One-Punch Man

One-Punch Man began as a simple webcomic. An artist who calls himself ONE started posting it online in 2009, with rough and plain drawings. The story was so funny that it spread widely. In 2012 the artist Yusuke Murata began redrawing it as a manga with detailed, powerful art on Shueisha's Tonari no Young Jump website. That version led to this anime. The studio Madhouse made it, Shingo Natsume directed it, and Chikashi Kubota designed the characters. Its 12 episodes aired on TV Tokyo from October 5 to December 21, 2015. In North America, Viz Media licensed it, and the Toonami block on Adult Swim aired it in 2016.

The hero is Saitama, a bald man in a yellow suit and a white cape who lives in City Z. He became a hero for fun. After years of a simple daily workout, he grew so strong that he can beat any enemy with just one punch. That sounds like a dream, but for Saitama it has become a problem. Every fight ends at once. Nothing excites him anymore, and he feels empty and bored. He would almost be happier if someone could give him a real challenge.

Saitama's quiet life changes when he meets Genos, a serious young cyborg, which is a person whose body is partly a machine. Genos wants revenge on the creature that destroyed his town. After he sees Saitama's strength, he begs to become his student, even though Saitama has no idea how to teach. The two end up living and working together. Later they join the Hero Association, a large group that ranks heroes by their skill and their test scores. In a funny twist, the strongest man in the world is placed in a low rank, because his written test is weak and few people believe his wins are real.

The show is an action comedy and a parody, which means it makes fun of a style by copying it in a silly way. Here the target is the classic battle anime, where heroes train hard, shout, and slowly power up against bigger and bigger foes. One-Punch Man turns that idea upside down. Monsters, cyborgs, and other heroes give long dramatic speeches, show off their powers, and fight with huge energy, and then Saitama ends it with one plain hit. Many of the best jokes come from his calm, flat face in the middle of total chaos, or from him worrying more about a supermarket sale than a monster attack.

Even so, the fights are not small. Madhouse's animation is often called some of the best of its year, and the action scenes are fast and very detailed. Critics praised the show for being fresh, funny, and exciting, with strong characters and fights. On Rotten Tomatoes the first season holds a perfect score. The rousing opening song, The Hero!! by JAM Project, fits the show's big, loud style. A second season followed in 2019.