just breaks it and refuses to kill him. Garou failed to let go of his humanity.]]

Sweet Mask is a particularly interesting character when discussing obsessions. Through him we see that heroes and monsters are not so different. One way you could see it is that heroes are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie within the law, while monsters are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie outside the law. And why do heroes have obsessions that lie within the law? It's because they have held onto their humanity and haven't let their obsessions replace them.

Take popular hero Sweet Mask, for example. He's obsessed with justice, leading him to committing monstrous acts such as mercilessly killing [=POWs=] from the Dark Matter Thieves. [[spoiler: He is also technically a Mysterious Being himself, since his obsession with becoming a beautiful hero eventually transformed him into one. He's like a reverse Ugmon.]].

Sweet Mask is a particularly interesting character when discussing obsessions. Through him we see that heroes and monsters are not so different. One way you could see it is that heroes are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie within the law, while monsters are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie outside the law. Take popular hero Sweet Mask, for example. He's obsessed with justice, leading him to committing monstrous acts such as mercilessly killing [=POWs=] from the Dark Matter Thieves. [[spoiler: He is also technically a Mysterious Being himself, since his obsession with becoming a beautiful hero eventually transformed him into one. He's like a reverse Ugmon.]].

Genos is obsessed with becoming stronger so that he can get revenge on the mad cyborg who destroyed his town. He goes to great lengths to achieve this goal, undergoing the change into a cyborg body of his own and consistently fighting so hard he loses limbs in battle. In fact, if Genos didn't push himself so hard he almost died every single battle, would he have made it into S-Class? His obsession is what keeps him going. And there are many parallels drawn between Genos and Sweet Mask - even Genos himself does it, realizing Sweet Mask is a reflection of who he could become if he doesn't hold on to his humanity.

In a way, Saitama is also a Mysterious Being. His obsession with being strong enough to become a hero who could defeat monsters in one punch led him to his ridiculous training, which ended up bringing him to his goal, [[spoiler: just like Sweet Mask with his desire to be beautiful]]. However, after achieving this goal Saitama has found he has nothing left. His obsession was achieved, and now he's not sure what to do with himself. He's lost his humanity, or at least a portion of it.

There are many parallels drawn between Genos and Sweet Mask - even Genos himself does it, realizing Sweet Mask is a reflection of who he could become if he doesn't hold on to his humanity. Genos is obsessed with becoming stronger so that he can get revenge on the mad cyborg who destroyed his town. He goes to great lengths to achieve this goal, undergoing the change into a cyborg body and consistently fighting so hard he loses limbs in battle. In fact, if Genos didn't push himself so hard he almost died every single battle, would he even be considered an S-Class hero? Then there's the theory about the little e

In a way, Saitama is also a Mysterious Being. His obsession with becoming strong enough to become a hero who could defeat monsters in one punch led him to his ridiculous training, which ended up bringing him to his goal, [[spoiler: just like Sweet Mask]]. However, after achieving this goal Saitama has found he has nothing left. His obsession was achieved, and now he's not sure what to do with himself.

Sweet Mask is a particularly interesting character when discussing obsessions. Through him we see that heroes and monsters are not so different; heroes are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie within the law, while monsters are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie outside the law. In fact, [[spoiler: Sweet Mask is technically a Mysterious Being himself, since his obsession with becoming a beautiful hero eventually transformed him into one. He's like a reverse Ugmon.]]. He's obsessed with justice, leading him to committing monstrous acts such as mercilessly killing [=POWs=] from the Dark Matter Thieves.

There are many parallels drawn between Genos and Sweet Mask - even Genos himself does it, realizing Sweet Mask is a reflection of who he could become if he doesn't hold on to his humanity. Genos is obsessed with becoming stronger so that he can get revenge on the mad cyborg who destroyed his town. He goes to great lengths to achieve this goal, undergoing the change into a cyborg body and consistently fighting so hard he loses limbs in battle. In fact, if Genos didn't push himself so hard he almost died every single battle, would he even be considered an S-Class hero?

Sweet Mask is a particularly interesting character when discussing obsessions. Through him we see that heroes and monsters are not so different; heroes are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie within the law, while monsters are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie outside the law. In fact, [[spoiler: Sweet Mask is technically a Mysterious Being himself, since his obsession with becoming a beautiful hero eventually transformed him into one. He's like a reverse Ugmon.]]. He's obsessed with justice, and leads him to committing monstrous acts, such as mercilessly killing [=POWs=] from the Dark Matter Thieves.

Sweet Mask is a particularly interesting character when discussing obsessions. Through him we see that heroes and monsters are not so different; heroes are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie within the law, while monsters are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie outside the law. In fact, [[spoiler: Sweet Mask is technically a Mysterious Being himself, since his obsession with becoming a beautiful hero eventually transformed him into one. He's like a reverse Ugmon.]]. He's obsessed with justice, and leads him to committing monstrous acts, such as mercilessly killing POWs from the Dark Matter Thieves.

Sweet Mask is a particularly interesting character when discussing obsessions. Through him we see that heroes and monsters are not so different; heroes are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie within the law, while monsters are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie outside the law. In fact, [[spoiler: Sweet Mask is technically a Mysterious Being himself, since his obsession with becoming a beautiful hero eventually transformed him into one. He's like a reverse Ugmon.]].

