One-Punch Man Reveals Why Garou’s Abilities Make Him More Frightening than a Monster

One-Punch Man episode 15, “The Hunt Begins” digs much deeper into the campaign of violence being undertaken by Garou, the fearsome martial arts fighter who desires to earn himself a rep as a bonafide “monster” rather than a man. Even though the episode ends on the hilarious not of having “One-Punch Man” himself, Saitama, take Garou out with one blow, that (completely accidental) justice is only dispensed after Garou has already spent most of the episode inflicting pain and suffering on some of the most powerful heroes in the hero association.

Thanks to “The Hunt Begins”, we finally know more about the power Garou is using to defeat so many big heroes (and villains) in combat – and why that power goes a long way to making Garou truly more frightening than any monster around!

Picking up on a thread that was first dangled during One-Punch Man season 1 (all those years ago), we’re reminded in this latest episode that Garou was actually once the prized student of Silverfang (aka Bang), the S-Class No. 3 hero who is one of the greatest martial artists in the world. Garou learned (among other things) Bang’s “Fist of Flowing Water” technique, and has mastered such deadly arts, which is why, in many ways, he’s a much bigger threat to the heroes than the usual monsters they face.

After taking a beating from Garou and seeing the villain’s power first-hand, S-Class No. 16 hero Tanktop Master breaks the situation down to Saitama, explaining why Garou is so dangerous for the Hero Association. Basically, Tanktop Master describes how the sort of martial arts Bang and Garou have mastered were designed to damage and/or kill human beings, as opposed to the powers and techniques most heroes learn, which are designed to exclusively battle and/or defend against monsters. Garou is the first real (at least the most dangerous) enemy to be specifically designed and powered for killing heroes, which is by far the greatest threat the H.A. has faced (if the climbing body count is any indication).

What Tanktop Master doesn’t even know yet is that Garou has come across the Hero Almanac (a book which lists the various heroes, their techniques and their powers) and done a little studying. That book has given him even more insight into the strengths and weaknesses of various heroes – making him even more effective at killing them. What remains to be seen is how Garou reacts to finding out that he’s hopelessly outpowered by Saitama – and what steps he takes to take on the unstoppable One-Punch Man!

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