The latest episode of One-Punch Man was one of its darkest and most brutal installments of the second season. But it ended with a moment from Saitama that was so excellent, fans couldn’t help but pump their firsts.
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The bulk of the episode was spent at the arena of the Super Fight 22 tournament, where Goketsu offered many of the competitors a chance to rapidly increase their strength by devouring monster cells and becoming monsters themselves. One of the most shocking transformations came from Bakuzan, who decided to eat two cells at once and seemed to die of heart failure before suddenly transforming into a towering, four-armed beast. He refused to stop attacking Suiryu, even after the long-haired fighter had admitted defeat. As Bakuzan was ready to deal the killing blow, Suiryu had no chance but to cry out for help.
“Somebody! Help me!” he screamed as the shot jumped to various heroes fighting other monsters. “A monster! There’s a monster here! Is anyone out there? A monster’s attacking me! Please! I need… a hero! Can any heroes hear me?! I’m over here! Heroes! Please! Help me! There’s a monster here…Heroes…”
With no one responding, Suiryu seemingly gave up hope as tears and blood streamed down his face.
Bakuzan tried to stomp Suiryu to death, but when he lifted his foot he was shocked to see that he was gone. The camera then moved up to see Saitama, dressed in his full superhero gear, moving an unconscious Suiryu away from the ring.
“Who are you?” Bakuzan asked?
“Just a… hero,” Saitama said.
“I heard you calling for help, Suiryu,” he continued. “You fought hard on your own. Let me take care of the rest.”
The episode ended just as Saitama stepped forward to fight.
Even though he made quick work of all of his opponents in the martial arts tournament, he was disqualified before he could win the final bout against Suiryu because his wig flew off his head. As a result, tournament officials disqualified him for wearing a disguise.
One-Punch Man Season 2 is now streaming on Hulu, and on Crunchyroll outside of the United States. The season is directed by Chikara Sakurai (Naruto Shippuden episode director), for new production studio J.C. Staff.
The second season will reportedly run for 12 episodes. Viz Media describes the season as such, “Saitama is a hero who only became a hero for fun. After three years of “special training,” he’s become so strong that he’s practically invincible. In fact, he’s too strong–even his mightiest opponents are taken out with a single punch. Now, the great seer Madame Shibabawa’s prediction about the Earth being doomed seems to be coming true as the frequency of monster incidents escalates. Alongside Genos, his faithful disciple, Saitama begins his official hero duties as a member of the Hero Association, while Garou, a man utterly fascinated by monsters, makes his appearance.”
