History Characters / OnePunchManMainCharacters

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Saitama's entry grew too long and needed to split. It will no longer be indexed under the main One-Punch Man character sheet, as it will no longer host any characters. You'll find the new locations of the characters formerly here below.
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* Saitama has been given his own page. See [[Characters/OnePunchManSaitama here]].
* Genos is on the S-Class Heroes page with the rest of the S-Class Heroes, so check it out [[Characters/OnePunchManSClassHeroes here]].

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* Genos is on the S-Class Heroes page with the rest of the S-Class Heroes, so check it out [[Characters/OnePunchManSClassHeroes here]].

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[[WMG:[[center: [- ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'' '''[[Characters/OnePunchMan Main Character Index]]'''\\
'''Main Characters''' | [[Characters/OnePunchManHeroAssociation Hero Association]] ([[Characters/OnePunchManSClassHeroes S-Class Heroes]]) | [[Characters/OnePunchManNeoHeroes Neo Heroes]] | [[Characters/OnePunchManVillains Villains and Monsters]] ([[Characters/OnePunchManMonsterAssociation Monster Association]]) | [[Characters/OnePunchManOthers Others]]]]]]-]
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[[folder:Saitama (Caped Baldy)]]
!!Saitama
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MakotoFurukawa (Japanese), Creator/MaxMittelman (English), Victor Ruiz (Latin American Spanish), Dario Torrent (European Spanish), Orelsan (French)
!!!'''Debut:''' Chapter 1 (Webcomic & Manga), Episode 1 (Anime)
[[quoteright:251:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saitama_anime_0.png]]
[[caption-width-right:251:Saitama]]
[[caption-width-right:251:[[labelnote:Click here to see Serious Series: Saitama]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/opm_saitama.png[[/labelnote]]]]

->''"Just a guy who's a hero for fun."''

Once an ordinary unemployed {{salaryman}}, Saitama was inspired to become a hero when he incidentally saved a butt-chinned boy from a crab monster with nothing but his necktie. He then underwent an intensely unhealthy training regimen for three years, increasing his strength exponentially - he got so powerful, in fact, that he lost all his hair. Now he's so strong that, no matter the opponent, he can defeat them with a single punch. Because of this, he's grown bored with his life of super-heroism.\\\

What Saitama doesn't know is that the butt-chinned boy he saved all those years ago was the grandson of [[BigGood a multi-millionaire]], who founded the Hero Association when he found out about the incident.

