One-Punch Man is one of the most influential modern anime, not for its great fight scenes, heartfelt characters, or instantly recognizable protagonist, but because it introduced one of the most iconic workout plans in all of anime. The One-Punch Man workout is one of Saitama’s defining characteristics and is so influential that Solo Leveling blatantly ripped it off for Sung Jinwoo. As iconic as Saitama’s daily routine is, don’t expect to defeat God with a single punch by copying the plan. In fact, a more underappreciated anime has a far better workout routine for achieving that goal or at least, a similar goal. Punching God as a goal is still likely a step too far.
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Mashle: Magic and Muscles is Harry Potter on steroids, essentially. The show takes the “magicless protagonist in a world where magic equates to influence” sub-genre to a whole new level. Its protagonist, Mash Burnedead, survives his time at knock-off Hogwarts (Easton Magic Academy) purely through his physical strength, which he achieved through a lifetime of working out. But, unlike Saitama, Mash’s training would actually achieve the on-screen results.
Mash Burnedead’s Workout Is Better Than Saitama’s
Before we dive into this, we need to address the cream puff in the room. Several of the exercises that Mash Burnedead does on screen in Mashle are pure anime nonsense. Spinning a weighted barbell around on his finger, performing the Russian Prisiadki dance with weights, and that weird barbell slamming thing he repeatedly does aren’t real exercises and should not, under any circumstances be tried at home.
So, if his exercises aren’t real, how is Mash’s workout better? It’s because Mash incorporates actual weight training into his workouts. Saitama’s famous 100 push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and a 10k run is a great way to get into shape. But it wouldn’t give you anywhere near enough strength to knock out monsters, villains, and mutated humans with a single punch.
Mash blends calisthenics (bodyweight exercises) with weight training, which allows him to incorporate progressive overload into his training. Progressive overload is the act of increasing the resistance and difficulty of an exercise/workout, which is what encourages the muscles to grow stronger and bigger. Doing 100 push-ups, sit-ups, and squats will only get you so far on your journey to becoming the best student at Fake Hogwarts without using magic. To get that strong (or as strong as a real/non-anime-protagonist can get to that), you would need to incorporate some form of weight training into your routine like Mash does.
This article shouldn’t discourage anyone from trying Saitama’s daily workout routine. As previously mentioned, it’s a great way to get into shape and stay healthy. But, to achieve the kind of strength an anime protagonist like Saitama needs to survive, he needs to do a lot more than some calisthenics and a run.
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Mash Burnedead Is Technically Stronger Than Saitama
The above heading doesn’t intend to start a “Can he beat Goku?” style internet war. It is simply an observation. Looking at the workouts Saitama and Mash do in their respective shows, realistically, Mash would be much stronger than Saitama. This once again comes down to the principle of progressive overload. Saitama would be great at push-ups, squats, and sit-ups. But, he wouldn’t be able to lift a barbell with seven 45lb plates on single-handed as he does in the fitness test episode with his regimen alone, even despite him inexplicably being able to do that and far beyond. This type of strength, from calisthenics, doesn’t directly transfer to heavy-weight training.
Meanwhile, Mash’s insane workouts would bring him closer to being able to play quidditch without any powers than Saitama’s daily routine. Some of the exercises might be pure nonsense, but the training principles applied by Mash will give much better results in terms of improving strength than Saitama’s popular routine.
Mashle: Magic and Muscles Season 3 Is In the Works
Season 2 of Mashle was released last year. As well as getting everyone to dance along to Creepy Nuts’ incredible OP, the show itself was a massive hit and was quickly renewed for a third season. Major details about Mashle Season 3 have yet to be revealed. The new season is expected to be released sometime this year. Although this has not yet been confirmed. There is a chance that the series could get a massive update at this year’s AnimeJapan 2025 expo in Tokyo.