There's a pretty strong theme in One-Punch Man regarding people's obsessions and desires. Many characters in the series have a certain strong desire they are trying to satiate. One of the ways normal people turn into monsters is by succumbing to their obsessions: Crablante, for example, was so obsessed with eating crabs that he turned into one. Phoenix Man was obsessed with grief and with his role in his cancelled TV show, so much that he merged with his bird costume.

Sweet Mask is a particularly interesting character when discussing obsessions. Through him we see that heroes and monsters are not so different; heroes are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie within the law, while monsters are beings who are obsessed with goals that lie outside the law.

!Webcomic/OnePunchMan and Its Interrogation of the Hero

One-Punch Man is all about characters who are considered "heroes." However, the most interesting part of the series is just how flawed society's ideas and perception of heroes really is. Many of the so-called heroes push the limits of heroism and makes the audience question the black and white nature of heroes vs. monsters:
* Saitama is the most powerful hero in the world, but he primarily considers it just a hobby and doesn't take heroism very seriously at all. Is he really a hero if he doesn't care much about justice or righteousness?
* Genos is obsessed with growing stronger so that he can one day get revenge, even converting his human body in a cyborg one along the way. He does seem to care about saving people's lives, but worries more about being strong than anything else.
* King didn't even set out to be a hero, but was coincidentally around giant monster battles and ended up somehow receiving all the credit. He never turned this credit down, so now he's feared as "The Strongest Man on Earth." So someone can be a hero just because society says they are?
* Tatsumaki has devoted her life to helping people as one of the top S-Class heroes, but is rude to all those around her and won't hesitate to let her teammates suffer if they get in her way. What kind of a hero disregards the humans around her?
* Sweet Mask is obsessed with justice, to the point where he treats heroes he deems weak unfairly and brutally kills anything labelled a monsters.
* Conversely, Metal Knight doesn't care about justice, and is only a hero so he can test his weapons of war against monsters.
* Puri-Puri Prisoner is literally a criminal and registered sex offender and yet he is allowed to break his jail sentence to go fight monsters once in a while.
* Child Emperor may be a skilled hero and child genius, but he's missing out on his childhood and developing trust issues due to dealing with unreliable heroes such as Metal Knight all day.
* Superalloy Darkshine is another extremely powerful hero, but he is not willing to die for others and suffers a crisis at the first sign that his life might be on the line.
* Fubuki is obsessed with rankings and comparisons between heroes, making her involvement in the hero business just that: a business. How much does she really care about saving people's lives compared to her desire to surpass her sister, Tatsumaki?
* Death Gatling is similarly obsessed with rankings, feeling like an underdog and wanting more to prove himself to the Hero Association than to save lives.
* Mumen Rider is morally one of the most heroic and noble heroes in the entire Hero Association, but he's so weak that does it really matter?
* Watchdog Man hardly leaves a single neighborhood and seems to only protect the people there out of a weird obligation to guard his turf.
* Blast hasn't shown up to deal with a single threat the whole series (so far), and yet he's still considered the highest-ranked hero in the world. That's a huge red flag.
Of course, they're all humans and thus they are all flawed. But heroes are often seen in pop culture as the paragons of society, and it's interesting to see so many heroes with such varied characters, motivations, and beliefs. What even is a hero anyways?

Of course, they're all humans and thus they are all flawed. But heroes are often seen in pop culture as the paragons of society, and it's interesting to see so many heroes with such varied characters, motivations, and beliefs.

* Snakebite Sneck was also obsessed with teaching lower-ranked heroes respect for their supposed superiors. After his encounter with Saitama, he quickly started to learn otherwise.
* Mumen Rider is one of the most heroic and noble heroes in the entire Hero Association, but he's so weak that does it really matter?

* Tatsumaki has devoted her life to helping people as one of the top S-Class heroes, but is rude to all those around her and won't hesitate to let her teammates suffer if they get in her way.

* Genos is obsessed with growing stronger so that he can one day get revenge on the cyborg who destroyed his village. He does seem to care about saving people's lives, but worries more about being strong than anything else.

* Saitama is the most powerful hero in the world, but he primarily considers it just a hobby and doesn't take heroism very seriously at all.

* Metal Knight doesn't care about justice, and is only a hero so he can test his weapons of war against monsters.

* Tatsumaki has devoted her life to helping people as one of the top S-Class heroes, but is rude to all those around her and won't hesitate to let her teammates suffer if they get in her way.

* Watchdog Man hardly leaves a single neighborhood and seems to only protect the people there out of a weird obligation to guard his turf.
* Genos is obsessed with growing stronger so that he can one day get revenge on the cyborg who destroyed his village. He does seem to care about saving people's lives, but worries more about being strong than anything else.

* Blast hasn't shown up to deal with a single threat the whole series (so far), and yet he's still considered the highest-ranked hero in the world. That's a huge red flag.

Of course, they're not all bad. There are heroes out there like

* Superalloy Darkshine is another extremely powerful hero, but he is not willing to die for others and suffers a crisis at the first sign that his life might be on the line.

One-Punch Man is all about heroes. However, the most interesting part of the series is just how flawed society's ideas and perception of heroes really is.