* TheAce: A highly [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] example, almost towards an inversion. While the entire public is [[WeirdnessCensor ignorant]] of Saitama and his achievements, the very few individuals who are aware of his true prowess revere him as one. Saitama single-handedly broke all preexisting records in the Hero Association's physical examinations, and in just over 65 days went from C-Class to A-Class. Saitama can achieve several feats which surpass those of all S Class heroes. A recurring theme in the manga is that, in any given arc, Saitama almost always defeats the strongest [[BigBad antagonist/opponent]] of that arc. See WorldsStrongestMan below.
** Doubly inverted. While Saitama looks unimpressive and is far from being the IdealHero, he is the most powerful hero who always wins. Only two beings ever came close to his power and Saitama [[CurbStompBattle defeated both of them]]. Not to mention, he is unusually perceptive about the human mind and offers simple-minded wisdom to Genos.
--> [[spoiler: '''Fubuki''': I place your strength in high regard... Since you are the one that dealt with the Hero Killer, that means you too have reached the top.]]
* AchievementsInIgnorance:
** Saitama 100% honestly believes that his absolutely insane levels of strength, speed, and durability came from his daily basic training regimen. Everybody incredulously points out it's physically impossible for a normal human to get that strong even if they are trained all the time for the rest of their lives.
** He also defeats [[HeroKiller Garou]] in one hit. While this isn't that surprising, the kicker is that Saitama ''didn't even know he was fighting him''. He believed Garou was just a guy trying to mug him.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: His past self three years ago in the reboot manga. He's not actually that bad-looking bald either, but the majority of the time he's [[PaintingTheMedium so lazy that not even his artist can be bothered to finish his artwork]] making him look like a Muppet or a doll for some reason.
* AdaptationalBadass: Due to the AdaptationExpansion of the manga, most of Saitama's battles against the various opponents is given more context compared to the webcomic, such as being able to bathe in lava with no ill effects and is able to bypass into Phoenixman's pocket dimension, "Phoenix Space".
* AlmightyJanitor: The strongest hero bar none, but started as a C-Class hero due to a poorly written score on the entrance exam. Not to mention that all of his observed victories are seen by the public as nothing more than flukes. His unobserved victories were all attributed to someone else, who is now the most feared hero in the entire organization, [[spoiler:despite being an otherwise ordinary person.]]
** [[spoiler: This becomes less and less true as more and more people begin to notice his accomplishments and Saitama moves up the ranks, eventually becoming an A-class Hero in the webcomic.]]
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: ''He'' is the "someone" to ''everyone else''. Something of a RunningGag in the series, where ninja-for-hire "Speed of Sound" Sonic is very proud of his SuperSpeed, such that he is practically invisible to the naked eye. The problem is that he is the UnknownRival of Saitama. When Sonic tries to leap around unnoticed, Saitama easily watches him go. When he attempts a BackStab, Saitama inadvertently nails Sonic with a painful and embarrassing GroinAttack. When he reveals in his ability to create ten 'speed clones' in a fight against Saitama and considers it his best chance to kill the hero, Saitama effortlessly creates ''hundreds of speed clones''. There's just no winning for Sonic, and the audience is expected to have a good laugh at his expense.
* AndThenWhat: Achieved his IJustWantToBeBadass dream and became so badass that nothing posed a challenge to him anymore. Which turned out to be incredibly boring.
* AntiHero: Definitely a KnightInSourArmor. He has the power to completely change the world but is ''way'' too lazy to do so. He's also quite cynical about the hero business (not that he's wrong about said business). However, without a doubt, he will do the right thing.
* ArmorPiercingResponse: His admission that he is a hero as a hobby generally catches people off guard.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: He briefly gave off this aura because everyone initially considered him a fraud of a C-Class Hero and he didn't care what society thought of him. But overall, he doesn't really consider himself to be superior to everyone and has a modest outlook on life.
* ArtShift: Saitama is drawn as either a stick figure, a slightly more detailed stick figure, or a fully drawn, highly detailed normal figure that matches the style of the other characters. It's all part of the joke that most of the time he does not look like the type of protagonist you'd see in a {{Shonen}} manga and his normally unassuming appearance belies his strength.
* BadassCape: The only thing his old tailor got right with his outfit is the superhero style cape.
* BadassNormal:
** He managed to defeat a crab monster with nothing but his necktie before he ever started training.
** PlayedWith as well. Saitama '''thinks''' he's this and that his training regimen gave him CharlesAtlasSuperpower. However, it's painfully obvious to everyone who's not him that no man could acquire such strength through simple training, let alone Saitama's training regimen (which is pretty damn intense, but perfectly doable for a normal human being and nowhere near paranormal-level.)
* BadassTeacher: Not that he wanted to be one, but Genos considers him such. Saitama even comments that, despite [[IndyPloy making it up as he goes along]], Genos is eating out of the palm of his hand; writing down anything that sounds profound or insightful.
* BaldOfAwesome: In that his awesomeness is the reason he became bald in the first place.
* BaldHeadOfToughness: Saitama did originally have hair when he was an ordinary person. His baldness came as a consequence of gaining his CharlesAtlasSuperpower of SuperStrength and SuperToughness after doing simple exercises every day. Now he is so strong that he can wipe the floor with most opponents with, well, a single punch. That said, given this work is a parody of the superhero genre, when not in LetsGetDangerous mode, Saitama does express BaldnessAngst and his baldness is often PlayedForLaughs.
* BaldnessAngst: Apart of being the most powerful being on Earth against whom no opponent can last for more than one punch, maybe except Boros, the other thing that produces angst in Saitama is the loss of all of his hair, which eventually came with his super strength and is one of the things he misses most from his previous life.
* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: {{Downplayed}} during his battle with [[AliensAreBastards Boros]]. While he does seem to still need oxygen given how he takes the time to hold his breath and pinch his nose shut, [[spoiler:Saitama suffers no other ill effects from being on the moon's surface after Boros kicks him there, even casually taking his time in figuring out how he was gonna get back]].
* BerserkButton:
** People commenting on his baldness tends to irk him, which doesn't help with the fact the Hero Association gave him the [[RedBaron Hero name]] "Caped Baldy". But a much grander button for him is heroes who act cowardly. Also he clearly didn't like Suiryuu's [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech speech]] about the heroes.
** Saitama ''really'' doesn't like being attacked in his own home, especially if it results in the damage he has to pay for. While this would upset anyone, it stands out for being one of the few "normal" offenses that can still cut through Saitama's [[EpicBattleBoredom perpetual boredom]] and get serious anger out of him. [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight He doesn't care nearly as much about destruction otherwise.]]
** Though he doesn't get mad about it, Saitama always steps in when he sees something abusive. When the Tank Top brothers and Snek try to humiliate him, he crushed them. When Fubuki tries to newbie crush him and strong-arm him into her group, he verbally beats her down. When Phoenix Man tries to emotionally manipulate Child Emperor, he '''punches his way''' into his mental landscape to threaten him for messing around with a kid. When Tornado tries to touch Fubuki and knock her unconscious, he grabs her arm. The man does not like bullies, manipulators, or abusers. [[{{Irony}} That being said, he's pretty abrasive himself as he doesn't consider anyone to be anything more than an acquaintance and he has hurt or disappointed people with his callousness.]]
* BigBrotherMentor: Plays this role to Genos. Although Genos originally joined Saitama to learn the secret behind Saitama's strength, he instead learns compassion, humility, and heroism. Saitama is a positive influence that is helping Genos transition from a vengeance-fueled {{Antihero}} into a [[TheCape true hero]].
* BigDamnHeroes: A reoccurring theme and how most story arcs end is Saitama rescuing people. He is usually late and if other heroes are involved, they have probably already been beaten or are in trouble when he arrives. The biggest example is when he defeats the Sea King. As this series is a [[AffectionateParody deconstruction]] of the whole super-hero genre, this is probably intended. Besides, he isn't aware that he was behind the foundation of the Hero Association for saving the big-chinned person's boy from a monster crab.
* BlessedWithSuck: This is how Saitama views his powers. At the surface level, he managed to win the SuperpowerLottery: he's [[SuperStrength insanely powerful]], [[SuperSpeed ridiculously fast]], and [[NighInvulnerable practically immune to damage]], to the point of shrugging off ''anything'' that is thrown at him and defeating ''anybody'' that he fights in, well, [[RunningGag one punch]]. This is exactly why he's so depressed about his superhero job because there's literally no challenge for him no matter how strong and seemingly invincible his opponent is.
* BloodKnight: Part of his depression about being so strong is that no opponent can give him a challenge anymore. Whenever he faces a seemingly strong opponent and defeats it in one punch, he laments that the opponent "kinda got his hopes up", examples being Asura Kabuto and the Deep Sea King. He even had a dream that had him really enjoying the rush of fighting an opponent he thought was on equal footing.
* BlowYouAway: Whenever Saitama really starts to put any "effort" in his punches, then expect him to cause a powerful gust of wind created from the immense pressure of his attacks.
* BookDumb: Saitama is not stupid, but he did so poorly on the written portion of the Hero Association entrance exam that he was placed in the lowest possible category of hero, despite his record-shattering performance during the physical portion. He scored a 100 on the physical and a 42 on the book. Thus, he got a 71 (the cut-off was 70 points).
** During his middle school years, Saitama is shown to be napping through the student orientation and was also struggling to keep up with the class, failing to even complete the ''bare minimum'' of schoolwork (such as "forgetting" to do his homework and turning it in by the next day when it was assigned to him on his first day of school).
* BoringYetPractical: Compared to other heroes, Saitama has as much flash as toilet paper and hasn't the slightest clue as to how to properly utilize martial arts, but is [[InvincibleHero so]] [[WorldsStrongestMan outrageously strong]] that he literally doesn't ''need'' anything else but to get close to an opponent and turn them to paste with, you guessed it, [[OneHitKO one punch.]]
* BoxingLessonsForSuperman: Bang has tried a few times to get Saitama to join his dojo, but the latter always turns him down. The most likely explanation for this is that Saitama's quest for a worthy opponent would get even tougher if he started supplementing his strength with martial arts. He eventually joins a martial arts tournament to see if he should reconsider, only to conclude that [[ComicallyMissingThePoint they're just meant to make you look cool when you fight]].
* BreakThemByTalking: An accidental expert and one of the few heroic examples. If he doesn't simply just break you physically, he may just talk. When he actually starts to care a little bit about an opponent, he can tear down their egos with SimpleMindedWisdom or by simply pointing out that he isn't even trying that hard and that there's nothing fancy about his moveset. [[spoiler:For example, he makes King, Speed-of-Sound Sonic, Fubuki, Garou, Boros, and Orochi all either break down crying or give into despair by displaying his strength and pointing out their flaws.]]
* BrickJoke: While talking with Genos before the training session, he wonders what his superhero name would be and comes to the conclusion that he would be called Caped Baldy. Several chapters later, and he does end up getting called Caped Baldy. He doesn't really like that.
* BrilliantButLazy: Or in this case, unbelievable yet lazy. While skill wise and intellectually, Saitama isn't much higher than a regular person, his strength and abilities outrank the best of the best and if he wanted to, he could probably single-handedly hunt every mysterious being to the point of extinction. He's just way too lazy, bored, and laid back to even consider how his power and abilities could change the world.
* BrutalHonesty: When it comes to dealing with other people, Saitama is as blunt and straightforward as a [[JustForPun punch]] to the face. He does not sugarcoat, show zero delicacy in conversations, and just straight up dishes out a piece of his mind to whoever he actually bothers talking to, usually in short, concise sentences. Most of the time, those short sentences are more than enough to leave an everlasting impression on those he talks to, even long after he's done with them.
* CallingYourAttacks: A more literal example as Saitama's named techniques are just regular attacks. His [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Consecutive Normal Punches"]] are [[RapidFireFisticuffs just a bunch of normal punches thrown in rapid succession]] and from what we've seen so far, his "Serious Series" is just him applying ''actual effort'' into a move.
* {{Cap}}: Dr. Genus believes that Saitama's power comes from overcoming the limit set by the universe on his growth potential. By doing sit-ups, push-ups, squats and running, or rather, because he was so dang determined to become the best through his constant, mundane exercise routine, he broke all the limits that could ever hold him back, ''including the laws of reality''. Now his power grows unchecked to absurd, and possibly infinite, levels. However, Saitama himself has commented at least once that he doesn't think he can grow any stronger than he is now, implying that he ''does'' have a limit (if only self-imposed via his apathy), but considering that he can take on about 99.9% of the universe without trying, it's clear that theoretical limit isn't one he's going to reach anytime soon, if ever.
* TheCape: Saitama is both an aversion and a straight send up of a classic superhero. He's often selfish and is only a hero because IJustWantToBeBadass and ItAmusedMe. He's a BloodKnight at heart and he literally dreams of fighting something that can give him a challenge. His knowledge of the world he lives in is borderline nonexistent at times. However, he inspires devotion from the heroes around him for a reason. He manages to be enough of an unwitting StealthMentor to Genos, PersonOfMassDestruction and cliche android boy AntiHero, to turn the kid into way more of an IdealHero. He's the WorldsStrongestMan, and yet lives in virtual obscurity and doesn't use his absurd power for anything except being a hero. He doesn't care about the ranks as long as they don't inconvenience him, and he fought off monsters for years without realizing he wasn't getting credit for his work.
* CassandraTruth: When he first tells the secret to his success at becoming the strongest hero, those present don't believe him. Given the setting, this comes off both as ArbitrarySkepticism on their part and naivete on his; it makes sense that he'd be wrong, but also ignores that others have gained powers and peculiarities through similar levels of effort.
* CatchPhrase: He often introduces himself as "just a guy who's a hero for fun".
* CelibateHero: Despite his trusty Oppai sweater, and saying he isn’t into guys when wrongly interpreting the fact Dr. Genus was interested in his body as something else, Saitama is never shown commenting on women or interested in hooking up with someone, his desire for recognition is never linked to wanting to be noticed by fangirls or anything of sorts (although he got a little annoyed when he heard Genos has fangirls of his own); later when Fubuki starts trying to pester him to join her group, Saitama is completely indifferent to her, as the Murata manga makes a point to have a few onlookers saying Fubuki is a gorgeous woman, and often thinks of her intruding attempts as irritating.
* CharacterDevelopment: Starts as a PunchClockHero who only cares about [[BloodKnight the thrill of the fight]], but eventually grows into a genuinely heroic person who [[HeroWithBadPublicity makes himself unpopular]] so that other people can get the respect that they deserve.
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Played with. His training regimen isn't even that intense [[spoiler:(100 sit-ups and 100 squats aren't a big deal, and while running 10 km and doing 100 press-ups is more impressive, it's still well within ordinary human limits)]]; his commitment to doing it every day is noteworthy, but when he tells people about it they react with incredulity that it could have made him so strong. Genos even notes it would be impossible for a normal human being to reach Saitama's level just by training, suggesting his strength comes from some other source [[InexplicablyAwesome that no one will ever understand]].
* CheapCostume: In appearance. Saitama in full garb looks like he took just one step away from using a paper bag as a mask, [[MySuitIsAlsoSuper notwithstanding that his costume is extremely durable]].
* ClarkKentOutfit: While most of it is because of how he is drawn, Episode 5 shows that he is more muscular than he usually looks. Notably, he has a different build in Episode 2.
* CombatPragmatist: Saitama is all over this trope. He defies TalkingIsAFreeAction, tends to use his ludicrous speed to get behind people before attacking, nearly always [[OneHitKill one shots]] his target, and will kill his opponent if he feels they're irredeemable. This is actually part of the reason the public doesn't like him much, as his pragmatism actually makes him boring compared to flashier heroes like Genos.
* ComicallyInvincibleHero: Played with and explored -- part of the humor of Saitama's character is that he is so outrageously overpowered that his fights are humorously anti-climatic. He wins all his fights ridiculously easy, even the mightiest foes pose no challenge to him, so he does not take his hero work seriously, goes through everything with little to no effort, and yearns for an opponent that can provide him with a challenge. Saitama is disappointed he might never find a fight that will seriously challenge him, the lack of worthy opponents has led him to suffer from a self-imposed existential crisis, and he claims that his ability to feel all emotions has dulled considerably. The combination of his attitude, unstoppable power, and "unimpressive" appearance often causes his battles to become anticlimactic. He even tells the second monster he curbstomped that his attaining the ultimate power has made his life boring as hell.
* CripplingOverspecialization: When it comes to battles or anything that involves his physical abilities, Saitama is practically invincible. When being challenged outside of that ( Rock-paper-scissors, Udon eating contests, video games etc.) He ranges from average to nearly helpless.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: While Saitama is NOT stupid, he is extremely lazy and bored with just about everything. Given that he is functionally indestructible (nothing has yet appeared strong enough to hurt him), this is understandable. Most of the time he barely pays attention or puts effort into anything which gives him the [[BrilliantButLazy APPEARANCE of being a moron.]] [[AwakeningTheSleepingGiant And then when someone like Boros destroys a city or the Sea King mocks the resolve of heroes...]]
* CurbStompBattle: He dishes them out regularly; the only battle he has that lasts longer than it takes for him to deliver a single punch is Boros, and even he didn't come close to beating Saitama.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: While not much is known about Saitama's past, there are implications that it wasn't very happy.
** As a twelve year old child: Saitama was shown living alone in a run down apartment, his parents neither shown nor mentioned. He had no friends, was bullied and struggled to keep up in class, resulting in him being distrusted by the people around. He wondered if he could grow up to become a proper person in society.
** As a young adult: Saitama failed to live up to society's most basic social expectation of getting a job. He was unemployed and came close to being homeless several times. By the time the series started, [[DrivenToSuicide he had entirely lost his will to live and just waited for a monster to kill him]].
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Saitama deconstructs the type of shounen hero that [[FollowTheLeader flooded the genre]] after ''Franchise/DragonBall'' introduced Goku:
