One-Punch Man Season 2 Has a Big Genos Problem

Six episodes into Season 2 of One-Punch Man, and I think it’s finally time to talk about something that has been bugging me. No it’s not J.C. Staff’s animation that has been picked to part and discussed to death elsewhere (even if certain sequences have been really good). Instead it’s about one of the series’ most beloved characters getting pushed to the sidelines for the majority of the season — Genos. Simply put, our favorite incinerating cyborg hasn’t been given much to do for these first six episodes, and it has made the show feel like it’s missing something.

Let’s look at what he did in the first five episodes:

• Fight and defeat a robot named G4
• Fight Sonic outside of Saitama’s apartment, 99 percent of which takes place off-screen
• Listen to Charanko talk about Garou
• Sit in the crowd at the Super Fight 22 tournament and clap

Given how important he was during the first season, this doesn’t feel right. Sure, Genos is supposed to be the over-serious character that reacts to everything Saitama does with a completely straight face, but that’s what makes him endearing. His relationship with Saitama was what carried a lot of the first season, but now it’s basically nonexistent since they don’t get the chance to interact.

This week’s episode showed promise that the show was going to turn that around, only to twist the knife in the post-credit scene. Midway through the episode Genos is alerted about the ongoing monster attacks and opts to fight a number of monsters near the arena. We see him get a few one-shot kills in, followed by a brief fight between he and Roach Awakening. We see a new enemy approaching, only for the scene to cut away.

The episode doesn’t cut back to Genos until after the credits, revealing that Goketsu has already beaten him to a pulp and left him knocked out. Yes, this is how things played out in the manga, but nothing was stopping the animators from letting us see what actually happened to him. Watching Genos fight valiantly only to get beaten in dominant fashion was part of his charm, and now the show won’t even give us that.

I know that, based on the manga, big things are in store for Genos down the road. But as this season continues to cut corners, I can’t help but feel like he keeps winding up on the chopping block.

Are you satisfied with how Genos is being used on One-Punch Man? Sound off in the comments section!

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