Here's Why One-Punch Man Is A Near-Perfect Superhero Parody

04/11/2017 11:14 am EDT

No one wants to admit it, but One-Punch Man could beat Superman.

In fact, the burgeoning anime superstar could take out all of the DC Universe and go dimension-skipping to the Marvel Universe without breaking a sweat. Not even Son Goku would be able to take down Saitama, a man better known to fans as One-Punch Man - and that's kind of whole point.

When it comes to One-Punch Man, the series occupies a grey space in the world of anime and manga. The story is a shonen title; You can't overlook its prolific use of action and all-out fight sequences. One-Punch Man is a superhero tale as fans watch Saitama work his way through the ranks of his universe's Hero's Association. But, at its core, One-Punch Man is a brilliant piece of commentary aiming meta hooks at the jaw of superhero fans everywhere.

If you are not familiar with One-Punch Man, then you should know the series was made by an anonymous artist known as ONE. The creator made a somewhat derpy exploring the character of Saitama, a bald man who lived in an alternate universe were disasters hit Earth on the daily. However, the character was unlike his diligent, classically trained colleagues. Saitama never set out to be a hero because he loved to train or wanted to save the world; No, the protagonist stumbled into the profession because he was bored and wanted to find some fulfillment in life. After all, when the guy can literally take down any foe with a single punch, there is not much around to challenge him.

When you look at One-Punch Man from far away, the franchise looks like little more than a hilarious shonen title. But, as you break down the series, fans will begin to see how ONE imbued One-Punch Man with parodic humor to make one hell of a subverted story.

There are countless tentpoles which bolster a traditional superhero story regardless of its origin. Both comic books and manga treat heroes similarly:

The heroes have goals which get impeded
The heroes want to meet an end goal
The heroes often go through great trails to accrue power

These are just some of the expected markers of a hero's journey, and One-Punch Man laughs at them all in the face.

For Saitama, the hero doesn't really have any goals. He's not like Captain America who is out to rid the world of Hydra or even Naruto who wishes to bring Sasuke Uchiha home. No, Saitama is jut an "average man from an average world" with insane strength. He is not impeded in any way because Saitama has no goals to get in the way of, and his life is viewed on a day-by-day basis.

When it comes to an ultimate goal, the only thing Saitama really wants in life is to find the thrill in battle. One-Punch Man is too strong for any villain he's ever faced, and Saitama just KO's them with a single move. Though finding a challenge is a goal in itself, the desire is one that sharply contrasts from other heroes who often have more altruistic hopes.

Even when it comes to training, Saitama is an outlier in the funniest of ways. The series pokes fun at series like Dragon Ball which has its heroes train and fight for days on end. To become strong, Saitama says he lives without A/C and does some difficult but not impossible exercises. When compared to other heroes, Saitama does very little to become as strong as he is, and he knows it. The series even specifically gags at Dragon Ball with Saitama's training as fans even learn that the hero would have godly powers if he had hair. Just imagine what would happen if Saitama had the golden locks of a Super Saiyan?

One-Punch Man may still be in its newer stages, but the series has done plenty of poke fun at the superhero genre. Its rampant humor differentiates it in some ways, but ONE's story shines in how it subverts expectations. Saitama doesn't want to be a hero. He's bored all the time. When it comes to good deeds, Saitama can only be bothered to help out occasionally. And, when it comes to fulfilling his hero's quest, Saitama has little interest in seeing it through. All the guy wants it to fight someone who can punch him back, but that will never happen.

Sorry, Saitama. That's what happens when you become the star of a celebrated superhero parody. You're never going to find a villain who gets you quite like Thanos or Freeza would.

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