** A hero who is motivated by BloodKnight tendencies will give up on heroism if it stops being thrilling for them, no matter how much good they would do. Whereas these heroes will intentionally drag out a fight to make it more thrilling for ''them'', the closest Saitama gets is when he fights Boros and drags out the fight because he pities his opponent and wants to make it more thrilling for ''him''.
** Similarly, a hero who is motivated by ChallengeSeeker tendencies will eventually run out of [[WorthyOpponent worthy opponents]] to fight and discover that it's LonelyAtTheTop. This also deconstructs SoLastSeason (what anime fans call "power creep") -- what would the hero do if their universe ''didn't'' keep creating more powerful opponents for them? StaticCharacter is deconstructed as well, because as King notes, Saitama can easily find the challenge he seeks outside of physical combat; he just doesn't bother to.
** The public doesn't find a ShowyInvincibleHero like Saitama ''nearly'' as exciting as someone like Genos, who is often pushed to his absolute limits or otherwise puts his life at stake and, thus, leaves the outcome of a battle more in doubt.
** The WishFulfillment aspect of Saitama's character specifically parallels Goku -- while Goku always wishes to be stronger, Saitama wished to be ''the strongest''... and [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor the entire series is about the fallout of getting his wish granted]].
** He is also a deconstruction of the NoSocialSkills Trope that the Saiyans started. Goku can abandon his family for years and miss watching his sons grow up with no regrets. While the Fandom often jokes about it, stating Goku is a terrible father, Goku's family is actually very supportive and okay with his mild familiar indifference and they all still love each other greatly. Saitama is much the same and dismisses his friends as acquaintances or even annoyances sometimes, angering and upsetting a lot of them or those around them. Granted, a lot of them bother him trying to force him to become their disciple or servant, but even King has had to go all the way to his house to ask for things back that Saitama hasn't returned.
* {{Determinator}}: He’s mostly a LazyBum nowadays, but it should be noted that Saitama didn’t gradually build up to his TrainingFromHell, he did 100 sit-ups, 100 push-ups and a 10 kilometer run ''every single day'' for three years to obtain his ridiculous power.
* DestructiveSaviour: Saitama has shown to be able to control the strength of his attacks, but still tends to go overboard, occasionally causing mass devastation in the aftermath. This is another reason why he's not a popular hero; he leaves a lot of destruction in his wake. When combined with his usual nonchalant and lackadaisical attitude, he comes off as quite unprofessional and uncaring, making it hard to like him at times.
** He can often be oblivious or not attentive, which leads to destruction that could've been prevented if he was more alert. Case in point, his second fight with Sonic. Sonic, realizing Saitama is a professional hero, proceeds to cause rampant chaos and property damage to goad Saitama into conflict, who was currently worrying about something. Eventually, he looks up and sees Sonic before casually knocking him out with a single chop, but not before there is a lot of property damage. To cap it off, what was concerning Saitama to the point he wasn't paying attention? ''That he may lose his membership because of a lack of activity on his part.''
* DifficultButAwesome: He's this in the video game ''[[VideoGame/OnePunchManAHeroNobodyKnows A Hero Nobody Knows]]'', to justify keeping his canon invincibility while balancing him. He rushes to the fight, and any team with him on it has only two active participants at first. Combos and perfect guards can lower the timer, but any Saitama team will still have a battle of attrition to survive until he arrives. Successfully stall for long enough, however, and the fight's basically over, since he takes no damage, and, as the title suggests, takes down anyone in one punch (with the only way to counter him being another Saitama).
* DramaPreservingHandicap: When individual enemies have a presence beyond a few minutes of screentime, Saitama tends having a hard time getting to the fight due to a poor sense of direction, leaving other heroes to shoulder the weight of the fight.
* TheDreaded: Any sentient monster that becomes even somewhat conscious of Saitama's true strength will be ''absolutely terrified of him'', as shown early on with the ([[OrWasItADream real]]) Subterraneans, Ground Dragon, Armored Gorilla and Asura Kabuto. Humans are generally less shaken. Even the virtually powerless and incredibly timid [[spoiler:King]] shows no real signs of fearing Saitama, since he never harms innocent people. He's unknowingly gained a reputation among both the Hero and Monster communities as a mysterious creature living in Z-City after killing several powerful monsters.
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Played with and parodied. He has a dream about saving the world from the mole people who've risen from under the ground to wipe out humanity, and having a truly thrilling battle in the process. When he wakes up, the very same mole people from before are in the midst of launching their attack [[spoiler: but, as it turns out they're actually hilariously inneffectual, and that's before Saitama decides to fight them to reenact the thrilling fight in his dream.]]
* DudeWheresMyRespect: He's rarely given credit for defeating a lot of the major villains early on (in fact, [[spoiler:King's "victories" are almost all Saitama's]]), though he finds out it's mostly because he wasn't a registered superhero. In addition, he's unaware that the creation of the Hero Association is down to him. Even after registering, the people rarely give him credit for his victories, or are unappreciative when they do. In some cases, Saitama will deliberately avoid getting credit when he thinks others deserve it more. He also tends to neglect to report any monsters he defeated to the association, or have no witnesses around to see what he does. That said, Saitama still moves up in rank after each victory, because the Hero Association at least recognizes that he is responsible ([[ThePeterPrinciple and if he's not, they figure promoting him will prove it]]). He's also slowly gaining the respect of various heroes, who do realize that Saitama really is as powerful as advertised.
* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: Almost always seen with a blank expression on his face due to extreme boredom and lack of passion, since he's so powerful that almost no one is strong enough to give him a proper challenge.
* EmbarrassingNickname: He's not pleased to know that the Hero Association gave him the hero name "Caped Baldy" and actually joined the "Hero Name Victims Association" to try and get it changed.
* EnlightenmentSuperpowers: [[spoiler:This is heavily implied to be the source of his power, but it is not confirmed for sure. His physical workout didn't make him strong, it was his single-minded dedication to becoming something greater that caused him to break through [[{{Cap}} reality's power limiter]], allowing him to grow in strength indefinitely. It even caused his hair to fall out. His SimpleMindedWisdom and lax attitude to his life may also indicate he has achieved some form of spiritual enlightenment.]] Also PlayedForLaughs. Saiatama's story of how he got his powers plays off elements of religious practice in Japanese Zen UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} (removing all your hair, engaging in repetitive action to ascend to a higher plane). Both are treated as degrading and silly by Saitama and other characters however.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** Discussed and parodied after he slugs Boros mid-speech.
-->'''Saitama''': [[DisappointedByTheMotive Are you an idiot? You can't just go around attacking other planets to liven up your boring little life.]] Even telemarketers wouldn't think of that.
** Even though he's only a hero for fun, Saitama does not like it when people mock the very role of heroes, something Suiryuu learned the hard way.
** While he did only agree to being Genos' master on a whim, Saitama feels bad that he can't really offer the cyborg any valuable lessons to strengthen himself, and feels like he is scamming the poor guy.
** No matter what, Saitama never kills humans. He even spared Garou.
* ExperiencedProtagonist: He starts the webcomic with his renowned strength, endurance, and agility. And he explains to Genos in the House of Evolution that he became that strong via a training schedule.
* {{Expy}}: Of the children's character Literature/{{Anpanman}}. Saitama in his hero costume is basically a PaletteSwap of the character. Further, the phonetic transcription of the Japanese name of the series is "Wanpanman."
* FastestThingAlive: When serious, Saitama can move faster than light as shown when he outpaced Flashy Flash with barely any effort. The latter starts admiring Saitama.
* FatalFlaw: A rare one for an shounen protagonist: '''{{Sloth}}'''. It's shown that a lot of Saitama's boredom and dissatisfaction come from his own laziness and stubborness. He lives practically like a hermit in an abandoned area of town (granted, one that's abandoned because of all the monster attacks before he moved in) and while he has a circle of friends of sorts, he is generally closed off from others. Additionally, when King points out he could find something more engaging since his "hero hobby" no longer brought joy, he shrugs off the advice.
** His other flaw is more common: {{Wrath}}. When he does find something which legitimately challenges him (especially in a way he doesn't like), he often gets very angry. So much so that he once almost killed Bang over a game Bang had challenged him to. His opponents tend to not take him seriously up until he gibs them, when he gets mad at them, every villain panics when they see his NightmareFace.
* FingerTenting: When he contemplates his lack of fame as a hero.
* FlashStep: Even the fastest beings in the story going at full speed are terrified when he casually outpaces them. Took this UpToEleven during his third encounter with Sonic through another of his "[[LetsGetDangerous Serious Series]]", called "Serious Consecutive Side Hops".
* {{Foil}}:
** To King. While Saitama is outrageously strong with no recognition, [[spoiler: King is a totally ordinary guy who everyone thinks is an invulnerable superhero.]]
** To Garou. Both of them have a strong sense of morality and justice, albeit manifested in different ways. While Saitama wanted to be like a hero from his childhood who fought villains, Garou wants to be a monster who defeats heroes. While Garou is a genius fighter and a prodigious martial artist, Saitama an untrained fighter, albeit with good fighting skills. Furthermore, Garou can enjoy the feeling of losing to improve himself to become stronger in most of his fights, while Saitama desires to have a worthy opponent to find the rush of excitement he once had while he was training.
** To Tatsumaki. Both are the characters that have ArtShift between goofy webcomic and serious detailed one, look non-threatening but have incredible power, and have a weaker student in Genos and Fubuki respectively, but they have some opposites, where Saitama had a normal life before becoming a hero, has a calm demeanor, is low ranking and gets no respect, and fights entirely physically, but Tatsumaki had traumatic past, is the moody and easily annoyed, second highest rank in the Hero Association, and uses her psychic powers.
** To Mumen Rider. Saitama is mellow, half-asses his fights, is incredibly overpowered and effective in battle, gets no respect from the public, and is a hero for fun; Mumen Rider is the exact opposite.
** He also gets foils in particular arcs, like Boros (someone else who'd gotten so powerful he'd become bored, but used his power for casual destruction) and Suiryu (like Saitama, he enjoys fighting for fun, but his abilities have made him famous, and he dismisses heroes).
* FoodAsBribe: Was bribed by Bang to eat at his dojo in hopes that he would learn some martial arts.
** Saitama became immediately friendly with Kuseno when the latter bought him premium gourmet beef.
* FriendToAllChildren: He's shown giving a child lost in the mountains a ride home at one point, and his first heroic act was saving a child's life.
* FriendlessBackground: Before Genos came along, he's shown to not have any friends, not hang out with anyone, and have no desire to befriend others, even when he still was in school. He would spend most of his time training to become stronger, going out shopping, watching the news, or fighting monsters. However, as the series progresses, he eventually makes new friends, though he views them as acquaintances.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: A heroic example. Once upon a time, Saitama was a recently-fired salaryman looking for work, until an encounter with a boy with a big chin and a crab monster changed his life. After [[TrainingFromHell three grueling years of training]], he became so powerful that he could defeat any foe with a single punch.
* GoodIsNotDumb: While not the intellectual type (he horribly failed the written portion of the hero exam) and can admittingly not be good at paying attention, he's actually quite insightful and perceptive.
* GoodIsNotNice: While he is a remarkably patient and passive person, Saitama is no ExtremeDoormat and would snap if [[ComplainingAboutRescuesTheyDontLike people start giving him sauce about his heroics]], basically telling them to shove it.
* GoodIsNotSoft: While Saitama isn't ComicBook/{{the Punisher}}, and doesn't just go around killing bad guys, he has no problem turning sentient feeling creatures (albeit monsters) into piles of meat, bones, and gore. He also doesn't even give it a second thought after turning said creatures into piles of blood and offal. That said, he rarely ever goes for the kill right off and tends to give bad guys the chance to turn themselves in or run. If the bad guys turn out to be real [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk jerkasses,]] [[ThisIsUnforgivable however...]]
* GoodOldFisticuffs: He has no martial arts training, but he is so strong that simple attacks (in this case, a simple punch) are totally sufficient to smash his opponents.
* TheGreatestStoryNeverTold: Bordering on PerceptionFilter; most literally can't seem to see the things he does. Doctor Genus believes this is the true price Saitama paid for his vast power. It also helps that [[spoiler:King was erroneously given the credit for the sole reason of being the only other person present in those fights]].
* GroinAttack:
** Accidentally does this to Sonic at one point (Saitama just held out his fist, but Sonic's momentum carried him too far forward). Luckily for Sonic, he'd wanted to stop right before making contact instead of actually hitting him, otherwise Sonic would likely be nothing more than a red mess on a tree at this point.
** Accidentally does it to Sonic again in a special chapter, this time elbowing him in the groin (Sonic was trying to attack him from behind).
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Played with in-universe. Most, if not all of his accomplishments are credited to other heroes, and as such, both the general populace and most of the Hero Association members barely know who he is, then there are the ones that think he's a hack, while there's only a select few who know him and respect him for what he's done. By design, his fellow heroes are TheProtagonist of the stories that the in-universe public sees and they are ''tiny'' compared to Saitama (who is TheProtagonist of the story we, the out-of-universe public, sees) who would be a ''titanic'' background character of sorts.
* HeroWithBadPublicity:
** Played straight and later invoked by the man himself. Because of his anonymity and the fact that he beats villains without any effort, people have accused him of being a fraud who isn't a "real" hero. He saves a town from a meteor but the debris destroys the city anyway, although everyone lived. After he kills the Sea King, a random {{Jerkass}} starts mocking the heroes who couldn't beat him before Saitama showed up. Saitama decides to paint himself as a selfish GloryHound so said heroes get the credit he feels they deserve at the cost of his own reputation.
** Thankfully this is mostly averted when it comes to his fellow heroes, especially those in the S-Class. They tend to have enough combat expertise to know he's the real deal from the start (Bang) or discover it for themselves the hard way (Tatsumaki and Fubuki). Most of the higher-ups in the Association also seem to think he was placed low due to a fluke and that he should be much higher since he utterly destroyed (quite literally) his physical exam.
* HeroismMotiveSpeech: He makes one after some people say a lot of bad things about him, never mind that he saved them from a giant meteor in the first place.
--> '''Saitama:''' Let me make one thing clear! I'm not working as a hero to get you morons to admire me! I do it cause I want to!
* HeroismWontPayTheBills: He receives a monthly stipend once he joins the Hero Association. Despite that, he spends an entire chapter trying to get some pocket change to try a drink from a vending machine. Before joining the Hero Association, he did not have an apparent source of income. WordOfGod reveals that he made a living doing troublesome part-time jobs, living frugally with his savings, and living off vegetables given to him by people he saved. Despite Genos moving in with him and paying his rent, his standard of living hasn't changed because [[WordOfGod according to the author, Saitama refuses to spend any of Genos's money]].
* HiddenDepths:
** Saitama originally comes across as a BrilliantButLazy type of individual, bored with everything around him. During his fights with [[spoiler: Boros]] and [[spoiler: Blizzard]], however, Saitama proceeds to show that not only is he much smarter and well versed than he appears, he also has an exceptionally strong moral core.
** Though he already seems ridiculously strong, Saitama eventually reveals he has a set of "serious series" moves... which amount to him actually trying. Yes, Saitama is ''barely even trying'' and still manages to destroy most opponents with just a single half-hearted punch.
** He was once [[spoiler: punched so hard he crashed into the moon (as in his starting point was Earth), and then he ''jumped'' all the way back to Earth, and ''landed almost exactly at where he started from'' after gauging the gravity of the moon by tossing one rock lightly into the air.]] There's ImprobableAimingSkills, and then there's GTFO.
** Despite the absurdity of Saitama's initial claim of how he got his powers from his "training regimen", flashbacks imply that he never started off by gradually building up his body to the point where he could do "100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10 KM run" without any problems, but went straight ahead and perform that amount ''right at the very start of his training''. Adding in another factor that he never took any breaks in between, power through any sort of internal pains and muscle damage that he could've done to his body (despite the fact that a normal person's body would've shut itself down from all that extensive physical effort), has also fought Mysterious Beings during his 3 year-long training, ''and'' did all of those with a strong obsession in the mind of becoming a "strong hero who can defeat everyone and everybody with one punch" (not unlike how most people had done in their own activities that resulted in them becoming Mysterious Beings, with Crablante being one such example) adds more to the [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane mysterious origin of his powers]].
* HiddenHeartOfGold: He does not care too much about getting recognition for his deeds, since he does not really put a lot of effort into what he does anyways. But he does want other heroes, those who do risk their lives to save innocents, to be respected. And to achieve that, he will sometimes paint himself in a bad light for them to look better.
* HopeSpot: Played for laughs during one chapter when he and King were playing a fighting game. He manages to reduce King's character's life to a sliver with his "infinite combo"[[note]]really just him spamming low kicks[[/note]]. King then decides that he's given Saitama enough of a handicap before [[IAmNotLeftHanded showing what an actual infinite combo looks like]]. Saitama can only helplessly watch his character's full hp bar be reduced to 0, then [[RageQuit throw the controller in disgust after he is defeated.]]
* HumbleHero: Saitama is very humble, as he purposefully let the masses turn against him for the defeated heroes to be given credit for their efforts against the Deep Sea King, even claiming that they had weakened the monster before his arrival. He did the same for the police station, killing a monster while disguised as a police officer, despite potentially gaining much fame had he revealed who he actually was. He also did not mind that King took credit for all of his achievements. Despite his humility and modesty, he still retains some sense of pride, since he wants to beat up Garou after realizing that the latter didn't want to hunt him during his hero hunt, just because he is a low-ranking hero who is not worthy to be hunted. However, Saitama's desire to pummel Garou mostly comes from his desire for an exciting and challenging fight, not from his pride as a powerful hero. Even though he expresses faint protests at it, there's the fact that his apartment is open for all heroes who he's met, to the point where there's a RunningGag of just interlopers crashing in his apartment.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Saitama's "Serious Series" of moves, where he actually bothers to put some effort into his attacks (emphasis on ''some''. He's never gone all-out). Most of the time, he's so lazy and disenchanted he's ''not even trying''.
