One Punch Man, the anime that took the world by storm with its first season is back with 12 brand new episodes. Before we get into the details of season 2, addressing some things we learned and questions we still have, consider this your spoiler warning! Season 2 was definitely more of a world building season with a lot of time spent with supporting characters and introducing new ones as well as adding in new history and lore. Meanwhile, Saitama, One Punch Man himself, is still on his quest for fulfillment; how can he gain satisfaction while being the strongest man on the planet? That’s not to mention the monster-attack that lasted almost the entire season, keeping us entertained while hinting at plenty to look forward to in the future.
Learned: King is a Fraud
One of the most endearing elements of this season was Saitama’s relationship with fellow hero King. Seen only briefly in Season 1, King was an elusive figure believed to be the strongest human in the world and a formidable, top-ranking hero. Season 2 however, opens with a surprising twist: King’s a fraud, he’s not strong at all he’s just amazingly lucky for surviving monster attacks and looking like he took them down. His and Saitama’s relationship mainly involves hiding from the action and playing video games, but at least they get to be honest with one another, and Saitama finally gets a good work out challenging King to fighting games.
Question: Who Is Blast?
For a season that introduced so many new, powerful heroes and villains it’s crazy to think that there are still characters we haven’t met who are even stronger. Blast, the highest-ranked hero in the world, remains just as elusive as he did in the first season. We hear a few more hints about him (he’s one of the only heroes that came make the insanely massive Centichoro run in fear) but no idea what he can do or what he looks like. An appearance in the next season would be great, and possibly necessary if the stakes keep getting ramped up.
Learned: New Character Garou
Last season introduced us to Silverfang, a martial arts master and top-rank hero. In the spirit of expanding the world, in season 2 we get to see Silverfang’s training school and a couple of the students, including loyal but hapless Sourface and series antagonist, Garou. A compelling villain Garou, misunderstood and a social outcast, is intent on becoming a monster, hunting down heroes to achieve his goal.
In a world populated by over-the-top superheroes constantly going on about the battle against evil, it’s refreshing to see a character who blurs the previously clear-cut lines of good and bad.
Question: What about Atomic Samurai?
The nature of this season meant that there were a lot of sprawling stories and characters, with some heroes from the first season taking a step back in this one. Atomic Samurai, who made such a great impression in Season 1, appears very briefly in this season; he is one of the first to be offered monster cells and then forced to fight friends who’d already eaten them. We don’t even get a hint at what he might be up to, but with so many new factions (like the Silverfang school) introduced this season, it could be that he’s putting together his own group to tackle the monster association, something we would love to see next season.
Learned: The Monster Association
This season certainly ramped things up when it came to the monsters, a massive group of fighting centipedes being a particular highlight. Whereas before monster attacks appeared random and more as an opportunity for heroes to show off their skills, in this season the villains are getting more organized. While Garou is hunting down heroes the monsters have formed their own collective, the Monster Association under the rule of Monster King Orochi. While the Monster Association didn’t fully come out of the shadows this season, their presence will probably lead to some pretty massive threats and truly epic battles in later seasons.
Question: What’s Happened to Speed-o-Sound Sonic?
The rivalry between Saitama’s disciple Genos and his arch-nemesis Speed-o-Sound Sonic was as entertaining as ever this season, as well as efficiently ramping it up to even greater heights. Genos has upgraded himself to better handle Sonic’s speed, but Sonic himself was one of those who were offered a monster cell. Annoyingly we never get to see him take monster form so that still remains a mystery and something to look forward to in the next season if it even worked for him (the last thing we see is Sonic digging into a gourmet dish of monster cells and wondering if actually, he shouldn’t have cooked them).
Learned: Monster Cells
As the Monster Association was setting itself up an interesting new element was introduced this season; monster cells. Essentially, eating monster cells turns you into a monster, increasing your natural strength and exaggerating all of your worst qualities.
A lot of One Punch Man concerns itself with characters either looking to increase their power or accept their ranking in a world filled with powerful people. Introducing Monster Cells is an exciting new element that allows some heroes to “level up”, further down the line we may see the return of some more pathetic heroes out for revenge with a new set of unprecedented powers.
Question: Will Garou Become a Monster?
Garou’s story and character arc were some of the most interesting things this season. While he remained determined to become a monster in his own right his motivations for doing so became less and less clear as the story progressed. We’re treated to quite a tragic backstory for Garou and his association with Silverfang means that there may be some hope of redemption left for him. He was last seen being taken away by the Monster Association and Garou doesn’t play well with others so that may not be the strongest alliance. Either way, he absolutely still has to have a showdown with Saitama.
Learned: It’s All About Power vs. Skill
One of the major themes this season was the idea of power vs skill; which is required in order to be the greatest? Saitama, obviously full of power, spends a lot of this season at a martial arts contest to improve his skill but can’t help but defeat his foes in, well, one punch. As his relationship with King grows it becomes clear that anyone who is lacking in either of the two categories has more room to grow. At the end of two seasons, Saitama may still be the most powerful hero in the world but he’s only one step closer to achieving his true goal.
Question: What About Drive Knight’s Warning?
A call back to season 1 but a plot thread that has yet to be resolved; in the finale of last season the mysterious Drive Knight, associated with the even more mysterious Metal Knight, warns Genos not to trust Metal Knight. A whole season later and this warning and the character it pertains to are still wrapped in mystery. It’s known that Metal Knight can build powerful robots, so it’s entirely possible that this could be hinting at some sort of origin story for Genos, with the cyborg eventually having to meet his maker. Whatever the reason behind the warning it’something to look forward to and hopefully gets revealed in the not too distant future!
