Caped Up: A One Punch Man Recap [w/ Ch 92 Review]
DISCLAIMER
Massive spoilers under the cut, as I will be writing an overview of the series up to the latest update. Also note: this post does not cover the original webcomic produced by ONE, but the digital redraw authored in part by Yusuke Murata. Proceed at your peril and thanks for playing.
Imagine this scenario:
You are the world’s strongest hero... But also a bit of a dumbass.
No, not him.
There’s the guy.
Meet Saitama. He’s a hero for fun. After a life of being pushed around and exploited by an avaricious society, young Saitama abandons his search for an office job and begins a grueling three years of non-stop training and battle. With every monster he defeats he becomes stronger. All is well in Shonen Land until the Turning Point is reached and all the usual story beats end. When presented with the idea of this series being a Shonen parody, my first instinct was to say no, but Saitama most certainly qualifies.
Homeboy is strong. So strong, in fact, that we have no earthly idea just how strong he is. He hasn’t had to go all out in years. When he exerts himself even the slightest bit, stuff like this happens:
This is what I mean when I call Saitama a dumbass. He’s not actually a dumbass. He is, however, pretty socially inept with a very poor sense of time and direction. That often keeps him out of the fray for a convenient period of time as the other, higher-ranked heroes do battle with the monster of the week. It’s a classic formula, used for Superman all the time. The difference is that Superman is usually occupied with another separate disaster due to his compulsive need to save everyone he can. Saitama is mostly lazy.
The martial artist that he saves asks Saitama if the monsters (who were formerly human) were tough to defeat. He says he doesn’t know, as they all went down with one punch. This is our protagonist’s major malfunction. The thrill he once found defeating monsters has been replaced with a deep and unending boredom. Saitama is too strong for his own good. Gone is the excitement of finding uncharted ground. There’s no room for improvement - not when the Exodia cards have been slipped into your deck.
And so it goes for sometime. In the midst of invasions from the sea, earth and sky - and an increasing monster presence - that a professional league of heroes is founded to keep the civilian population safe and offer support to uniformed officials. The Hero Association and its operatives are divided into Classes based on rank. From S-Class, at the top, to the rookies of C-Class.
Saitama joins the Association (where he’s given the Caped Baldy tag lol) in hopes of finally running into the challenge he desperately seeks. Spoilers: he doesn’t. What he does find instead are dozens of colorful characters, friendly and otherwise. I’ll spare the whole list and give you the core four of the current arc.
Genos - Taken on as Saitama’s ‘student’; dubbed as S-Class hero Demon Cyborg upon joining the Hero Association. Unlike his sensei, he still has a fire lit underneath him. He is motivated by revenge for his childhood village which was burned to the ground by a crazy, murderous robot. He is supremely talented, but his over-confidence often leads to peril for himself and others.
Tatsumaki - Famous in memedom as a “sassy, lost child” she is actually the 28-year-old ‘Tornado of Terror.’ S-Class: Rank 2, she is the world’s most powerful esper. Her strength is matched by her ego, which is often and comically met with ambivalence. Due to a series of invasive and painful science experiments as a youngster, she has grown reclusive and over-protective of her little sister.
Garou - Our introduction to this martial artist sees him mow down a room full of criminals with his bare hands. Not long after, he sets out to grow stronger and take down any hero that gets in his way. That was Ch 70. At the moment, he’s in the middle of a Loser’s Bracket run for the ages, in the bowels of the Monster Association’s underground HQ, fighting for his life and humanity.
Bang - S-Class: Rank 3 and master of the Flowing Water Rock Smashing Fist martial arts style. As Garou’s former sensei, he holds himself responsible for the latter going rogue and vows to bring him to justice, proving his worth to the Hero Association.
These folks and more will be attacking the monsters’ base with dual objectives: save the child taken hostage and destroy the Monster King Orochi. Phew! I think that’s a fair recap for a manga with 141 updates. And I didn’t spoil too much, so new readers can discover the best bits for themselves.
One Punch Man | 92nd Punch: “Here We Go!”
The prior three chapters to this one were a roller coaster, as well as a chance for Murata to fully flex his artistic muscle. The Monster King Orochi took up most of the ink work and I implore you readers to take a look at the outrageous detail Murata put into these panels.
Art takes time, though, which puts June’s update into proper context. It’s a slower, more deliberate chapter focusing on character work and plot development. Saitama has already made his way underground to investigate the rumblings underneath the abandoned City Z where he lives.
The other pro heroes are gathered at H.A. Headquarters in the rebuilt A City to discuss their strategy for their impending invasion of the Monster Base. This should be fairly uneventful, and it would be if not for the Hero Association’s fatal flaw: an egregious lack of chemistry. The S-Class - and the top ranked A-Class hero Amai Mask - are inarguably powerful, but could hardly be called heroes. Even when slaying monsters, they rarely pause to consider anything outside of their own glory. This clash of personality leads to a lengthy, entertaining exchange as the team members present try to out-roast eachother.
Meanwhile King, the “World’s Strongest Man” S-Class: Rank 7, is approached by Bang about recruiting Saitama for the impending battle. These two are one of the few people who know the truth of Saitama’s strength. It is also key for King, who has no true power of his own, to have his best friend watching his back. And where is Saitama, you ask? Welp...
I’ll have fun posting on the next chapter. I know some people find action-heavy chapters tough to break down but I’ve come to trust Murata-san at this point to give us plenty to discuss. The art will be immaculate and the detail will be boggling.
As good as the story by ONE has been, a large amount of joy in reading this remaster of the series has come from seeing Yusuke Murata create literal works of art. And so quickly, too! Drop by his Twitter and send the man some thanks and encouragement. He sees them all for sure, and the good vibes gets him hype! He also streams his work here.
