is a fictional
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
and the
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
of
One
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
's
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series ''
One-Punch Man
is a Japanese superhero manga series created by One. It tells the story of Saitama, a superhero who, because he can defeat any opponent with a single punch, grows bored from a lack of challenge. One wrote the original webcomic manga v ...
''. Saitama, an unassociated hero, hails from Z-City and performs heroic deeds as a hobby. For three years, he has trained enough to defeat any enemy with a single punch, his unmatched strength leaving him bored. He becomes a reluctant mentor to Genos, a cyborg seeking revenge against another cyborg who killed his family and destroyed his hometown, after Saitama defeats a monster that defeated Genos. With Genos, Saitama learns about a heroes organization who are also fighting the monsters.
The character was created by One as part of a webcomic involving an alternate style of superhero who already started as the strongest one in the world and most of his stories involved daily chores. For the manga serialization, Saitama was illustrated by
Yusuke Murata
is a Japanese manga artist and animator, best known for illustrating One's ''One-Punch Man'', serialized in the ''Weekly Young Jump'' online version.
Murata's other major work is his illustration of the American football manga ''Eyeshield 21'' ...
.
The character has been voiced by
Makoto Furukawa
is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actor and singer previously affiliated with Space Craft Entertainment. He became a freelancer in September 2018. He joined the record label, Toy's Factory, in December 2018. He made his solo singer de ...
in Japanese and
Max Mittelman
Maxwell Braden Mittelman (born September 5, 1990) is an American voice actor who provides voices for English versions of anime, animation and video games. Some of his major roles include Saitama in ''One-Punch Man'', Kousei Arima in ''Your Lie ...
in English. Saitama has been a popular character, often acclaimed by the fandom of being the strongest character in anime history.
Creation
Manga author
One
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
became interested in creating a comic superhero who was already the strongest in the world.
He wanted to focus on different aspects of storytelling than those normally relied on in standard superhero stories, such as everyday problems. ONE said: "Punching is oftentimes pretty useless against life's problems. But inside ''One-Punch Man''s universe, I made Saitama a sort of guy who was capable of adapting his life to the world that surrounded him, only armed with his immense power. The only obstacles he faces are mundane things, like running short of money."
The idea was that the super hero became bored and instead dealt with daily chores.
In One's point of view, a hero is not cool for being strong or strength. Instead, it is the mentality of Saitama and how he is able to understand other people's mentalities.
The idea was that the super hero became bored and instead dealt with daily chores.
One felt difficulties in drawing scenarios for Saitama due to how overpowered he was. In Saitama's case, all he have to do is have him show up to punch the problem away. In the world Saitama lives in, monsters show up frequently, so he gets to utilize his strength to the fullest, so he can feel comfortable making the plot. If anything happens, the author can always count on Saitama. The story will be interesting as long as he's on the move. The only hard part is to make his allies seem not too weak.
Artist
Yusuke Murata
is a Japanese manga artist and animator, best known for illustrating One's ''One-Punch Man'', serialized in the ''Weekly Young Jump'' online version.
Murata's other major work is his illustration of the American football manga ''Eyeshield 21'' ...
initially drew him "cool" alongside the entire cast. In that process he was making Saitama look handsome, or adding stars in his eyes, but all of these ideas were scrapped. In the end, those things did not fit Saitama's nature. He changed it since One's ideas of Saitama was the complete opposite. Nevertheless, he had fun when drawing the character.
The idea of the blank expression Saitama tends to make were done intentionally for comedic effect. Murata also elaborated that while it is hard to relate to overpowered characters in fiction, the way One wrote Saitama managed to give this theme.
