Why Saitama is so Powerful?
The One Punch Man anime and manga series has soared in popularity over the recent years. Because of its amazing action sequences and deeply relatable characters, One Punch Man became a darling of all anime fans worldwide. And the highlight of the series is obviously the titular character – Saitama who is better known as the One Punch Man. Saitama is an over-powered ‘hero for fun’ who is so strong that no matter how incredibly mighty the villain is, all it takes is just one punch for him to defeat them all. For years, no one was able to come up with an explanation, not even Saitama him-self, as to how he got so strong? There are literally hundreds of heroes who have tried their best to become stronger. How did Saitama top that list? This Theory finally explains how.
Genos once asked Saitama his secret. How did his master grow so strong? Is there a secret behind it all?? Saitama gave an answer that was way too unbelievable. He said that he followed a strict regimen of 100 push-ups, 100 squats, and 10 Km of running every day to attain this awesome power. The fans scoffed at his answer. Everyone believed that even Saitama does not know how he got there in the first place.
But at playing closer inspection, we are forced to believe that there might be some truth behind that answer. Saitama’s words should not be taken literally here. And this theory accurately explains why there is a hidden meaning behind Saitama’s answer.
Saitama’s superhuman physical attributes are supposedly a parody of all action heroes. He does not need to have an origin story according to the fans since his creator never wanted him to have one. Saitama is just strong because he was created that way. That is the official End of Story. But the more you dive into the world of One Punch Man, the more you realize that this assumption is more or less wrong.
Many heroes have tried and failed to gain more power. There are a handful of S Class heroes in the world because of the exact same reason. The Hero Association has a lot of A-Class, B Class, and C Class heroes. So it is not like not many have tried. But Saitama succeeded where others failed simply because of the fact that there was a difference in mentality and mind-set. That’s right folks. Saitama’s power is not connected to his physicality but actually to his mentality. Or at least that is what the theory tells us.
This Theory first surfaced on Reddit and it has been gaining a lot of traction over the following days. It claims to have finally solved the puzzle that would give us the solution to the Saitama Dilemma. It states that Saitama’s power is not tied to worldly ways. It is more of a meta-physical, even transcendental nature. Many superheroes of the One Punch Man series have actually used this method to grow stronger. There are even several examples to substantiate this theory. We will be discussing each and every hole and chink in detail to analyze whether this theory holds water.
The Reddit theory is quick to point out that Saitama’s Ultimate Power is no longer a result of the Physical Workout but what it actually represented. As we all know – there was a time Saitama was just a normal, non-bald, office worker. He would one day become fed up with his monotonous life and after a freak encounter with a crab-like monster, he would decide to become stronger and be a hero to help others. After leaving his job, Saitama contributed each and every day of his life to the sole purpose of becoming the strongest superhero there is. In a way, that was the reason that led to his metamorphosis into the One Punch Man. It was his will to become stronger, rather than the strenuous workout which gave him his might. We know it is a little out there to have your head wrapped around. But the following points will help clarify those doubts you are having right now.
Other heroes and villains have also revealed that having a singularly focused mindset works. Amai Mask’s most important purpose in life was to become Handsome and Beautiful. And he did. Garou wanted to become the Champion of the Monsters because he empathized with them. In the One Punch Man series, Garou ends up becoming a Monster him-elf. Do you remember the crab Like Monster that Saitama first defeated? His name is Crablante. Believe it or not, he was just a regular human being. He became a Crab Monster because he was so obsessed with Crabs that his body underwent a secondary mutation and made him a monstrous superhuman.
So we are not shooting in the dark here. This phenomenon holds weight in the world One Punch Man. If you will strong enough, the Universe will give it to you. Up until now, we had only read about it in Paulo Coelho’s Alchemist. It is the first time we see this process in action in the anime.
Why other superheroes are not able to mimic Saitama, you ask? Well simply because they have mental inhibitions that prevent them from doing so. Saitama could achieve it because he completely believed in himself and his efforts to become the strongest. Genos is a powerful cyborg but he has shown his doubts in his abilities many times in a battle. That is why he keeps comparing himself with other heroes and replaces himself with cybernetic enhancements every time he gets defeated in a fight. The more Genos replaces his cyborg parts, the more he doubts his primary abilities as a warrior. That is why he can never be as powerful as Saitama. Because he lacks the mental conviction!
Garou on the other hand partially showed mastery over this phenomenon. But he too faltered as the series progressed. After he was defeated by Saitama, the seeds of doubt within his psyche grew even further. He wanted to become the most powerful Monster ever. But after ingesting the Monster Seed, he could only become what the Monster Association would call a “Half Monster”. He could never achieve what he had originally aimed for because he had serious doubts in himself.
While it does paint a rosy picture, we are not going to claim that the theory has no flaws. Heroes like the Mumen Rider are much more dedicated to the act of heroism and bravery than Saitama ever could. Why did he not gain the Ultimate Power like One Punch Man did? One possible explanation could be that Mumen Rider’s mental conviction is not singularly driven to become stronger. It is to help people in need and inspire others to be better. And if the source material in the manga and the anime is any indication, he has done a splendid job at accomplishing that. Saitama’s original intention was to become stronger and then help people. Maybe that is why Mumen Rider has not reached Saitama’s level. He probably never will.
One-Punch Man is one of the most creatively plotted anime shows in human history. They have a plethora of characters but none of them have been strong enough to defeat the One Punch Man. Fans are still perplexed. The Origin Story of Saitama’s Power is still a mystery. If this Reddit Metaphysical Theory is true, then it explains a lot of the glaring chinks in the One Punch Man story arcs.
One-Punch Man is an on-going series whose Original Run started on June 14, 2012. The official synopsis for One Punch Man reads:
One–Punch Man tells the story of Saitama, a superhero who can defeat any opponent with a single punch but seeks to find a worthy opponent after growing bored by a lack of challenge in his fight against evil. The series’ digital manga remake began publication on Shueisha’s Tonari no Young Jump website in 2012.
