Chapter 1: One Punch Man Enters the Stage
The story begins in City A with Saitama, our caped baldy hero, facing the Vaccine Man, a hulking, antennaed monster radiating with power.
Enraged by humanity’s pollution, Vaccine Man declares his intent to eradicate them. He destroys a huge part of the city while defeating the responding heroes.
However, before he can unleash his full fury, Baldy obliterates him with a single, effortless punch, leaving only a scattered pool of wine and meat.
This effortless victory leaves our hero feeling empty and unfulfilled. He laments his overwhelming power, which makes finding a worthy opponent impossible.
This establishes Saitama’s central conflict: his unrivaled strength leaves him unable to find a challenge or satisfaction in his heroic deeds.
Chapter 2: Crab and Job Hunting
A flashback transports us three years before Saitama’s current state, when he was still an unemployed salaryman with a full head of hair desperately searching for a job.
He encounters Crabrante, a monstrous crab with bulging eyes and a frothing mouth, searching for a boy who drew nipples on his shell with a permanent marker.
Crabrante, explaining his origin story- consuming too much crab, demands to know the boy’s whereabouts.
Recently rejected from a job interview, Saitama lets Crabrante pass, as he is not his target.
However, upon seeing the boy, he decides to intervene, saving the child from Crabrante’s attack and berating the monster for taking a child’s prank so seriously.
Our hero, amused by the fact that Crabrante reminded him of a villain from an old anime, is challenged to a fight.
Crabrante, with his giant pincers, attacks the one-punch hero, but our hero swiftly retaliates, tying the monster’s eye with his necktie and pulling it out, defeating him.
Back in the present, Caped Baldy walks home, groceries in hand, pondering the emptiness in his heart despite possessing invincible power.
This seemingly mundane event foreshadows Saitama’s unorthodox and often anticlimactic fighting style.
Chapter 3: Walking Disaster
Saitama arrives in B-City just in time to witness the rampage of a colossal giant named Beefcake.
This giant is the product of his brother scientist’s reckless experiment, consuming a strength-enhancing serum called “Biceps Brachii King,” which caused him to grow to a monstrous size.
The giant, carrying his brother named Oldface on his shoulder, boasts about their plans to rule the world.
Unfazed by the giant’s destructive power, Caped Baldy hitches a ride on the giant’s other shoulder, much to the scientist’s shock.
The oblivious giant accidentally crushes his brother while trying to swat our hero off his shoulder. Enraged, the giant throws him to the ground and stomps on him, creating a massive crater.
However, our one-punch hero emerges from the hole unscathed and, with a single punch, obliterates the giant, sending its massive body crashing into B-City.
This further showcases Saitama’s nonchalant attitude towards fighting even overwhelmingly powerful foes.
Chapter 4: Subterraneans of Darkness
Saitama is awakened by commotion outside his apartment. A large, black hand bursts through his wall, grabbing him and tossing him out into the street.
He finds himself surrounded by a group of grotesque, black-skinned monsters calling themselves Subterraneans who have emerged from underground to claim the surface world.
Despite bleeding from a head wound, our hero effortlessly dispatches the Subterranean horde, his fists leaving a trail of broken bodies and shattered bones.
Just when he thinks the fight is over, the Subterranean King appears, wielding four swords and eager to challenge Caped Baldy.
However, before their battle can begin, our bald hero alarm clock rings, revealing the entire encounter to be a dream.
To his surprise, he finds a group of Subterraneans outside his apartment, seemingly confirming his dream.
He swiftly deals with them, sending the survivors fleeing back underground with a hastily planted “Sorry” flag.
This humorous encounter highlights the disparity between Saitama’s power and the threats he faces.
Chapter 5: Itch Explosion
While tending to his cactus and reflecting on his lack of fulfilling challenges, Saitama is plagued by a persistent mosquito.
Unbeknownst to him, this mosquito is a scout for the Mosquito Girl, a powerful monster capable of controlling a vast swarm of blood-sucking insects.
The Mosquito Girl and her swarm terrorize City Z, draining the life out of their victims and leaving behind desiccated husks.
A cyborg named Genos, drawn by reports of the mosquito infestation, arrives to confront the threat.
With his sleek metallic body and glowing eyes, Genos easily incinerates a large portion of the mosquito swarm.
Chapter 6: Saitama
Genos engages the Mosquito Girl in a fierce battle, but despite his advanced weaponry and impressive speed, he is quickly overwhelmed.
The Mosquito Girl, with her sharp claws and agile movements, severs Genos’ arm and legs, leaving him critically damaged.
As the Mosquito Girl prepares to deliver the final blow, Saitama, still preoccupied with the single mosquito that has been bothering him, arrives on the scene.
With a casual swat, our Caped Baldy sends the Mosquito Girl flying, crashing through buildings and ultimately saving Genos’ life.
Impressed by our hero’s effortless display of power, Genos pledges himself as his disciple, eager to learn the secret to his incredible strength.
Chapter 7: A Mysterious Attack
Genos, eager to learn from his newfound master, visits Saitama’s modest apartment, much to his annoyance.
He recounts his tragic past, how his family was murdered by a rampaging cyborg, and his subsequent quest for revenge and self-improvement.
Meanwhile, in a hidden laboratory, scientists analyze footage of our bald hero’s fight with Mosquito Girl, intrigued by his overwhelming power.
Back at his apartment, Genos’ impassioned plea for discipleship is interrupted by a sudden attack.
A giant, insect-like cyborg bursts through the roof, only to be instantly obliterated by Saitama’s single punch.
Chapter 8: This Guy?
More monsters emerge from the ground, joining the fray. Ground Dragon, a burrowing mole-like monster, attacks Saitama, burying him neck-deep in the ground.
Beast King, a monstrous lion with razor-sharp claws, joins Ground Dragon, mocking our hero’s predicament.
Armored Gorilla, a hulking robotic cyborg, confronts Genos, their battle shaking the city.
Caped Baldy, unfazed by being buried, calmly frees himself, much to Beast King’s surprise.
Beast King unleashes a flurry of attacks, his “Lion Slash” and “Lion Slash: Meteor Power Shower” tearing through buildings.
Our hero effortlessly dodges each blow, then counters with his “Consecutive Normal Punches,” reducing Beast King to a bloody pulp.
Ground Dragon, terrified by Saitama’s power, attempts to flee underground, but he catches him and sends him flying with a single punch.
Genos, preparing to unleash his full power against Armored Gorilla, is surprised to find our hero standing beside him.
Armored Gorilla, having shed his armor, suddenly becomes docile, revealing a surprisingly friendly personality.
This chapter showcases the stark contrast between Saitama’s effortless power and the struggles of other heroes, even those as capable as Genos.
Chapter 8.5: 200 Yen
This chapter takes us back to Saitama’s past, long before he became the One Punch Man.
As a junior high student, the 12-year-old Saitama is depicted as an ordinary, unremarkable boy who is often bullied and lacks any particular strength.
One day, while being shaken down for money by bullies, he encounters Piggy Bank, a monstrous, anthropomorphic piggy bank demanding coins.
Piggy Bank flees after the bullies insert a coin into a slot on his back, and he gives chase, driven by the need to recover his stolen 200 yen.
Despite his best efforts, he is defeated by Piggy Bank, further cementing his perception of himself as a loser. His teacher even reprimands him after not believing everything he told him that happened.
However, this encounter sparks something in him.
The story skips ahead, showing snippets of Saitama’s training and his eventual transformation into the bald, powerful hero we know.
This flashback provides a glimpse into the dedication and relentless effort that led him to his current state, and highlights the personal cost of his overwhelming power.
Leave a Reply