Casting
![Max Mittelman (31736247216)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Max_Mittelman_%2831736247216%29.jpg)
Saitama is voiced by
Makoto Furukawa
is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actor and singer previously affiliated with Space Craft Entertainment. He became a freelancer in September 2018. He joined the record label, Toy's Factory, in December 2018. He made his solo singer de ...
in the Japanese version
and by
Max Mittelman
Maxwell Braden Mittelman (born September 5, 1990) is an American voice actor who provides voices for English versions of anime, animation and video games. Some of his major roles include Saitama in ''One-Punch Man'', Kousei Arima in ''Your Lie ...
in the English dub.
Furukawa first learned of the series thanks to a friends who had the manga. He felt that the story, in which each episode is completed in a short number of episodes, and that Saitama always finishes with a quick blow to defeat the enemy at the end, is simple yet very interesting. Additionally, his first impression of Saitama was so strong that he was worried about whether he would be able to play it. He was surprised that he was really the strongest hero because the gap between his daily life and fighting was appealing. Furukawa called him "complex" due to his lack of motivation and not being attentive enough while his chores are part of what make him charm which made him relatable. The actor explained that Saitama has two different tone based on the scenes he is involved making him both cool and uncool.
Mittelman was attracted by the series' first episode and found hilarious how Saitama dresses in contrast to the menacing villains. In getting the role, he wanted to make sure he got appropriate balance between being bored but not lazy and "a little detached". He expressed difficulties in emulating Furukawa, claiming his performance would come as "crazy" due to the differences between the Japanese and the English versions.
Appearances
Saitama is a bald-headed 25-year-old man who is bored of fighting because he is able to effortlessly defeat enemies with a single punch. He lives in an apartment in City Z. Three years prior to the start of the series, when he still had hair, Saitama was job hunting when he defeated the powerful supervillain
Crablante that attempted to kill a child with a
butt-chin. Saitama says he became a hero "for the fun of it". His abilities mainly consist of physical abilities magnified to an immeasurable degree: strength is the true power of Saitama, with speed, stamina, and durability being mere side-effects. He attributes this to a daily training regimen (100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, a 10 km run, eating healthy food, and abstaining from use of the air conditioner or heater in order to reinforce his mental fortitude.) (He also mentions training even when his body was wounded and made strange cracking sounds). Three years of this spartan training pushed Saitama to his limits, making him evidently unbeatable. Early in the series, he picks up a disciple and roommate,
Genos
In ancient Greece, a ''genos'' (Greek: γένος, "race, stock, kin", plural γένη ''genē'') was a social group claiming common descent, referred to by a single name (see also Sanskrit "Gana"). Most ''gene'' were composed of noble families&md ...
.
Though he had broken all the physical records in the Hero entrance exam by huge margins, Saitama enters the Hero Association with a score of 71, giving him one of the lowest ranks in the Hero Association. This is due to his miserable performance on the mental exam. He soon goes up the ranks by performing many deeds, although many of his efforts are not recognized because of collateral damage or higher-tiered superheroes receiving more credit. These include defeating the raging ninja supervillain/assassin known as
Speed-o’-Sound Sonic (who became his unlikely rival) and destroying a meteor similar to
Chicxulub
The Chicxulub crater () is an impact crater buried underneath the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Its center is offshore near the community of Chicxulub, after which it is named. It was formed slightly over 66 million years ago when a large a ...
, each with a single punch. As of the current arc of the webcomic by
ONE
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
, he is A-Class rank 39. Regardless of his rank, he does not mind giving others the credit, as demonstrated in his actions following the fight against the
Deep Sea King. In the
Dark Matter Thieves' story arc, he is unfazed by the telekinesis of a powerful
esper, further displaying his resistance. This arc was also one of the only times he has used his "serious punch", defeating the world-conquering leader of the aliens, Lord Boros. It was also revealed that Saitama's power can continue to grow limitless as demonstrated during his fight with Cosmic Garou, with the latter leaving him behind on the power scaling through every blows exchanged. Through various circumstances, he forms friendships with
Mumen Rider,
Bang
Bang or bangs may refer to:
Products
* M1922 Bang rifle, a US semi-automatic rifle designed by Søren Hansen Bang
* Bang, a model car brand
* Bang (beverage), an energy drink
Geography
* Bang, Lorestan, a village in Iran
* Bangs, Ohio, Uni ...