* IAmNotShazam: The series is named "One-Punch Man," obviously attributing the feat to Saitama. In-universe, he's never been called that.
* IJustWantToBeBadass: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] and Parodied. Saitama's original motivation for becoming a hero in the first place was just to be a cool, powerful badass and fight strong enemies, like many a {{Shonen}} hero. Well, needless to say, he succeeded with ''flying'' colors and now he's so badass that he doesn't know what to do with himself. That and he doesn't seem too interested in looking for anything else.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: He once [[EyeScream defeated]] a giant crab monster using only his necktie.
* InASingleBound: Saitama can't fly, so he usually has to jump using his SuperStrength to get places. [[spoiler:Since he can easily jump off the Moon all the way back to Earth, it's good enough.]]
* InexplicablyAwesome: Saitama is basically the most powerful person in the universe, and there's no logical explanation as to how he got to be that. In his view, it's [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower because of his training]], but it's pointed out various times that a normal human couldn't possibly become that strong just by following a moderately-tough (even by real-life standards) training regimen. Dr. Genus provides the closest thing to an explanation that we get when he infers that Saitama has "[[BeyondTheImpossible broken his limiter]]", but even then it's essentially a HandWave.
* InformedFlaw: WordOfGod explains that Saitama lacks coordination, but this is barely suggested in the manga through his awkward posture in a few frames.
* InvincibleHero: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed.]] Saitama is completely aware of this trope applying to him and the series deals with him coming to terms with this, eventually treating his superheroism more as a hobby than as the standard motive of eradicating evil. In his own words, "having overwhelming power is... pretty boring."
** In contrast, Saitama wasn't always invincible. In several flashbacks, we see him covered in his own blood after fighting battles. Currently, he's comparable as to what would happen if you put [[Anime/DragonBallZ pre-Cell]] level characters against SSG Goku and unlike characters like ComicBook/{{Superman}}, he has no KryptoniteFactor. [[note]]This is part of why his fans are such intense rivals with Goku and Superman fans.[[/note]]
* {{Irony}}: It turns out Saitama inspired the foundation of the Hero Association. By saving a random kid from a monster, he gave the kid's rich grandfather the idea of creating the Hero Association.
* IWorkAlone: Highlighted in one of the extra chapters. Saitama doesn't value teamwork very much and his teammates are ignorant about his power. WordOfGod states that Saitama would do poorly in team sports. He was also hesitant to accept Genos as his disciple, but he does seem to care for him and his small group of hero friends.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
** He became a superhero for rather selfish purposes, is lazy and seems to care more about having a fun fight, and will sometimes ignore problems in his city until he's directly involved, but he ''does'' genuinely want to protect the world. He's just fallen into a lull because of how easy it's become.
** While he doesn't always act like a paragon of heroism, some of his lines imply that, while he may not act like it, his heart is in the right place. One of the best to date? "If the heroes run and hide, who will stand and fight?" During his dream fight against the Subterraneans, while he admits that he's just a hero for fun, he also says the surface is under his protection.
** He's also quick to let people think he's a phony, just so that the other heroes who put their lives on the line and nearly died would get the respect they deserved. He doesn't care about getting recognition from the public but thinks the other heroes ''should'' get it.
* KilledMidSentence: Not him, but he kills most of his opponents in the middle of introducing themselves and gloating about their awesome powers.
* KirkSummation: Saitama is rather fond of these
** To Fubuki:
--->'''Saitama''': You won't survive. You don't get what hero means. There's a lot of incredibly strong bad guys in the world. Those who oppose them are called heroes. Even if they are alone. You, who gathers weaker subordinates to feel strong, won't make it. At this rate, you are gonna cry sooner or later. When a monster stronger than you shows up, none of your subordinates will save you. Factions? Newbie crushing? Keeping your ranks? They have nothing to do with anything! Do not look down on heroes, you moron!
** To [[spoiler:Garou]]:
--->'''Saitama''': So you did have an "image of an ideal hero" inside of you. I see now. I now understand what you wanted to do. Even though you said you wanted to be a "monster of absolute evil"... What you really wanted to be was a hero. But you compromised and decided to be a monster. To bring about world peace, you took the easy route, thinking a monster's job was quicker and easier than a hero's. A monster's role is simpler after all, all you had to do was defeat heroes. It's perfect for someone with no confidence like you. BUT YOU CAN NEVER DEFEAT ME. And peace made by ruling the world with fear can't succeed as long as you can't defeat me. So it will never work. It's absolutely impossible for you. Because if it's your compromised monster hobby vs my serious hero hobby, even if that's all I had, I still wouldn't lose! It was a mistake to lower the hurdle right before the goal. A half assed objective just can't succeed.
* TheLeader: He became the leader of the Hero Name Victims Association due to being their highest-ranked member.
* LightningBruiser: Strong enough to kill most adversaries with one punch, faster than other heroes renowned for their high movement speed and he has yet to receive a single battle wound, even after taking some really heavy hits ([[spoiler:like getting ''kicked so hard he flew all the way to the moon'']]).
* LimitedWardrobe: He seems to have only a few sets of clothing if you exclude the special chapters. There's also his iconic hero outfit, made for him by his old tailor.
* LineOfSightName: His hero name "Caped Baldy" is because, well... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin he's a bald guy with a cape.]] Compare this to Genos' "Demon Cyborg" because of his trait of fearlessly confronting enemies without regard for their numbers or strength.
* LonelyAtTheTop: It's implied at different points that one of the prices for his power other than NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction is that Saitama feels fundamentally isolated from basically everyone else as it's been so long since he had to struggle or feel challenged by anything he finds it difficult to relate to other people.
** However, King eventually calls him out on this, saying he should just pick up another hobby if he's so unhappy about being isolated in his current one, only for Saitama to be unwilling to give up his superhero pastime. Furthermore, Saitama seems to not be much of a team player and it's implied he had a friendless childhood, so he may have always been pretty lonely.
* LudicrousGibs: Almost all of Saitama's victories are as messy as they are destructive; the only kills that weren't were Geryuganshoop (who Saitama [[BoomHeadshot headshots with a rock]]) and Beefcake (whose fluids [[RiversOfBlood probably would have drowned the civilians below]]).
* MadeOfIron: Even before he got his powers, Saitama was quite durable for an ordinary civilian of a lower social class.
** In his middle school years, he gets [[CurbStompBattle curbstomped]] by Piggy Bancon after failing to try and get his 200 Yen (and the other amount of Yen that the Mysterious Being stole from the two upperclassmen) back, with the end result has him thrown against a ''concrete wall and created a huge crack'', with only minor injuries that involve his head bleeding. Know this, the one-sided fight with Piggy Bancon happened ''after'' he has gotten beaten up by his two upperclassmen.
** Later in life as a 22-year-old on a job hunt, he took hits from the super-strong Crablante, who is easily capable of killing multiple civilians beforehand, and that only lead to Saitama having blood pouring from his head and having his outfit messed up.
** And ''then'', there's the 3-year training regimen that leads him into becoming an InvincibleHero in the present.
* {{Malaproper}}: [[IShallTauntYou It's deliberate]]. Notable examples include calling Boros "the Denominator of the Universe" and vowing to help Genos after he pounded "this Seafreak or whatever."
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Where, exactly, does Saitama's impossible strength come from? Anyone with a gram of sense can see that it's ''simply impossible'' that his training regimen could turn a normal human into something like him, but is there actually another explanation (such as him being a subconscious RealityWarper), or is that simply the absolute truth, even if it ''is'' impossible? We just don't know, [[RiddleForTheAges and it's possible we never actually will]].
* MeaningfulName:
** This series is named ''One-Punch Man'' because he wins most of his fights with a single punch!
** On a more mundane note, his code name, Caped Baldy, comes from his baldness and the cape that comes with his outfit.
* MrFanservice: Saitama is fairly muscular and has been shown shirtless and on one occasion [[ClothingDamage completely naked]]. Of course, [[ButterFace his face]] isn't always as appealing when he's drawn in his normal manner.
* MundaneUtility: Early on in the webcomic, he's walking home after a trip to the grocery store by riding on a mechanical walker. And a nearby bystander calls him out on how lazy he's being.
* MySuitIsAlsoSuper: Setting aside Saitama's own improbable power, his superhero suit is also incredibly durable. The only time it's ever suffered ClothingDamage was during the fight with Boros, where his cape was torn in half. Beyond that, it's rare to see so much as a speck of dirt on it, regardless of what attacks he lets the enemies throw pointlessly at him, or even the attacks he himself makes. Surprisingly, an individual with no connections whatsoever was able to procure such a suit, [[CheapCostume all while making himself look lame]].
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: In "Road to Hero", Saitama discovers he can make money to pay his rent by turning in all of the criminals housed up in the apartments next to his, and proceeds to beat all of them up. When he shows his caught criminals to the landlady, she berates him for getting rid of her sole source of income, and proceeds to kick him out anyway.
* NighInvulnerable: His training didn't just make him insanely strong, it also gifted him with incredible endurance and durability, so much so that hitting him can actually harm his opponent.
* NightmareFace:
** Played for laughs when Saitama catches up to a mole-like enemy by punching into his tunnels, bursting out of the wall with a [[SlasherSmile horrific smile.]]
** Played straight later, while fighting Asura Kabuto. As Asura attempts to attack him from behind, we get [[http://i.imgur.com/SYUM1E6.png this shot of Saitama]] looking positively ''pissed'', and Asura Kabuto jumps back in terror.
** During his first encounter with Sonic he moves his face so fast it blurs giving an incredibly unsettling effect.
** During a later encounter with Sonic, Saitama bites Sonic's katana blade into pieces while Sonic is attacking with it. His face mid-chomp is grotesque and unsettling.
* NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction: Implied to be the real price for his unbeatable power. Being too strong robs the excitement of uncertainty and satisfaction from effort for any task (especially killing monsters and saving people). "Having overwhelming power is... Pretty boring".
* NonchalantDodge: [[SuperToughness Not that he needs to dodge]], but it does illustrate just how much faster he is compared to his opponents when they go all out with an attack and he sidesteps them as if by accident.
* TheNondescript: His baldness is the only strange thing about him, and even that just makes him look more like a cartoon stick figure.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: While many characters in the series are subject to this, Saitama is remarkable in how ''unremarkable'' his appearance is, being distinct not from having particular facial features but from how simplistic his face is. His baldness just adds to the simplicity even further. See the series page image for a perfect example of how he stands out.
** It's especially noticeable in the webcomic and manga, where he is drawn so simply and crudely compared to everything around him that it counts as an ArtShift.
* NoSell: Being essentially invincible, he no sells every single attack directed at him either by [[NonchalantDodge being to fast to be hit]], by [[BarehandedBladeBlock stopping attacks in their track]] or by simple tanking everything head-on without even flinching. In extreme cases, he doesn't even realize he's ''being'' attacked.
* NoSenseOfDirection: Despite his speed, he gets lost fairly easily, which is why he tends to be the last person to make it to a fight.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Saitama primarily does this in two ways. He most commonly leaves himself wide open so he can unleash his one hit counter. He'll also pretend to be lost or uninterested to trick the enemy into revealing important information, be it directly or via ReversePsychology like when he acted like he wanted to leave the ship during the alien invasion.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: After Gouketsu wrecks the martial arts stadium and heads back to the Monster Association's hideout, Suiryu warns Saitama not to go after the four-eyed giant. Saitama casually brushes off his warning to be a real hero. With the manga being told from Suiryu's perspective, at this point, all that's shown is a severely injured Suiryu listening to a few rumbling sounds, followed by Gouketsu's head landing in the arena in Chapter 75. And Gouketsu's pierced corpse isn't shown until Chapter 79, when Gyoro Gyoro investigates why the giant hasn't returned from his recruitment drive.
* OneHitKill: His specialty, as he can defeat ''literally anyone'' with one punch, most of the time even when he's trying really, ''really'' hard not to. Needless to say, [[BlessedWithSuck he's not very happy about it.]]
* OneManArmy: Considering he almost single-handedly wiped out an alien invasion force AND beat their much more powerful leader with strength to spare, it's safe to say he's this.
* OnlyFriend: To King. Saitama is the only person who understands [[MistakenForBadass King's situation]].
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: If Saitama gets angry when he's come across a ''truly'' despicable villain, or when someone actually bothers by, say, ungratefully insulting a hero's efforts to save people or outright decrying them as a whole.
** In a more meta sense if the artist/animators bother to put in the effort with how much detail he's drawn with, it means he's more than a little worked up.
* OutsideContextProblem: While the WorldOfBadass the series takes place in is no stranger to tough guys in costumes fighting giant monsters, Saitama is something different because of just how ''easy'' every single fight is for him.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Despite being the most powerful person in the world and possibly the universe, his plain looks and penchant for finishing fights effortlessly in one hit mean that most people overlook him for the more conventional badass-looking characters. He's also willing to paint himself as a hero who takes credit for others' deeds for people to appreciate the efforts of those heroes who truly have given their all to save people, in contrast to his effortless work. In short, he is invoking this trope upon himself, in part intentionally.
** Averted even when his power is compared to other heroes to the point it's meta. For all of his power and speed Saitama mostly only uses enough force to beat or kill his enemies. He doesn't drag things out or go for style. So while feats like punching a hole in the Deep Sea King are impressive and it's shown that the force of the puch scattered the rain clouds, it's still not as impressive to watch or as entertaining as Genos doing big attacks with his rockets or firing energy beams.
* ParodySue: Saitama, especially early on, is a parody of the GodModeSue, being [[StoryBreakerPower too powerful]] in comparison to those he faces. However, it's shown that he's incredibly disillusioned by his immense power and values finding a WorthyOpponent over really being heroic. As the story moves on, he starts to lose his Sue status thanks to being forced to fight seriously on a couple occasions, although even that is described in-universe as him barely trying. Depending on the reader, he may gain more traditional Sue attributes due to becoming more like the IdealHero.
* PerceptionFilter: Seems to have one imposed upon him; he has a ''really'' hard time having his achievements recognized, especially in light of his frankly absurd power and ability. This mostly holds for the general populace, however, as his fellow heroes seem to at least respect and appreciate his skill and strength.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: His "barely trying" punches turns monsters into LudicrousGibs and can leave massive holes in buildings, while his strongest seen punch negated a planet-ruining KamehameHadouken, killed the one who fired it with the shockwave alone, and ''left a miles-wide split in the cloud cover of the planet until it reached the horizon''.
* PhysicalGod: He can do things jump from the Moon to Earth in two seconds and disintegrate a mountain with the just the ''displaced air'' created from one of his punches.
* PowerfulAndHelpless: Saitama originally became a superhero for the thrill of danger. Except that he [[ComicallyInvincibleHero accidentally became the strongest being in the universe]], causing his work to become soul-crushingly boring. And since he never bothered to take credit for any for his victories, he's always flat broke and nobody knows who he is.
* PracticeTargetOverkill:
** When Saitama goes through the physical application for hero registration, he effortlessly destroys a punching dummy machine. In fact, he practically does Practice ''Range'' Overkill with his side to side hops creating imprints of his feet on the cement floor and crashing into the roof for the high jump exam; the only reason he didn't jump straight to S-Class was due to the hero-ranking system being that flawed.
** Genos and Saitama are having a practice bout, with Genos demanding Saitama try harder. Saitama obligingly throws a haymaker that he stops at the last minute. Then Genos turns around to see that the air displaced by the punch has carved an entire canyon out of the cliff behind them (And the one behind THAT one as well).
* PreAsskickingOneLiner: The two words you don't want to hear from him are [[LetsGetDangerous "Serious Series"]]. It means he is going to unleash a multi-megaton can of whoop-ass and turn your arrogant ass into paste.
* PrematurelyBald: All of Saitama's hair fell out at the age of 25 due to his [[TrainingFromHell intense hero training]].
* PrimaryColorChampion: Mostly yellow from his suit, with red highlights from his boots and gloves.
* RankUp: Slowly but surely Saitama has been able to move up the ranks (having started out at '''C-Class: Rank 388'''), although the fact that Saitama doesn't particularly care whether the Hero Association knows how strong he is, [[spoiler:while [[FakeUltimateHero King]] continues to get credit for his victories,]] prevents him from advancing as quickly as he should. Over the series, he goes through the following promotions:
** '''C-Class: Rank 342''' after defeating [[KillerRabbit Konbu Infinity]] and [[UnknownRival Sonic]] (both of them having been underestimated by the association).
** '''C-Class: Rank 5''' after destroying the giant meteor (and accidentally [[DestructiveSavior trashing]] City Z in the process).
** '''B-Class: Rank 7''' after defeating [[KnightOfCerebus Deep Sea King]], although Saitama willingly downplays his contribution out of respect to the other heroes that fought.
** [[spoiler:'''A-Class: Rank 39''' after defeating [[HeroKiller Garou]].]]
* RapidFireFisticuffs: [[CallingYourAttacks "Consecutive Normal Punches"]]. [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill Considering just one punch can kill pretty much anything...]]
