7 Reasons Why You Should Watch One-Punch Man
A hard-hitting anime for superhero lovers.
One-Punch Man was added to Netflix in March, marking its ascension as the newest anime to reach mainstream success.
The show's premise is actually quite absurd: the hero, Saitama, is the world's most powerful superhero. He earns the title One-Punch Man because, as you can probably guess, he's able to knock his enemies out with one punch. What should be his crown achievement is also the source of frustration for the 25-year old, because he's simply bored.
The series' uniqueness lies in the fact that it shows how the life of the world's most powerful superhero would "really" look like. Even though the character himself is bored, the show isn't boring - whether it be the lengths Saitama is willing to go to find a proper challenge, the heroes and villains he encounters, or their origin stories, the series creatively mixes cliche with ridicule, which makes it appealing simultaneously to superhero fans and critics.
The second season of the beloved series is now in production, so now's the time for you to jump onto the OPM bandwagon. Here's why.
(Before proceeding, be aware of minor spoilers!)
7. Coolest Origin Story Ever
Even though Saitama seems almost proud of the fact that he has no backstory and is a superhero solely for the fun of it, this is not true - he actually has one and it's kind of cool. This origin tale also sets the tone for the whole series, as it is so over-the-top and full of intentional bathos.
Saitama is walking down the street, burned out after being rejected after another job interview, when he's confronted by Crablante - a villain who ate so much crab that he turned into one. When the villain attempts to kill a kid, the hero kills the crustacean villain. After the event Saitama is so pumped that he trains so hard he actually goes bald and becomes the strongest superhero in the world.
While arriving on Earth from a different planet or being bitten by a radioactive spider are also rad, finding one's calling by killing a man looking like a crab has to be one of the best origin stories ever. It's certainly one of the most original, but what makes it so great is the way it's presented - as a seemingly everyday occurrence.