,
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
, and
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is not falling b ...
. His superhero name in the association is .
The character is also featured in ''
One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows'' video game.
Reception
Popularity
Saitama ranked first in a popularity poll from the manga. In Animax Carnival Malaysia 2016, an attraction of the series where the guest was challenged to punch harder than the character. Several types of merchandising were also created. In 2019, a Singaporean man named known as Seah replicated Saitama's workout he mentions early in the series to become fit, showing positive results in the process.
Critical reception
Critical response to Saitama has been mostly positive. ''
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
'' enjoyed his early chapters and his relationship with Genos for how hilarious the duo are. For the series, ''
Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...
'' commented the series' biggest appeal were not the fight scenes but instead Saitama's comical scenes whenever he is disappointed with a villain which act as a satire from fighting series. However, the first season's ending was praised for mixing both elements of the narrative into two episodes where Saitama makes a dull expression before becoming serious in a fight for the first time. ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' agreed stating the series does a fine job at how Saitama properly ends most of his fights in a different fashion.
''
Comic Book Resources
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
'' praised chapter 165 as it portrayed Saitama at his biggest which several readers have always been looking forward to though there is no sense of happiness to his feats. ''SportsKeeda'' listed Saitama as the series' strongest character twice but wondered if the recently introduced character, God, might be able to defeat the title character. ''
ScreenRant
''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scree ...
'' also listed Saitama as the strongest character in anime history. ''SportsKeeda'' noted several fandoms tend to be split on who is the strongest character in two series: Saitama or
Goku
Son Goku is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is based on Sun Wukong (known as Son Goku in Japan and Monkey King in the West), a main character of the classic Ch ...
from ''
Dragon Ball
is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...
''. ''Anime News Network'' compared Saitama with All Might, a famous character from the manga series, ''
My Hero Academia
is a Japanese superhero manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 2014, with its chapters additionally collected into ...
'' among Western superheroes, stating that despite their similar concepts, the narrative is far different. Nevertheless, the writer said that all of them give the idea of selfimprovement to the fans. Furukawa's performance as Saitama was also praised.
''Panic at the Discourse'' writer Joe Yang stated that when Saitama defeats the monster Deep Sea King, he sacrifices his own reputation by not taking credit as he "upholds the ideology of the hero's association" giving depths of to reflex in how heroes are recognized in fiction. Yang expressed contrast between Saitama and the Marvel heroes and instead compared him with anime heroes like
Naruto Uzumaki
() is the titular protagonist of the manga ''Naruto'', created by Masashi Kishimoto. As the series progresses, he is a young ninja from the fictional village of Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village). The villagers ridicule and ostracize Naruto on ...
, Goku,
Ichigo Kurosaki
is a fictional character in the ''Bleach'' manga series and its adaptations created by Tite Kubo. He is the main protagonist of the series, who receives Soul Reaper powers after meeting Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper assigned to patrol around the ...
, among others as they do not act like heroes neither. Yang placed emphasis on Saitama's origins as a failed "salaryman masculinity" common in the
Showa era as well as how he is not approved by Hero Association as an important hero by society. In concluding, Yang believes that One wrote Saitama as an example of
salarymen
In Japan, a is a salaried worker. In Japanese popular culture, this is embodied by a white-collar worker who shows overriding loyalty and commitment to the corporation where he works.
Salarymen are expected to work long hours, to put in addit ...
.
References
External links
*
{{One-Punch Man
One-Punch Man
Anime and manga characters who can move at superhuman speeds
Anime and manga characters with superhuman strength
Comics characters introduced in 2009
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Fictional characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
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Male characters in anime and manga
Male superheroes
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Superheroes in anime and manga
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