One-Punch Man and its protagonist Saitama actually draw inspiration from two sources. Thanks to this, he has been able to take from and reshape the legacy of previous comics, adapting it to the present time where self-mockery and memes culture are ground elements. Like all the well-managed satires, he conveys fondness for the genre he is parodying. However, as ONE makes fun of shonen manga, at the same time he displays a thorough knowledge of them. It’s as though he has been poorly outlined and yet is perfect for a story where everyone is either obsessed by becoming stronger or by ruling over others. Moreover, the protagonist is an anonymous individual because of his flat backstory, flat motives, flat ambitions. The more the enemies will boast about their abilities, the more Saitama or somebody else will humiliate them. The joke is simple and also, in the long term, redundant. In One-Punch Man there is only the boredom resulting from fights that are too easy. The readers are used to comics where the protagonists have to train hard to defeat their enemies. Association where Saitama and Genos will enroll, following opposite paths. Moreover, since the monsters pose a serious threat to mankind, a Heroes Association arises to fight them. While his frustration grows because he can no longer find someone who can actually challenge him, his self-proclaimed disciple Genos torments him because he wants to become as strong as Saitama. In the meantime, scary and dangerous monsters cross his path, but he always takes them out with a single blow. The plot is about Saitama living a normal life, caring about taking out the trash and not missing supermarket discounts. All of this because he wanted to become a hero “for fun”. Namely, he did one hundred push-ups, sit-ups and squats every day for years. The protagonist Saitama became the strongest individual of all time thanks to unimaginable trainings. Image courtesy of PANINI COMICS © 2016 One-Punch Man: Saitama, the hero who has it all too easy
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