** This is demonstrated during the Anime OP in something of an EstablishingCharacterMoment: Partway through the intro, Saitama fights a monster horde in a canyon, socking them one-by-one into the cliff-face behind them when all of a sudden a bunch of them [[LeeroyJenkins rush him]] from behind. Saitama immediately turns around and throws a flurry of punches so fast the attack not only hits all of them at the SAME TIME, it blasts them all into the canyon wall so hard that that part of the canyon itself EXPLODES.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: He gives one to a whole ''city'' when the residents complain about his method of stopping the meteor that was going to hit the town. Never mind that he saved their city from total annihilation, the citizens started blaming him for the destruction. He wasn't happy about it.
* RealityWarper: At first Saitama's immeasurable physical abilities seemed to operate on a certain level of logic, as in he attacked and deflected material foes and projectiles, even punching away Boros' final attack is under such logic, the sheer impact of the Serious Punch diverted a massive beam of energy; however, the little logic Saitama's abilties seemed to have is thrown out of the window in [[spoiler:the final revision for the Phoenixman vs. Child Emperor fight (effectively the canon one), Saitama intrudes in at the last second, punching away Phoenixman's warped reality space, leaving a crack on thin air, the monster is left completely in disbelief after the fact, seconds prior he thought nothing could stop his final attack; that is to say Saitama can literally punch and obliterate immaterial concepts, shooting the scope of his abilities to absolutely out of the realm of any logic or reason]].
* RedOniBlueOni: Despite his BloodKnight tendencies, he's the blue oni to Genos' red since he's more laid back and insightful.
* RequiredSecondaryPowers: He possesses ''ridiculous'' control over his own power. He can punch any adversary just hard enough to either kill or incapacitate them instantly, obliterated a mountain range while leaving Genos unharmed at the end of their sparring match (when his fist had stopped right in front of Genos' face, no less), and can control his strength to the point where he can do everyday tasks without issue... mostly. He did break one of the buttons on King's handheld console, after all.
** And as pointed out above, other characters are quick to point out that Saitama's insistence that he somehow got his incredible strength by just training every day is just absurd. No normal human could gain the strength to do something like punch an entire mountain range to pieces in a single blow without something else getting involved.
** The strange part is that this seems to be an entirely subconscious ability. The first time he beat Garou, he hit him so hard that Garou's legs were embedded in the cement underneath him. Saitama didn't even know he was the hero hunter at the time and thought he was a common mugger. The thing is, if Saitama had hit any normal person with that blow, they would be very dead. Saitama not only missed this detail, but somehow knew just how hard to hit Garou to knock him out and not leave any permanent damage. If Saitama intends non-lethal damage, then 99% of the time, it's going to be non-lethal. It's doesn't matter how strong or weak his opponent is.
* RespectedByTheRespected: Most heroes that have witnessed his might firsthand have massive respect for him and his input; still, there have been very few in the first place.
* {{Salaryman}}: Was interviewing to be one, before he ran into Crablante and took up being a part-time superhero instead. "Screw getting a job; bring it on!"
* SecretKeeper: He's fully aware of [[spoiler:King's true strength (or lack thereof)]]. However Saitama's so blasé that he doesn't bother telling anybody, not even Genos.
* ShounenHair: Before he went bald from training he had spiky hair.
* ShutUpHannibal: Saitama does this with a TalkToTheFist on any villain unfortunate/stupid enough to pick a fight with him. They'll TrashTalk Saitama about how inferior he is compared to them, just before Saitama simply curbstomps their asses.
* SidewaysSmile: He [[http://imgur.com/a/liASc gets a great one]] after he trolls Geryuganshoop by asking for directions out of his ship.
-->'''Geryuganshoop''': Take a right, go up the stairs and wait there for further instructions.
-->'''Saitama''': [[ObfuscatingStupidity A... right?]]
-->'''Geryuganshoop''': E-e-exactly, a right!
-->''[beat]''
-->'''Saitama''': ''[unsettling laugh]'' I guess I'll go left then!
* SimpleMindedWisdom: Saitama is chock full of this. He's a modest and down-to-earth kind of guy and often points out how complicated other people tend to make a situation. While he might not be the best intellectually speaking (he only just passed the hero exam due to his terrible written section), he's got the emotional IQ of Stephen goddamned Hawking.
* SkewedPriorities: Due to having overpowered strength, he doesn't really care for things like beating up monsters, only focusing on mundane things like supermarket sales. A good example of this is in Carnage Kabuto's fight, where he panics when he realizes that he missed the special Saturday sale.
* StealthMentor: Played with. Saitama never really intended on teaching Genos anything when Genos convinced Saitama to take him on as a student. Once he had revealed his training regimen to Genos, Saitama felt that he had nothing more to teach him. Genos still arduously tried to learn all he could from Saitama, even after learning this fact, and it paid off in the end. Being with Saitama has taught Genos a lot about selflessness and humility. Before he was only out for revenge, hence why he never registered with the Hero Association, but now he also wants to protect people.
* StockShonenHero: Parodied. Saitama is someone who was at some point a more shonen-esque protagonist, with spiky hair, a love of fighting, and a drive to get stronger and fight more powerful opponents. However, he eventually got [[ComicallyInvincibleHero so powerful]] that the things a Shonen hero lives for [[VictoryIsBoring became too easy to excite him]], resulting in Saitama eventually losing his passion... and his hair. He does however retain the BookDumb aspects and the flashy costume of typical Shonen heroes.
* StoryBreakerPower:
** A DeconstructiveParody. Saitama's life has become incredibly boring from winning all fights easily, but it's PlayedForLaughs. The fact he has little drive to perform his heroics at all is what basically keeps the series going--if he wanted to, he could put ''every villain in the show down for good'', and well... there'd ''be'' no show.
** This is still present in the video game, ''VideoGame/OnePunchManAHeroNobodyKnows'', still able to OneHitKill all enemies along with receiving no damage from all attacks. To balance this out, if Saitama is selected into a party then he isn't playable at the start of a fight, rather he serves as a countdown mechanic where he will be absent for most of the battle and will need to run over to the scene in 120 seconds. The party members present must survive for long enough for Saitama to show up, with combos able to speed up Saitama's arrival. In fact, the only character able to deal damage to Saitama, is another Saitama.
* StylisticSuck: Saitama's model has a lot less detail than most other characters, almost as if he were drawn by a child. It's also the only way he stands out when he's on a manga cover and surrounded by larger, more well-drawn characters.
* SuperLoser: Saitama may be ungodly powerful, but he spends most of his time acting like a typical citizen trying to get through a typical citizen's life, showing more dedication/struggle towards video games and groceries than all the monsters and disasters that happen upon his city/world.
* SupermanSubstitute: The most obvious comparison, as he’s got a red cape, red boots, is strong and invulnerable to an [[ShowyInvincibleHero insanely ridiculous level]] much like [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] Superman and [[IamNotLeftHanded generally holds back his full strength]] and doesn’t go looking for fights unless his friends and innocent people are threatened. There’s some difference though as Saitama isn’t an alien, [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower he got his abilities through training]], he’s bald (similar to a [[ComicBook/LexLuthor certain Superman villain]]), he can’t [[{{Flight}} fly]] ([[InASingleBound only jump super high]]), can’t shoot EyeBeams and Saitama has a much more bitter and sardonic personality than Supes. He’s also more violent to his enemies, being totally willing to kill [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin with a single punch]]. Then again, this AntiHero-like behavior and being unable to fly or use crazy powers does make Saitama akin to [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Superman.
** Saitama serves more as a {{deconstruction}} of the Man of Steel, since [[BlessedWithSuck he’s tired of being so powerful]] and becomes a superhero as a hobby rather than out of a genuine desire to help people. Though it is revealed Saitama does believe in TheCape.
* SuperpowerLottery: He's just about the biggest winner in the setting, with SuperStrength so ridiculous he can OneHitKill literally anything, SuperSpeed that allows him to casually outpace even the fastest characters and [[NonchalantDodge avoid their attacks as if by accident]], and being so NighInvulnerable that [[NoSell he doesn't even feel an opponent's attack]]. The only drawbacks were the loss of his hair and 3 years of a simple (albeit arduous by reality's standards) training regimen to get there.
* SuperReflexes: He can casually keep up with Sonic's SuperSpeed, sidestep Genos' blasts during their sparring session, and even parry Lightspeed Flash's attacks (which, if said hero's name can be believed, should be physically impossible).
* SuperSenses: To a point. Saitama can very casually follow enemies that are moving so fast they are barely a blur, and can even accurately track enemies underground (who are trying their best to flee from him). However, he can usually find a fight only if someone points him at the right direction.
* SuperSpeed: He can casually dodge attacks faster than the speed of sound and can create nigh-infinite amount of afterimages with "Serious Consecutive Sidehops". And considering he can jump from the Moon back to Earth in the span of a few seconds, he can easily reach light speeds.
* SuperStrength: With a single punch Saitama can level mountains, fell giant city destroying monsters, cut planet destroying energy blasts in two and stop an object traveling at ''escape velocity''. And that's not even at his ''full'' power, which we've only seen a fraction of.
** The leveling mountains act in particular is notable in that it wasn't even Saitama's punch that destroyed the mountain, but ''the wind from his punch.''
* SuperToughness: Verging into NighInvulnerable. He's only ever taken damage in a dream. [[spoiler:Boros hit him so hard once it knocked him to the surface of the moon; Saitama wasn't noticeably injured by the blow, the impact on the moon, exposure to the vacuum of space, atmospheric reentry, or his impact on Earth. The moon on the other hand...]]
* SupportingProtagonist: If anything drives the plot more than Saitama's disillusionment in becoming a hero, it's the struggles and CharacterDevelopment the people around him are going through. He usually either has some words of wisdom ([[AccidentalAesop even though he rarely considers them such]]) for them, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech or points out the flaws which are holding them back]].
* TallDarkAndHandsome: In the reboot version of the manga, before becoming bald due to his training three years ago, he basically looked like a brunette version of Genos with brown-colored eyes.
* TaughtByExperience: He never received any formal training, and the only experience he got was either from his training regimen or his monster hunting.
* ThouShallNotKill: Played with. Saitama has no qualms about killing monsters because the monsters that he usually faces are AlwaysChaoticEvil, out to kill people, or have already killed people. When he faces ''human'' opponents, all he does is incapacitate them, even if said human opponent is out for his blood like Sonic. [[spoiler: Even if the opponent himself acts in a way that all other people would consider too irredeemable to let live, Saitama still spares said opponent, believing that he's still a human and can change if given a chance, like Garou.]]
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Udon, which is a realistic preference for someone so strapped for cash. One of the [=OVAs=] shows that Saitama also gets protective over his french fries -- but only the long ones that are soft in the middle.
* TrainingFromHell: Subverted. Saitama claims the secret to his power is [[spoiler:"100 sit-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 squats, and a 10 kilometer run, every single day"]]. While it can be grueling for the average person, it's still well within the limits of ordinary human endurance. For a person whose super power is the OneHitKill, it's rather anticlimactic.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Saitama is a frequent victim of this from the Hero Association, the public and the monsters themselves. The monsters just dismiss him as some small fry and attack him, only to get brutally killed by in a nonchalant manner by Saitama. The only antagonist who took Saitama seriously was Lord Boros and later [[spoiler:Monster King Orochi]].
* UnskilledButStrong:
** He lacks any form of martial arts training, but he doesn't need any, due to being stronger, faster and tougher than anyone else. He's not uncoordinated since he manages his absurd power, but compared to how absurdly strong he is, what precision he has is dwarfed by his strength in any combat situation.
** Also PlayedForLaughs since he does this approach to everything, including video games. He loses in what appears to be a Pokemon-like video game against King because Saitama didn't bother with type-advantages, instead just hoping on higher levels. He hasn't gotten this in his head yet.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: You'd think someone wearing a bright jumpsuit and a cape would attract people's attention, but he is often ignored, something he complains about. Justified, since there is actually an association for heroes and there are many more people wearing garish costumes, although Saitama didn't know that until Genos pointed it out.
* WardrobeFlawOfCharacterization:
** Saitama looks ''remarkably lame'' for someone whose powers can only be described as "titanic". His costume design is plain and boring, as if thrown together in five minutes, which further drives the point of how little attention he gives to his image. One of the aspects that most affects his lack of exposure is how lazy the design is and how it makes people overlook him. Dude looks like a mustard bottle.
** One of the unintentional aspects that his plain uniform brings is the fact that villains tend to underestimate him at first glance, and even ''during fights''. There's a remarkable disconnection between his appearance and his powers, so most villains cannot even begin to grasp what's happening before Saitama defeats them. What makes it so funny is that ''Saitama wants to be noticed''.
* WarriorTherapist: [[EnlightenmentSuperpower Buddhist undertones aside in regards to how Saitama may have reached his power]], he certainly has a way with words when it matters and he uses his strength and speed to leave his opponents speechless as he verbally beats them down. If he thinks they are a danger to others or irredeemable, [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim he just kills them]]. That or he's panicking because he forgot about a sale. That being said, he usually either does give enemies a chance to surrender or he doesn't attack until they attack him first.
* WeakButSkilled: Before he gained his powers, he killed a monster despite being a {{Muggle}} at the time through skillful maneuvers and clever use of his tie.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Saitama kills obviously-sentient non-human monsters (even ones whose inhumanity is physically slight, like a CuteMonsterGirl) without the slightest hint of remorse; but he refuses to kill humans ever. [[spoiler:This is particularly obvious in the Garou arc, where Saitama decides that Garou is human and won't allow the heroes to kill him.]] Part of this is that some monsters were never human in the first place. Those who were human typically went crazy due to a particular trauma or obsession and mutated; after the mutation, the monsters have lost all humanity and will slaughter and kill without rhyme or reason, so Saitama shows them no mercy. [[spoiler: One reason he refuses to see Garou as a monster is that Garou won't kill other humans.]]
** Saitama's standard, however, seems to be whether the monster is an immediate ''lethal'' danger toward people; he's let [[spoiler: Garou and Kombu Infinity]] live since they were only beating people up, he's let [[spoiler: Black Sperm and Rover live (he even keeps them as pets)]] when they were in a weak form, and he's allowed monsters to surrender (Armored Gorilla was spared). He still shows a little more mercy towards full humans (he lets Sonic live, even though he never surrenders or stops being a danger).
** When [[spoiler:Amai Mask]] tells him he is a human who turned into a Mysterious Being, Saitama only sees him as a [[spoiler:fellow hero]] and someone who needs to find his own way to become a better one. Saitama also helps him escape once his identity is revealed to the public despite the fact he wanted Saitama to kill him to become a hero to the public.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Despite needing occasional good publicity to maintain his status as a hero, Saitama will far too often ensure that others get credit for his deeds.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: Big bad monster terrorizing the neighborhood? Punch it. Unstoppable meteor plunging from the sky about to destroy the city? Punch it. Planet-busting energy blast being fired from a dimension-conquering alien overlord coming straight for you? PUNCH. HARDER.
** This is also a good explanation for Saitama's poor written score on the Hero Association exam. Questions like "How would you handle X threat?" would be answered by regular heroes with complicated, personalized strategies, but the only solution [[StoryBreakerPower Saitama]] would need for any of them is... "punch it."
** Justified, given that despite Saitama having absurdly high power, he is still human, thus having the limited abilities of a human. Still, he does use speed and dodges a lot of blows. He even has his own set of techniques to utilize his strength in different ways.
* WholeCostumeReference: His costume is a color-inverted version of that worn by another bald superhero, Literature/{{Anpanman}} (switched the colors of the gloves/boots and body, white cape instead of black).
* WillfullyWeak: The only reason he doesn't end ''all'' his fights in one punch is he always starts out putting in as little effort as possible. When using his Serious Series moves, he can casually create shockwaves that cross an entire ocean, and this is a mere fraction of his true power. Were he to go all out, the destruction would be cataclysmic, if not apocalyptic. He has yet to actually go all out because nothing so far has ever come close to forcing him to fight seriously.
* WorfHadTheFlu: He was actually knocked off his feet by a monster on his 300th day in training. Turns out it was just a bad tooth, and [[CurbStompBattle when said tooth was removed...]]
* WorldsBestWarrior: Along with his immense power, Saitama is both skilled and experienced with his abilities and has defeated countless monsters and organizations even before getting his powers.
* WorldsStrongestMan: Saitama is the titular One-Punch Man and the strongest character in the series. So far, no enemy has been able to injure him in any way, and almost no enemy has been able to survive a single earnest punch from him. A few enemies have survived punches from him, such as any human he has struck (whom he restrains himself against) and Boros, whom Saitama empathized with and held back against to give himself and Boros a satisfying and stimulating fight. Saitama's only power is that his body is far beyond human limits, allowing him to achieve astounding physical feats. His strength is so great that it vastly eclipses even artificial beings designed or bred specifically for superhuman combat, such as mechanical beings or the mutated warriors from the House of Evolution. Since no enemies have posed any real challenge to Saitama yet, the upper bound of his strength is likely even higher than it currently appears. While his power is only limited to heightened human traits - Saitama cannot fly or fire energy blasts - his superhuman abilities more than make up for the lack of variety in his powers. The only known person who might match Saitama is BLAST. As Boros puts it:
--> '''Boros:''' You really are... way too strong.
* WouldHitAGirl: He's fought Fubuki and Tatsumaki in non-lethal combat and ([[ShrugOfGod apparently]]) killed Mosquito Girl with a slap.
* ZeroApprovalGambit: After defeating the Deep Sea King, one obnoxious spectator calls into question whether the heroes were heroic at all. To stave off backlash against his fellow heroes and ensure the Hero Association continues to get funding and donations, [[spoiler:Saitama claimed that Genos and the other heroes softened up the Deep Sea King enough for him to kill him and take the credit. The other heroes became adored for their deeds and the Hero Association's future was ensured, at the cost of Saitama's reputation.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Genos (Demon Cyborg)]]
!!Genos
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KaitoIshikawa (Japanese), Creator/ZachAguilar (English), Jhonny Torres (Latin American Spanish), Enric Puig (European Spanish)
!!!'''Debut:''' Chapter 5 (Webcomic & Manga), Episode 1 (Anime)
[[quoteright:255:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/opm_genos_anime.png]]
->''"Incinerate!"''

