One-Punch Man‘s second season may have seen a greater focus on newer characters like Garou and Suiryu, and that means that mainstays like Saitama and Genos have been pushed further to the background. While Genos has had some poignant action scenes early on, it’s no secret that fans feel he’s been under served in the rest of the season. But now it seems like that won’t be the case for the final few episodes.
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In the latest episode of the series, it’s revealed that Genos had successfully been upgraded by Dr. Kuseno after taking an off-screen beating from Gouketsu in a previous episode. With these upgrades, this might give Genos the power he needs to take on the Monster Association.
The episode sees Genos with a shiny new body, and it even has a different kind of glossy look to it before. It was done in a hurry, but Kuseno explains that he understood that Genos wanted to fight again as soon as possible. He says he’s only made a few minor adjustments, but Genos should see a difference in his strength. This makes Genos more determined than before, but Kuseno is still worried.
He sees that Genos is still driven by his need for victory (this was a major problem he had in the first season as well), and believes it’s okay to lose as long as Genos survives at the end of the day. Seeing Genos destroyed and beaten apparently reminded Kuseno of his younger days and how he used to plunge head first into danger without caution.
He’s worried that Genos keeps pushing himself without fear, and may end up worse than how he was before. Hopefully this is what will drive Genos to take better care of himself because seeing his entire body destroyed with each fight is starting to take its toll on the one who repairs him. Regardless of upgrades, it seems like Genos still has some major weaknesses.
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. Yoshikazu Iwanami serves as sound director, and Chikashi Kubota contributes new character designs. The second season will run for 12 episodes, and Viz Media has licensed the season for an English release.
Viz Media describes One-Punch Man Season 2 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.”
