You have probably seen countless memes of a bald manga character clad in a yellow jumpsuit and white cape taking out other people – from other manga characters to comic book superheroes – with a single punch. That guy happens to be Saitama, also known as One-Punch Man, the protagonist of the manga and anime series of the same name.
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Image source: donthatethegeek.com
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It was first released as a webcomic back in 2009, slowly gaining a huge following until it became wildly popular in 2012. After receiving 7.9 million hits that year, it was redrawn into a manga and has since sold more than 13 million copies. Once the manga was released in the U.S., it garnered the first place in the New York Times Manga Best Sellers list for two weeks.
In 2015, an anime adaptation was aired, becoming well-received not just in Japan, but also in the U.S., United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
Now, one might wonder why the nonchalant, laconic superhero would appeal to a pretty wide fan base.
Some like that he is not the archetypal hero. He did not choose his job of saving his world because of a noble purpose; he was just bored.
Some like that the storyline is not like any other manga or anime. You never really worry whether the hero could defeat his opponents because Saitama can dispatch any enemy with a flick of the wrist. The tension, as well as the humor, are drawn from the conflicts or infighting among Saitama’s huge cast of superhero colleagues.
Whatever the reason may be for enjoying the manga or the anime, we can all agree that One-Punch Man has taken the world by storm.
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Image source: geekorner.wordpress.com
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Konnichiwa! Huge anime fan Ronald Ozer here. One-Punch Man is just one of my many favorites, with the original Gundam taking the number one spot on my list. Let’s talk about anime! Connect with me on Twitter.