Genos was an ordinary young man until a "mad cyborg" destroyed his hometown and killed everyone he loved. He was mortally wounded, but the kind scientist Dr. Kuseno saved his life and rebuilt his body. Now a cyborg himself, Genos once set out on a journey to find the "mad cyborg" and avenge his family, but after meeting Saitama chooses to settle down with him in hopes of becoming more powerful. Whereas Saitama has raw, undeniable strength, Genos has everything else. That is, [[TheAce looks, intelligence, dedication, money, style, and appeal]].
-----
* TheAce: Intelligent, cool-looking, and incredibly powerful. He even becomes one of the top 17 heroes right off the bat. It's just that [[OvershadowedByAwesome Saitama blows him out of the water in terms of raw strength, speed and invulnerability]].
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: No matter how many times he upgrades his body, Saitama will still surpass him in strength. So he asks Saitama to be his teacher in hopes of getting stronger just like him.
* AnArmAndALeg: It's not a proper fight if Genos doesn't lose at least one limb.
* TheApprentice: Officially Saitama's after the two of them became professional heroes.
* AttackAttackAttack: He focuses more on offense, and is always the first one to engage an opponent. While he can be successful in subduing lesser enemies this way, his bad habit of letting his guard down and underestimating his opponent means stronger opponents tend to capitalize on his poor defense.
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: [[spoiler: How he defeats the G4 robot. He used the steam to disperse the laser, enabling him to get close enough to connect the finishing blow.]]
* BadassInDistress: As mentioned above, Genos usually loses his body parts, making him helpless until Saitama or any other hero comes to his rescue.
* {{Bishonen}}: A slightly more masculine version than most, but he's still very good-looking.
* BlackEyesOfCrazy: Subverted, he's a good guy and one of the heroes.
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: One of Genos's latest upgrades as of his fight against Garou, a combat knife hidden inside his arm of which he demonstrates the effectiveness against a mob of monsters.
* BornUnlucky: Genos has the misfortune of never being able to catch a break. His home was destroyed by a cyborg, his upgrades are never enough, and despite his immense strength, he can't put away powerful enemies.
* BoxingLessonsForSuperman: Averted. Like Saitama, he turns down a chance to learn martial arts from Bang because he simply doesn't need to.
* BriefcaseBlaster: Genos has a briefcase that transforms into a pair of arms for him to use to fire powerful blasts of energy.
* BullyingADragon: Hurled insults at Tatsumaki after she began insulting Saitama after the alien invasion. Needless to say, it didn't go well for him, to the point that he corrected himself after he tried calling her a brat even though she wasn't anywhere near him.
* CallingYourAttacks: ''"INCINERATE!"''
* CantCatchUp: Any time Genos gets a new upgrade, expect him to get disassembled into modern art shortly after to hype up the new MonsterOfTheWeek. Extra points if he specifically mentions that this newest upgrade was designed in response to the ''last'' MonsterOfTheWeek and means he could take it now, [[spoiler:such as when he mentions his Monster Association-era DragonKnight upgrade could destroy the meteorite from the ''Giant Meteor'' arc, but it can barely hold a candle to Psykorochi's WaveMotionGun now.]]
* CelibateHero: After his village was destroyed and everyone he knew killed, he dedicated himself fully to tracking down the killer. After meeting Saitama, he switched that slightly to being the strongest hero he can be. He was so dedicated that he got rid of all his parts anyways. Furthermore, he hasn't shown any romantic interests either, fan shipping with Saitama aside. While he understands how people work like Saitama does, he dismisses most individuals and is as socially dead as Saitama.
* CharacterDevelopment: Downplayed. He started as a cyborg bent on having revenge on the mad cyborg, to a much calmer person who now genuinely wants to protect people. But his doctor remarks that the hate in his heart is still not extinguished even if he has a master and a goal set.
* TheComicallySerious: Most of the humor involving Genos is that he's dark and serious about everything (like paying rent and peeling potatoes) in contrast to Saitama's apathy and lightheartedness.
* CripplingOverspecialization: He really wants to emulate Saitama, so he focuses on pure destructive power and trying to blow up the enemy with as much firepower as he can instead of improving his fighting skills. The result is that he comes across more like a demolition man who's great at destroying the scenery and buildings, but not so great when it comes to fighting mano-a-mano.
* {{Cyborg}}: Of the WeCanRebuildHim variety. It's not made clear how much, if any of him, is still organic. He seems to have a spine, and some muscle in the shoulder area, but beyond that...
* DetachmentCombat: Having probably taken a cue from his previous fights, as of his clash against Garou, Genos' limbs can be detached with ease but still be remotely controlled to take an enemy by surprise and fly back to Genos to reattach themselves.
* {{Determinator}}: He definitely qualifies. He will attack monsters without fear until his parts are destroyed. Even losing body parts doesn't stop him from fighting. To the point that he was christened as Demon Cyborg by the Hero Association as a nod to this trait.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: If Saitama's not in the spotlight it's usually him being the focus in the earlier chapters. [[AdaptationExpansion And he's got more screentime in the anime.]]
* DidYouGetANewHaircut: In addition to an exchange of parts, he also had his hair replaced with heat and shockproof fibers. [[BaldOfAwesome Saitama notices]].
* DistressedDude: Whenever he loses his limbs. He'll be at the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Villain of the week's]] mercy until someone will come and distract the monster from killing him.
* DoomedHometown: He explains that when he was a kid, a rogue cyborg destroyed his hometown and everyone he knew, leaving him mortally wounded.
* DragonKnight: [[spoiler:His Monster arc upgrades has sharper and more jagged arms than compared to previous forms with three large protrusions on each shoulder resembling knives. In this upgrade, he takes on an almost draconic appearance, which is lampshaded when he turns the power-up during the fight with Psykorochi and emits a BattleAura that resembles, in the words of an onlooker, an azure dragon. However, this upgrade only lasts for 10 seconds before his core explodes]].
* EatingOptional: His body is mostly mechanical and has its own internal energy source, but he has the ability to taste and can convert any organic food into biofuel so he can still eat if he chooses to.
* ElementalPowers: As the story progresses Genos is given a wide array of cores that give him a bigger variety of elemental offensive capabilities like Ice and Lightning, other than his early heat cannons.
* EndearinglyDorky: He's way too serious about everything, especially when Saitama is involved.
* {{Expy}}: Of ''[[Anime/NeoHumanCasshern Casshan]]'', the boy android. Also his backstory is very similar.
* ExplosiveOverclocking: [[spoiler:He got an upgrade in the Monster Association Arc that allows him to fire a WaveMotionGun that can barely hold Psykorochi's own, but the upgrade only lasts for 10 seconds before his core will explode and kill him]].
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Puri-Puri-Prisoner sees the meeting of the S-class heroes as a chance to get closer to Genos.
* FailureHero: Ironically, despite acing his hero exam and instantly becoming an S-Class, Genos is consistently outclassed by his opponents and gets his ass kicked ''hard'' on a regular basis. However, even in the face of failure, he ''never'' [[{{Determinator}} gives up]].
* FanOfUnderdog: He's Saitama's first and biggest fan.
* FatalFlaw: He has the habit of usually letting his guard down. Ultimately, this causes him to be instantly wrecked by whoever he's fighting. Genos acknowledges this himself. He seems to be getting better with this in later chapters.
* FunnyAfro:
** When Asura Kabuto turns one of Genos' attacks back on him, it makes his hair into this. It stays that way for the rest of the arc.
** During one of his maintenance sessions with the Doctor, his old hair, still an afro, can be seen on a mannequin head in the background.
* GermanicEfficiency: According to [[WordOfGod ONE]], Genos would be German in real life; while he does has his moments of overlooking things in battle (i.e. to where he constantly gets his ass kicked), Genos is always willing to improve himself as a fighter with the utmost efficiency.
* GlassCannon: He is powerful, as shown in some of his fights, can create powerful blasts that can destroy enemies and surroundings, and is fast enough to keep up with Sonic. Unfortunately, his durability leaves something to be desired. Once his arms are destroyed his fighting prowess lowers considerably. Also, he usually fights enemies that are out of his league.
* GoodIsNotNice: While he's a hero that genuinely cares about saving others, and is generally EndearinglyDorky when he's being serious about relatively normal things, Genos is still hostile and cold towards anyone he doesn't particularly care about, even [[spoiler:outright criticizing an H.A. official who comes to him for help on a private mission, saying that he's abusing his power before allowing him to talk about it. He doesn't get along with Flashy Flash either, fighting him when he visits Saitama. And throughout the series, Genos is usually seen threatening others over minor inconveniences, such as Charanko not bringing cabbage for the hotpot.]]
* GoodThingYouCanHeal: He was designed to be easily repairable, which means that he'll be back on his feet in no time.
* HandBlast: He has blasters [[PowerPalms on his palms]].
* HeartLight: His power source is in his chest and it lights up whenever he uses his arsenal.
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:Haq a small one when he realized he was no match for the Dragon-level monsters in the Monster Association arc. He also begins to doubt himself after he thinks he's weak because he gave up his human body and relied on artificial enhancements alone.]]
* HeroWorshipper: He idolizes Saitama to the point that he feels the need to pay attention to everything he says in the belief that there is some sort of lesson to it and is willing to be his live-in butler.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Didn't realize that he was talking with a mob boss in the second OVA. He also believes Saitama to be much more wise and profound than he actually is.
* HotBlooded: Downplayed. He may look like a stoic person but he actually has an aggressive streak. Dr. Kuseno and Amai Mask remark on this trait.
* HunterOfHisOwnKind: Hates a mad cyborg that destroyed his hometown, and for revenge became a cyborg himself in order to find and destroy it. He doesn't really resent or deny this fact -- he just distinguishes himself as a "cyborg of justice" instead.
* HypercompetentSidekick: He's smarter, works harder, and generally is more reliable than his teacher. The fact that he was admitted into S-class is a testament to his abilities while Saitama failed the written portion of the test. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Plus, he even does household chores!]]
* IKEAWeaponry: His ARMS MODE prototype weapon. When inactive, it takes the form of a suitcase and to activate it, Genos pushes a button on the handle and then throws it in front of him. The suitcase splits down the middle and separates, each half then opening to reveal the "arms" inside which clasps over Genos's arms.
* ImmuneToBullets: In the 2nd OVA, a mob boss and half a dozen henchmen unload their weapons at him. He doesn't so much as flinch.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: Usually comments on Saitama's hair problems, much to the latter's frustration. A good example is him telling Saitama that kombu doesn't help in making hair grow, thinking that he bought so many for that purpose.
* IOweYouMyLife: To Dr. Kuseno, who saved him after he was nearly killed by the cyborg that destroyed his home town and to Saitama, who saved him from Mosquito Girl.
* IronButtmonkey: Spends an awful lot of his on-screen time in multiple pieces, thanks to any given MonsterOfTheWeek.
* IShouldHaveBeenBetter: Subjected to this when he tries blasting the meteor, and in the fight against Elder Centipede. The latter has this played UpToEleven to the point where it sends him into a brief HeroicBSoD.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: When he decided to first spar with Saitama, he tries to put a dent in him as much as he can, but when Saitama casually obliterates a mountain range with a playful punch, Genos decides to call his dream of becoming as strong as Saitama quits for the time being.
* TheLancer: To Saitama. As well as being his self-proclaimed sidekick, Genos is also everything Saitama is not; namely the serious, cool, good-looking kind of guy you'd expect a superhero to be.
* LightningBruiser: He's slower than Saitama, but he's fast enough. His main strategy is to use his extreme speed to get in someone's face and burn them in one go with an energy attack.
* MagnetismManipulation: In the Neo Heroes Saga, the Supreme Hero arc, on the moment of [[spoiler:Dr. Kuseno's death in the webcomic Genos shows one of his new core abilities is magnetism manipulation in order to fend off the Dragon Level robot monsters, although it is stated Genos has just started using this ability, he needs to master it to make it more effective and eventually a terrifying asset]].
* MadeOfIron: He's survived a major genocide in his hometown, and that was ''before'' he became a cyborg.
* MeaningfulName: Genos is a play and short for ''Genocide'', he even wears a shirt with the word stamped on it once, as a call for the sheer scope of his destructive abilities and tragic past.
* MirrorCharacter: Realized that Amai Mask could have been him if it weren't for Saitama.
* MotorMouth: This is how he fits the entire length of his life story in one panel, and in the case of the anime, under four minutes. Thankfully this is the only time he did it.
* MrExposition: In contrast to Saitama's cluelessness within the Hero Association. He's usually the one explaining the inner workings of the association.
* MrFanservice: Having a cyborg body doesn't stop him becoming one thanks to his [[{{Bishonen}} bishonen face.]] He is already ranked one of the top six in terms of popularity in-universe.
* MundaneUtility: Can blow-dry dishes using his hands, and one of his fingers can transform into a potato peeler.
* NoSocialSkills: In the second OVA, he's shown to be this. He didn't even realize that he was facing criminals, thinking they were following a procedure and would give him the keys of the apartment back after he talked. The Mob boss even lampshades it.
* NotSoStoic: During their fight with Carnage Kabuto, Genos expressed irritation and raised his voice at Saitama when he told him the secret of his strength.
* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Downplayed in the Latin American Spanish dub, but Genos speaks with a somewhat notable Venezuelan accent, which slips at times, due to his voice actor hailing from there. Since the dub was done in Mexico, this becomes very evident during his debut episode, albeit due to him being TheStoic, this is not very notable at times.
* OverlyLongGag: His entire backstory, as rendered to Saitama. It's incredible how he manages to be so repetitive in terminology and motivations. In written form, it's a WallOfText. In the anime, it's a more proper form of this: The tone is shifted to serious for a very rapid descent into a parody of a montage, as he tells his life story with emotional music in the background and the scene cutting from random background shots showing the passage of time to Saitama becoming increasingly exasperated.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Zigzagged as he, Saitama, and a few others know who's stronger between the two, but most people think that he is the stronger one and assume that Saitama is using someone else's (possibly Genos') fame, particularly in the entrance exam when the examiner thinks Saitama is nothing to write home about but sees Genos as being pretty impressive.
* OutOfContinues: [[spoiler:Due to Dr. Kuseno's death in the Neo Heroes Saga, Genos does not have anyone who can repair or upgrade him anymore.]]
* ParodySue: Compared to Saitama, most other traditional Sue elements get handed to Genos. He's [[TheAce handsome, rich, popular, talented, makes his hero debut as class S at age 19]], broods and talks at length about his DarkAndTroubledPast, and [[DestructiveSavior gets away with causing a lot of damage to his surroundings]]. What puts him on the parody spectrum is that for everything he has going for him, he's usually the one getting his ass kicked, primarily due to his own recklessness.
* PerpetualFrowner: Played with. Though he does crack a small smile from time to time, [[{{Smug Smiler}} it's usually when he's mocking someone.]] Genos responds to both Sonic and Fubuki with a sneer: one for a ridiculous name, the other for her failed newbie crushing.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: It's downplayed since this is a gag comic and since he's overshadowed by Saitama, but his arm cannons are ''ridiculously'' powerful. Early on, he effortlessly blows up an area several city blocks in radius, and later he destroys the entire House of Evolution (aside from the underground lab) with one hit; during his fight with Saitama, he blows up entire mountains ''by accident'' when his attacks miss.
* PlayingWithFire: He is capable of creating a huge wall of fire thanks to his arm cannons. He also uses this to roast his enemies to ashes.
* PowerPalms: Genos's primary blasters are situated in his palms, leading to numerous open palms stances to blow a monster to smithereens.
* PyrrhicVictory: [[spoiler:Genos finally defeats a Dragon-level monster, one that acts as a whole group no less, by himself way later in the webcomic during the Neo Leaders arc, but he suffers extreme damage on his body as usual. This leaves Genos completely despondent, wondering how is ever gonna feel strong if the monsters are seemly getting stronger at a faster rate than he can catch up, and his obsession with getting stronger just increases after this sad victory]].
* RapidFireFisticuffs: His Machine Gun Blow.
* RealMenWearPink: Does the household chores for Saitama. Bonus points that he wears a pink apron. Murata really likes to draw him either with an apron or doing chores.
* RedBaron: Demon Cyborg.
* RedOniBlueOni: Despite being TheStoic, he's red to Saitama's blue due to his aggressiveness and him being more likely to act before thinking.
* ReusedCharacterDesign: His manga design seems to be a combination of various characters from ''Manga/Eyeshield21'', Murata's previous work.
* TheRival: To Speed-O'-Sound Sonic, apart from him being UnknownRival to Saitama. Genos despises him due to his obsession with Saitama, and considers him as a reason to become stronger. WordOfGod claims that the fight between Sonic and Genos would end in a draw, and they're closely matched when they fight in canon, also they consistently TookALevelInBadass, with constant upgrades and training for Genos and Sonic respectively.
* RocketPunch: Thrusters on his shoulders and elbows allow him to add more power to his attacks.
* RunningGag: By the end of every arc, Genos invariably ends up losing one or more limbs. He almost breaks this trend during the Alien Mothership attack, where he is one of the few to remain relatively unscathed by the end of the battle. [[BullyingADragon Then he calls Tatsumaki a brat]], and she throws him into a wall. The anime made sure to continue the gag by having Saitama accidentally yank his arm off while trying to help him back out.
* SarcasmBlind: Takes Saitama angrily asking him "What's your problem?" as a genuine therapeutic question, is just one example of his nature as TheComicallySerious blinding him to normal conventions.
* ShockAndAwe: Genos' fists can release an electrical charge powerful enough to burn out monsters.
* SleevesAreForWimps: Always, to show off his robotic arms. Also justified, as sleeves would never survive his bigger attacks, so having them in the first place would be a waste.
* StalkerWithoutACrush: He stalked Saitama for five days trying to find the secret to his powers. Implied in an extra chapter. How else would he know that Saitama has been staring at a vending machine?
* TheStoic: Nothing fazes this guy, even if his body is wrecked by the monster of the week.
* SuperSpeed: He actually manages to keep up with Sonic when the two fight, though Sonic ultimately proves to be faster.
* SuperToughness: Although he is disarmed often (once an arc, at least), only powerful opponents can do that to him and he can withstand a ''heavy'' beatdown and keep fighting.
* TakingTheBullet: He takes a head-on globule of acid that melts through a good portion of his back in order to protect a little girl.
* TakingYouWithMe: When he's overwhelmed by Mosquito Girl, he attempts to detonate his core so she'll die along with him. He's saved from that when Saitama turns her into a bloody smear on his apartment building wall.
* TechnicolorEyes: Black sclera and gold irises.
* ThrowTheDogABone:
** In the manga, while Saitama is tied up with a tournament arc during a massive monster invasion, Genos finally gets to cut loose and takes out monster after monster with little trouble despite most of them being fairly powerful.
** In the King arc, he is able to defeat G4, a robot that was designed to defeat the WorldsStrongestMan, King himself! He does this without anyone's help, and even though he still losses an arm in the struggle, this time it makes him look like a badass battle-scarred warrior instead of being played for comedy like it usually is.
* TookALevelInBadass: Already an S-Class hero from the start, but he gets periodically stronger:
** With G4 Upgrade using G4 parts after beating him, in VGS he was shown to be able to kill Mosquito Girl in only one attack and hydrated Deep Sea King in only two attacks.
** His post Super-Fight upgrade allows him to purposely detach his limbs and control them, turning his RunningGag tendencies into his strengths, used against Garou. Later he also was able to enter Centichoro's body by kicking his teeth inside and burn him from his insides, albeit Centichoro didn't go down completely.
** His Monster Association arc upgrade allows him to one shot G5 core with Jet Drive Arrow, a DivingKick. In comparison, Genos needs to take 15 minutes and 34 seconds to beat G4 according to the databook.
** Taken UpToEleven with [[spoiler:his DragonKnight upgrade, where he was able to assist ''Tatsumaki'' against Psykorochi by holding off her WaveMotionGun. However this upgrade only lasts for 10 seconds]].
* TrickedOutShoes: To gain the advantage against speedsters who like to suddenly appear behind him, Genos's cybernetic feet can stealthily release a puddle of glue to immobilize inattentive enemies.
* UnskilledButStrong: In combat, Genos mostly relies in as much firepower and mass destruction weapons he can use to destroy his enemies. While somewhat skilled with his cyborg functions and experienced in his own, Genos rarely bothers to use actual tactics while fighting, and he tends to lower his guard a lot, allowing enemies to land critical damage on him. Lastly, he also refuses to learn martial arts from Bang, since as he puts it, he "searchs not for the art of self-defense but destructive power". '''Saitama''' shows more skill with his powers than Genos does with his mechanic upgrades.
* UndyingLoyalty: No matter the choices Saitama makes or how he acts, he will always be loyal to him, have his back when he needs it, and won't be afraid to stand up for him. After Saitama defeats the Sea King and puts up a [[HiddenHeartOfGold facade]] to ensure that the other heroes get recognition, he has this inner monologue.
-->'''Genos''': Master Saitama. Are you really okay with this? But if this is the path you choose to take, master, I will accept your choice without a word. However, once you've turned the masses against you will you even be able to work as a hero anymore? I can't help but worry about what's to yet to come. If Master Saitama should ever find himself completely cornered, if it should ever come to that, I will...
* WaveMotionGun: In episode 7 of the anime, he gets prototype arm attachments that let him fire a powerful incinerating blast, which he makes even stronger by [[CastFromHP attaching his core to his arm and drawing power directly from it]]. [[TheWorfBarrage It fails to stop the meteor he was using it against.]]
* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Invoked, then subverted. Upon arriving at the base of operations for the House of Evolution, Genos immediately vaporizes it, much to Saitama's surprise. However, it turns out that most of the base is underground.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite being considered very powerful by a lot of characters he tends to be defeated quite easily by named villains. While normally this would serve the purpose of demonstrating how strong said villain is, and thus a potential worthy opponent for TheHero, Saitama knows better.
* YankTheDogsChain: It looked as though he was actually going to manage to get through the Alien Invasion arc without getting scrapped for once, only for him to call Tatsumaki a brat and get embedded in a wall. In the anime, Saitama completes the running gag by accidentally ripping his arm when trying to pry him free.
[[/folder]]
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* {{Bishounen}}: A slightly more masculine version than most, but he's still very good-looking.

* DragonKnight: [[spoiler: His Monster arc upgrades has sharper and more jagged arms than compared to previous forms with 3 large protrusions on each shoulder resembling knives. In this upgrade, he takes on an almost draconic appearance, which is lampshaded when he turns the power-up during the fight with Psykorochi and emits a BattleAura that resembles, in the words of an onlooker, an azure dragon. However, this upgrade only lasts for 10 seconds before his core explodes]].

* FunnyAfro: When Asura Kabuto turns one of Genos' attacks back on him, it makes his hair into this. It stays that way for the rest of the arc.

* GoodIsNotNice: While he's a hero that genuinely cares about saving others, and is generally EndearinglyDorky when he's being serious about relatively normal things, Genos is still hostile and cold towards anyone he doesn't particularly care about, even [[spoiler: outright criticizing an H.A. official who comes to him for help on a private mission, saying that he's abusing his power before allowing him to talk about it. He doesn't get along with Flashy Flash either, fighting him when he visits Saitama. And throughout the series, Genos is usually seen threatening others over minor inconveniences, such as Charanko not bringing cabbage for the hotpot.]]

* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler: Had a small one when he realized he was no match for the Dragon-level monsters in the Monster Association arc. He also begins to doubt himself after he thinks he's weak because he gave up his human body and relied on artificial enhancements alone.]]

* MagnetismManipulation: In the Neo Heroes Saga, the Supreme Hero arc, on the moment of [[spoiler: Dr. Kuseno’s death in the webcomic Genos shows one of his new core abilities is magnetism manipulation in order to fend off the Dragon Level robot monsters, although it is stated Genos has just started using this ability, he needs to master it to make it more effective and eventually a terrifying asset]].

* OverlyLongGag: His entire backstory, as rendered to Saitama. It's incredible how he manages to be so repetitive in terminology and motivations.
** In written form, it's a WallOfText.
** In the anime, it's a more proper form of this: The tone is shifted to serious for a very rapid descent into a parody of a montage, as he tells his life story with emotional music in the background and the scene cutting from random background shots showing the passage of time to Saitama becoming increasingly exasperated.

* ReusedCharacterDesign: His manga design seems to be a combination of various characters from Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}, Murata's previous work.

* RunningGag: By the end of every arc, Genos invariably ends up losing one or more limbs. He almost broke this trend during the Alien Mothership attack, where he was one of the few to remain relatively unscathed by the end of the battle. [[BullyingADragon Then he called Tatsumaki a brat]], and she threw him into a wall. The anime made sure to continue the gag by having Saitama accidentally yank his arm off while trying to help him back out.

* StalkerWithoutACrush: He stalked Saitama for 5 days trying to find the secret to his powers.
** Implied in an extra chapter. How else would he know that Saitama has been staring at a vending machine?

* SuperSpeed: He actually manages to keep up with Sonic when the two fight, though Sonic ultimately proved to be faster.

** With G4 Upgrade using G4 parts after beating him, in VGS he was shown to be able to kill Mosquito Girl in only 1 attack and hydrated Deep Sea King in only 2 attacks.

*** Taken UpToEleven with [[spoiler:his DragonKnight upgrade, where he was able to assist ''Tatsumaki'' against Psykorochi by holding off her WaveMotionGun. However this upgrade only lasts for 10 seconds]].

* AdaptationalBadass: Due to the AdaptationExpansion of the manga, most of Saitama's battles against the various opponents is given more context compared to the webcomic, such as being able to bathe in lava with no ill effects and is able to bypass into Pheonixman's pocket dimension, "Pheonix Space".

** He lacks any form of martial arts training, but he doesn't need any, due to being stronger, faster and tougher than anyone else. He's not uncoordinated since hemanages his absurd power, but compared to how absurdly strong he is, what precision he has is dwarfed by his strength in any combat situation.

* UnskilledButStrong: Subverted. He lacks any form of martial arts training, but he doesn't need any, due to being stronger, faster and tougher than anyone else. However, he's skilled enough to control his strength (like how, when sparring with Genos, he made the force of his punch go around Genos), has enough precision to jump from the moon to Earth and still land in the same spot Boros threw him from and is a very experienced fighter.
** PlayedStraight and PlayedForLaughs regarding everything else he does, including video games. He loses in what appears to be a Pokemon-like video game against King because Saitama didn't bother with type-advantages, instead just hoping on higher levels. He hasn't gotten this in his head yet.

* Determinator: He’s mostly a LazyBum nowadays, but it should be noted that Saitama didn’t build to his TrainingFromHell, he did 100 sit-ups, 100 push-ups and a 10 kilometer run ''every single day'' for three years to obtain his ridiculous power.

** Similarly, a hero who is motivated by ChallengeSeeker tendencies will eventually run out of [[WorthyOpponent worthy opponents]] to fight and discover that it's LonelyAtTheTop. This also deconstructs SoLastSeason (what anime fans call "power creep") -- what would the hero do if their universe ''didn't'' keep creating more powerful opponents for them? StaticCharacter is deconstructed as well, because as King notes, Saitama can easily find the challenge he seeks outside of physical combat; he just doesn't want to.

* PhysicalGod: The sheer scope of his power qualifies him as one. He can do things jump from the Moon to Earth in two seconds and disintegrate a mountain with the just the ''displaced air'' created from one of his punches.

** Saitama 100% honestly believes that his absolutely insane levels of strength, speed, and durability came from his daily basic training regimen. Everybody incredulously points out it's physically impossible for a normal human to get that strong even if they trained all the time for the rest of their lives.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: His past self three years ago in the reboot manga. He's not actually that bad looking bald either, but the majority of the time he's [[PaintingTheMedium so lazy that not even his artist can be bothered to finish his artwork]] making him look like a Muppet or a doll for some reason.

** During his middle school years, Saitama is shown to be napping through the student orientation and was also struggling to keep up with the class, failing to even complete the ''bare minimum'' of schoolwork (such as "forgetting" to do his homework and turning it in by the next day after his first day of school).

** During his middle school years in his backstory, Saitama is shown to be napping through the student orientation and was also struggling to keep up with the class, failing to complete the ''bare minimum'' of schoolwork (Such as "forgetting" to do his homework and turning it in by the next day after his first day).

** As a young adult: Saitama failed to live up to society's most basic social expectation of getting a job. He was unemployed and came close to being homeless several times. By the time the series started, he had entirely lost his will to live and just waited for a monster to kill him.

** Saitama ''really'' doesn't like being attacked in his own home, especially if it results in damage he has to pay for. While this would upset anyone, it stands out for being one of the few "normal" offenses that can still cut through Saitama's [[EpicBattleBoredom perpetual boredom]] and get serious anger out of him. [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight He doesn't care nearly as much about destruction otherwise.]]
** Though he doesn't get mad about it, Saitama always steps in when he sees something abusive. When the Tank Top brothers and Snek try to humiliate him, he crushed them. When Fubiki tries to newbie crush him and strong arm him into her group, he verbally beats her down. When Phoenix Man tries to emotionally manipulate Child Emperor, he '''punches his way''' into his mental landscape to threaten him for messing around with a kid. When Tornado tries to touch Fubiki and knock her unconscious, he grabs her arm. The man does not like bullies, manipulators, or abusers. That being said, he's pretty abrasive himself as he doesn't consider anyone to be anything more than an acquaintance and he has hurt or disappointed people with his callousness.

* BigBrotherMentor: Plays this role to Genos. Although Genos originally joined Saitama to learn the secret behind Saitama's strength, he instead learns compassion, humility and heroism. Saitama is a positive influence that is helping Genos transition from a vengeance-fueled {{Antihero}} into a [[TheCape true hero]].

* BlessedWithSuck: This is how Saitama views his powers. At the surface level, he managed to win the SuperpowerLottery: he's [[SuperStrength insanely powerful]], [[SuperSpeed ridiculously fast]], and [[NighInvulnerable practically immune to damage]], to the point of shrugging off ''anything'' that is thrown at him and defeating ''anybody'' that he fights in, well, [[RunningGag one punch]]. This is exactly why he's so depressed about his superhero job, because there's literally no challenge for him no matter how strong and seemingly invincible his opponent is.

* BookDumb: Saitama is not stupid, but he did so poorly on the written portion of the Hero Association entrance exam that he was placed in the lowest possible category of hero, despite his record-shattering performance during the physical portion. He scored a 100 on the physical, and a 42 on the book. Thus, he got a 71 (the cut-off was 70 points).

* BeyondTheImpossible: At first Saitama's immeasurable physical abilities seemed to operate on a certain level of logic, as in he attacked and deflected material foes and projectiles, even punching away Boros' final attack is under such logic, the sheer impact of the Serious Punch diverted a massive beam of energy; however, the little logic Saitama's abilties seemed to have is thrown out of the window in [[spoiler:the final revision for the Phoenixman vs. Child Emperor fight (effectively the canon one), Saitama intrudes in at the last second, punching away Phoenixman's warped reality space, leaving a crack on thin air, the monster is left completely in disbelief after the fact, seconds prior he thought nothing could stop his final attack; that is to say Saitama can literally punch and obliterate immaterial concepts, shooting the scope of his abilities to absolutely out of the realm of any logic or reason]].

** According to WordOfGod, Saitama lacks technique and proper coordination and would do badly in team sports. However, this doesn't affect his ability to fight monsters as his immense strength, speed, reflexes, durability, stamina, excellent sight, and hearing more than compensate for this.